Quinton De Kock

Ishan Kishan (76) combined with Shreyas Iyer (36) in a destructive 80-run partnership as India posted 211-4 – the highest score in T20Is at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

That total was boosted by a late flurry of runs from Rishabh Pant (29 off 16 balls) and Hardik Pandya's 12-ball 31 for a much-changed India, without Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah or Virat Kohli.

South Africa soon lost captain Temba Bavuma (10) in the chase, caught behind off Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-43), before Dwaine Pretorius and Quinton de Kock offered brief resistance.

Harshal Patel (1-43) then removed Pretorius (29), and De Kock (22) followed to Axar Patel (1-40), with South Africa 81-3 after 8.4 overs, before Miller and Van der Dussen joined in an incredible 131-run partnership.

Miller blasted 64 off 31 and Van der Dussen – dropped on 29 by Iyer – mustered 75 off 46 deliveries to complete the sixth-highest run chase in T20I history and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

India run ends

India seemed set to move clear of Afghanistan and Romania (both 12) for the longest winning streak in the format's history and end South Africa's own four-game winning run.

But the late heroics of Miller and Van der Dussen ensured South Africa collected their 12th win in 13 T20Is, while India have won just one of their past five at home to the Proteas in 20-over cricket.

Maharaj misery in winning cause

Maharaj picked up the all-important wicket of Kishan, but the left-armer struggled against India, albeit in a winning cause.

He went for 43 from his three overs, at an economy of 14.33, but could have been helped by De Kock had the wicket-keeper not missed a stumping of Iyer on 25.

The Rohit Sharma-led side have been in great form and enter the contest as strong favourites to overcome the Capitals, who are competing in their first final.

But if Mumbai are to become only the second side to win back-to-back crowns, after Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011, they will need to end their even-number year jinx.

Their previous triumphs came in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, losing their only odd-number year final to the Super Kings in 2010.

Delhi may lack the pedigree of their opponents but confidence will be high in the camp after overcoming Sunrisers Hyderabad by 17 runs on Sunday.

As the top two sides in the tournament pool stage prepare to go head-to-head at the Dubai International Stadium, we look at where the game could be won and lost.

DHAWAN CHASING DOWN RAHUL

Capitals' Shikhar Dhawan enters the final with 603 runs from 16 matches and needs 68 to overtake Kings XI Punjab's K. L. Rahul at the top of the charts.

Dhawan is averaging 46.38 and has two hundreds to his name in this season's IPL.

Mumbai have a couple of big hitters of their own in the top five, with Ishan Kishan and Quinton de Kock (both 483) behind only Rahul, Dhawan and David Warner (548).

Four Mumbai batsmen have hit at least 20 sixes in this year's IPL - Kishan (29), Hardik Pandya (25), Kieron Pollard (22) and De Kock (21).

No Capitals player has reached that mark yet - Marcus Stoinis being their most frequent boundary-clearer with 16.

BUMRAH LEADING THE WAY

While Dhawan - who also leads the way in terms of centuries (2) - is in strong contention to win the Orange Cap, Jasprit Bumrah is still eyeing the Purple Cap.

That is currently in Kagiso Rabada's possession, having taken 29 wickets in 16 matches, but Bumrah is just two behind with 27.

The Capitals' biggest wicket-taker, by comparison, is Anrich Nortje, who is down in seventh with 20 from his 15 outings.

In terms of all-rounders, Stoinis has scored 352 runs and taken 12 wickets, making him one of only 12 to have completed the 350-10 double in an IPL season.

MUMBAI'S PROVEN PEDIGREE

Perhaps more than any individual stats, though, is the fact that Mumbai Indians have been there and done it.

They are the most successful IPL franchise ever, reaching five of the 12 finals and winning four of those.

However, the sides' head-to-head record ahead of this season stood at 12 wins apiece, only for Mumbai to win three in a row.

Intriguingly, one finalist has had a 3-0 record against the other in the last three IPL seasons, and it did not stop the Mumbai Indians ending their losing streak against Rising Pune Supergiant on one of those occasions in 2017.

Having suffered a seven-wicket defeat in Rawalpindi, the Proteas are now winless in their previous 13 Tests on the subcontinent, a dismal run of form that followed a 153-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle in July 2014. 

The tourists were undone by Pakistan's spin pairing of Yasir Shah and Nauman Ali in the first game, with the duo taking 14 of the 20 South Africa wickets to fall at the National Stadium. 

However, the venue for the second Test could offer a little more help to the quicker bowlers, a welcome boost for struggling South Africa as they bid to draw level. 

Their plans for the first Test were hampered by the late withdrawal of Tabraiz Shamsi, who suffered a back issue in the warm-up and had to be replaced by paceman Lungi Ngidi.  

Shamsi has recovered in time to be considered for selection, while opening batsman Dean Elgar is also fit to play after a taking a nasty blow to the hand while batting in his team's second innings. 

South Africa fought hard in the face of a hefty first-innings deficit but were left with too much to do after only making 220 on day one. Amid the frustration, all the top seven in the order reached double figures but failed to build on it, their cause not helped by both Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma getting run out. 

As for the hosts, their line-up may well depend on the pitch. Considering the balance of the side worked so well last time out, it could be they go with the same XI again. 

The top order did struggle but Fawad Alam's century and a wagging tail helped rescue their first innings, having at one stage slumped to 27-4 late on day one. Babar Azam had a quiet debut in his role as Test captain in terms of his output with the bat, managing 37 runs in his two knocks.

CAPTAINCY SWANSONG FOR DE KOCK? 

It appears Quinton de Kock is set for his final Test in charge of the Proteas – for now at least. The wicketkeeper-batsman may have been set to continue in the role for the Tests against Australia on home soil, but that series has been postponed. Instead, the break will allow De Kock to get some well-earned rest and team management to assess their options. 

"When we get back after this tour we've got a bit of time before our next series so we can sit down and make a good, solid call on who can take over from him and release him from that burden and try and get the best out of him," South Africa coach Mark Boucher said on the eve of the game. 

 
SPINNERS IN SIGHT FOR YASIR 

Yasir played a pivotal role in the opener, finishing with match figures of 7-133. His haul in Karachi takes his career tally in Tests to 234 wickets, meaning he is just three shy of fifth place on the all-time list for Pakistan.  

The great Abdul Qadir currently occupies the spot, while another leg-spinner in Danish Kaneria sits third on 261. However, there is some way to go to catch the bowler on top; Wasim Akram finished his career with 414 wickets at a ridiculously impressive average of 23.62.  

KEY MATCH FACTS

- South Africa will be looking to avoid a fourth consecutive multi-game Test series loss away from home; it would be the first time the Proteas have lost as many such series in succession since losing each of their first seven in the format (July 1907 – February 1932).

- Pakistan won their most recent Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium by an innings and 44 runs (against Bangladesh, February 2020). They will be aiming to secure back-to-back triumphs at the venue for the first time.

- Babar Azam has scored a century in each of his previous two Test innings in Rawalpindi; no player has more at the venue in the format (Saeed Anwar and Michael Slater also have two).

- Pakistan have dropped 13 catches in Tests so far this year, the most by any side and one of only two in double figures (India – 10).

- Kagiso Rabada has a bowling strike rate of 41.1 in Test cricket, the best by any player to take at least 150 wickets in the format.

- Faheem Ashraf finished with the best dot ball percentage (89.3 per cent) of any bowler in the first Test, though it was the first time he has failed to claim a wicket.

The tourists and the Proteas start at three-match T20 series at Newlands on Friday, less than a year before they go in search of T20 World Cup glory in India.

England have taken a star-studded squad to South Africa, with Morgan among a strong contingent to have recently plied their trade in the Indian Premier League.

The in-form batsman, who led England to World Cup glory in the 50-over format last year, feels fortunate to have so much talent to call upon.

"The honest answer is we don't know our best 11 yet," Morgan said. "There are probably seven or eight guys who are pretty strong candidates to be in our playing 11, but the strength of the squad that we've selected, and the reserves that we have here, has made our full-strength side available for selection for the first time in a long time. That makes it very exciting.

"Winning at the moment would be great, but the process of going through what's best for our team and best for our players, to try and beat the opposition is extremely important," he added.

South Africa also have star men coming into the series, which is their first since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, on the back of outstanding performances in the IPL.

They will be without two unnamed players who are self-isolating, but in good health, after testing positive for COVID-19 and South African cricket has been in the headlines far too often due to administration issues.

Yet Proteas skipper Quinton de Kock said: "It's a fresh start. The guys are keen to play. It's been a while since we've played for the Proteas.

"The guys are keen to change what has been going on around cricket. We're the leaders and we'll try to lead from the front. The guys are keen to get going."

South Africa will be without all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius due to a hamstring injury.

DE KOCK, RABADA AND ARCHER HOPING TO REPEAT IPL EXPLOITS

Wicketkeeper-batsman De Kock will be on a high after playing a big part in another IPL triumph for the Mumbai Indians.

He was the sixth-highest run-scorer in a thrilling tournament with 503 at an average of 35.92 at the top of the order, making four half-centuries and smashing 22 sixes.

Proteas paceman Kagiso Rabada was the leading wicket-taker in the competition for beaten finalists Delhi Capitals, claiming 30 scalps at 18.26 apiece.

England quick Jofra Archer also showed he is one of the best bowlers in the world, striking 20 times and showing his ability to be classed as an all-rounder with some entertaining knocks.

South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje also impressed in the United Arab Emirates along with Faf du Plessis and England skipper Morgan.

STOKES PRIMED FOR ANOTHER CAPE TOWN CLASSIC?

England all-rounder Ben Stokes arrived late at the IPL, having been given time to spend time with his family in New Zealand after his father, Ged, was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Stokes made the second-highest score of the tournament with a magnificent 107 not out from only 60 balls to seal a stunning victory for the Rajasthan Royals over champions Mumbai.

He returns to England duty after leaving the squad to head to New Zealand during the Test series against Pakistan in August and will be back in action at a world-famous venue where he produced one of his finest performances.

Stokes made an astonishing Test-best 258 off 198 balls in a drawn second Test in Cape Town in January 2016, smashing the Proteas attack to all parts.

KEY OPTA FACTS 

- The tourists are looking to secure a third successive T20 series win over the Proteas, having beaten them earlier this year and in 2017.
- England have won five of their last seven games against South Africa in the shortest format.
- South Africa have won both of their T20 matches against England at Newlands, but have come out on top in only 33 per cent of all matches at the venue in the shortest format.
- England have the lowest catching success rate of any Test-playing nation in T20s since the start of 2019 (76 per cent). 
- Only Pakistan captain Babar Azam (53 – 25 innings) has a higher batting average as an opener in T20Is than England's Jos Buttler (51 – 11 innings) among those to record 10 or more knocks at the top of the order. Buttler has posted scores of 57, 44 and 77 not out in his last three T20 appearances, all of which came as an opener.

De Kock made a classy century in a first Test that the Proteas won by an innings and 63 runs at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium and was dismissed for 96 at the same venue on Saturday.

Kemar Roach took 3-45 and Kyle Mayers claimed 3-28 - his best Test bowling figures - as the tourists were bowled out for 298 on the second day in Gros Islet.

The Windies were bowled out for only 149 in reply, losing their last four wickets for only six runs in the space of three and a half overs.

Kagiso Rabada (2-24), Lungi Ngidi (2-27) and Keshav Maharaj (2-47) took two wickets apiece, while Wiaan Mulder took three wickets for only one run late on another miserable day for West Indies - who trail by 149 runs and are facing a 2-0 series defeat.

Roach had Mulder caught behind in his first over of the day and Maharaj fell in the same fashion to Jason Holder after putting on 36 for the seventh wicket with De Kock.

De Kock fell just shy of a hundred when he attempted to slash Mayers for four, Shai Hope taking a simple catch in the gully after the ball looped up off Joshua Da Silva's glove.

Rabada added an unbeaten 21 and then had Kraigg Brathwaite caught behind off the first ball of the Windies' reply and they were in deep trouble on 54-4 when Maharaj removed Mayers.

Jermaine Blackwood (49) and Hope (43) offered some resistance, but West Indies folded and look to be facing a whitewash on home soil in a series they started by only posting a pitiful 97 and 162 in the opening Test.

De Kock falls just short

Wicketkeeper batsman De Kock was named man of the match in the first Test for his magnificent 141.

The explosive left-hander fell agonisingly short of a second successive hundred on the same ground, but his brilliant innings could be decisive.

De Kock struck eight boundaries in another assured, high quality 162-ball knock, having arrived at the crease on day one with work to do at 124-4.

Late Mulder burst sums up Windies' day

The Windies were already on the ropes at 143-6 before Mulder did late damage.

All-rounder Mulder had birthday boy Da Silva caught behind in his first over, then saw the back of Roach and Jayden Seales in the space of three balls.

Blackwood top-edged spinner Maharaj to Dean Elgar, ending a sorry innings that lasted only 54 overs.

The Proteas are going through a transitional period, which has seen them lose all but one of their past five series in the longest format.

Two of those defeats have come against Sri Lanka, who arrived in the Centurion bubble hungry to end 2020 on a high note under former South Africa head coach Mickey Arthur.

De Kock has taken over as captain on a temporary basis for the 2020-21 season as the selectors take their time to decide who to appoint as Faf du Plessis' successor.

The wicketkeeper-batsman has called on a youthful Proteas team to step up in their first Test since January due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: "We've got a young team. We need our younger guys to come through and learn fast so we can have a structured team. That's what I would hope for from this season, for the new guys to come in and start scoring runs and putting up their hands."

Migael Pretorius, Sarel Erwee, Glenton Stuurman and Kyle Verreynne were all called up to the South Africa squad for the first time.

The tourists' last game in the longest format was also back in January, when they drew with Zimbabwe to win the series 1-0.

AIDEN READY TO MAKE HIS MARK AGAIN

As well as having several new faces in the squad, South Africa also welcomed back Aiden Markram.

The opening batsman suffered a fractured finger at the end of last year, ruling him out of the remainder of a series loss to England.

Markram has been in great domestic form for the Titans, scoring three centuries before making 75 in his most recent knock.

The 26-year-old has been talked of as a potential Proteas captain, but his short-term focus is on making a big contribution at the top of the order.

He said: "I had time [during the COVID-19 pandemic] to touch base with things that worked in the past. It felt like everything was becoming a bit rushed with a lot of cricket and when you're out of form, it can be a snowball effect.

"I am moving well and things are starting to get back to where they were 18 months ago."

KARUNARATNE: WE'RE ON A PAR WITH PROTEAS PACE ATTACK

Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne will be unable to call upon Angelo Mathews after he was ruled out of the tour due to injury.

The tourists have a concern over a niggle sustained by Suranga Lakmal, but Karunaratne believes they have a pace attack that can trouble South Africa.

He said: "We're going to need the fast bowlers at Centurion and the Wanderers [venue for the second Test]. Last time we came to South Africa we didn't have many options - Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera weren't here. This time we do have that strength, and we will need it.

"If the opposition thinks that we don't have a lot of pace or bounce in our team, that emboldens them to use their conditions even more against us.

"But on this tour, we have fast bowlers, and if you look at pace, we're about equal. I think the batsmen will be the difference. Whoever is the better batting side has a good chance of winning the series."

KEY OPTA FACTS

- Sri Lanka have won four consecutive Tests against South Africa, having previously gone six games unbeaten against them in the format (W5 D1).
- South Africa have won all four Tests against Sri Lanka at Centurion and been victorious in 20 of their 25 matches at the venue in the longest format.
- The Proteas have taken 83 per cent of their catches in Test matches since the start of 2018, the highest share of any side across that period. Five teams have recorded better rates than Sri Lanka in that time.
- Du Plessis and Dean Elgar are closing in on 4,000 Test runs, requiring 99 and 112 respectively to reach a milestone only eight South African batsmen have achieved.

The Tigers were on a high after winning the opener at Centurion, but they were brought back down to earth in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Proteas paceman Rabada took 5-39 as the tourists were restricted to 194-9 after Tamim Iqbal won the toss and elected to bat first.

Bangladesh were reduced to 94-6 before Afif Hossain made 72 and Mehidy Hasan struck 38 to take them up to a reasonable total.

But South Africa coasted to victory to keep the series alive, Quinton de Kock smashing a quickfire 62 and Kyle Verreynne scoring an unbeaten 58 to get them home with 76 balls to spare.

Lungi Ngidi (1-34) got rid of Tamim and Shakib Al Hasan was caught by Verreynne at cover without scoring off the bowling of Rabada, who also dismissed Litton Das and Yasir Ali cheaply.

Wayne Parnell trapped Mushfiqur Rahim leg before prior to sustaining a hamstring injury, but a seventh-wicket stand of 86 between Afif and Mehidy gave Bangladesh hope.

South Africa made light work of chasing down their target, though, as De Kock raced to a half-century in only 27 balls before Verreynne and captain Temba Bavuma combined for an 82-run stand.

Bavuma fell for 37 when he picked out Shoriful Islam with a sweep, but Verreynne and Rassie van der Dussen saw South Africa home at a canter.

Rabada rips through Tigers

Bangladesh were unable to live with fast bowler Rabada, who claimed his second five-wicket haul for his country in the 50-over format.

Rabada only took one wicket in the first match of the series, but he claimed three early scalps and returned to send Afif on his way before ending Mehidy's knock in the same over.

De Kock cuts loose

Wicketkeeper-batsman De Kock and Janneman Malan (26) put on 86 in just 12.3 overs in an opening stand that set the Proteas well on their way to victory.

De Kock struck two sixes and another nine boundaries before Afif took an excellent catch for Shakib to dismiss the left-hander, but Verreynne and Bavuma looked in excellent touch as South Africa cruised home.

The spinner is set for a key role as England tackle South Africa in a three-match T20I series that begins at the County Ground in Bristol on Wednesday.

Rashid, with 81 wickets in 73 T20I outings, ranks second only to Chris Jordan on the list of England's bowlers with the most victims in the short-form international game.

There has been a rocky start to the new era for England that has seen Matthew Mott come in as white-ball coach and Jos Buttler replace Eoin Morgan as captain.

England lost ODI and T20I series to India, both by a 2-1 margin, and then drew 1-1 with the South Africans in ODIs after the third match was abandoned due to rain at Headingley.

But Rashid says it would be a mistake to panic and implement changes, particularly in light of the T20 World Cup coming up in October.

He told Sky Sports: "Sometimes you win some and sometimes you lose some. But if we maintain our mindset and have that positive, aggressive brand of cricket we're playing, I'm sure we'll do well.

"More often than not, if you have that mindset and are playing with that aggressiveness and you're fully committed to it, it will come off. I think we're in a good place.

"Why would we change? I think we've done well the last seven or eight years, we've done well in 50 overs and T20, and I think we'll continue doing what we have been doing."

Rashid said England's mindset was to be "playing as if it's our last game", adding: "I think the focus is the World Cup but before that, we've still got plenty of cricket to be played and hopefully we can run into some good form by then."

Yorkshire star Rashid said he was "not even thinking" about the prospect of playing Tests again – "because there's so much white-ball cricket".

Rashid has played 118 ODIs and 73 T20I matches, and won the last of his 19 Test caps against West Indies in January 2019. 

England out to make amends, Proteas look to catch a break

After Wednesday's opener, England and South Africa will carry on their rivalry in Cardiff on Thursday and Southampton for the finale on Sunday.

England's T20I setback against India halted a run of three successive series victories, and they have never lost back-to-back home series before in the shortest international format. They have beaten South Africa in five of their last six T20I matches, but that lone defeat came in their last meeting, at last year's World Cup.

There has been a swing of momentum towards England in the T20I rivalry between the sides, with England winning their last three bilateral series after two drawn series and a loss in the three prior. South Africa last beat England in such a series in February 2016.

If South Africa are to prevail, their catching might need to surpass recent standards. England have a catch success rate of 86 per cent (155 of 180 chances) in men's T20Is since the beginning of 2020, which is the best in the elite-level game, but South Africa sit 10th on that list with a 76 per cent record.

Buttler and De Kock chase landmarks

The runs have dried up for new captain Buttler, who has managed just 147 across eight innings in limited-overs internationals this month. He is 56 runs away from becoming the batter with the most runs in men's T20Is against South Africa, having amassed 416 to date, putting him behind Martin Guptill (424) and David Warner (471).

On the South African side, Quinton de Kock is 72 short of overtaking JP Duminy to become his country's leading run-scorer in all men's T20Is. He and the now-retired Duminy are tied for the most fifties in the format for the Proteas, both having made 11 half-centuries.

The hosts, after winning the toss and batting first, made an imposing 207-7 from their 20 overs on a much-improved Sabina Park pitch.

Stand-in Captain Brandon King, who stood out with a top score of 79 in the first T20I, got the ball rolling quickly on Saturday with a 13-run third over off the bowling of Anrich Nortje, who South Africa brought in for this game in place of Gerald Coetzee.

Johnson Charles, playing his 50^th T20I, once again failed to make any inroads with the bat as he was first to fall, caught in the deep off the bowling of Bjorn Fortuin for seven.

Kyle Mayers joined the skipper and the pair brought the score up to 51-1 at the end of the first powerplay with King 35* off 20 balls and looking set for another big one and Mayers on nine from seven balls.

Unfortunately for the hosts and the Sabina Park crowd, King’s knock didn’t last much longer as he became the first T20I wicket for debutant Nqaba Peter when he was caught at long on for 36 in the seventh over.

Peter got his second wicket not long after when Mayers, after hitting a six the ball before, became the third West Indies batsman to get out caught in the deep. He made a 16-ball 32 including two fours and three sixes. The score at the time of his wicket was 83-3 with one ball left in the ninth over.

At the halfway point, the hosts were 88-3 with Roston Chase and Andre Fletcher at the crease on 10 and three, respectively.

The pair then batted beautifully to put on a further 56 in short time before Fletcher fell for 29 to leave the West Indies 139-4 with five overs left.

Not long after, Chase brought up an excellent maiden T20I fifty with a flat six over mid-wicket off Lungi Ngidi in the 17^th over. His milestone came off 30 balls.

The 19^th over proved to be the most crucial for the West Indies as a trio of sixes from Romario Shepherd brought the score past the 200 mark before he fell off the last ball of that over for 26 off just 13 balls.

In the end, Chase finished 67* off just 38 balls including seven fours and two sixes.

Peter was the pick of the South African bowlers with 2-32 from his four overs while Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo took 2-41 and 2-51 from their respective four over spells.

The start from South Africa then had Sabina Park silent as openers Reeza Hendricks and Quinton De Kock absolutely hammered the West Indian bowling around the park on the way to an opening partnership of 81 in the first five overs.

The last ball of that fifth over proved to be the start of the West Indian fightback as De Kock took one risk too many and was bowled by Akeal Hosein for 41 off just 17 balls including four fours and as many sixes.

Three balls later, one became two for the Windies as Reeza Hendricks, who made 87 in the first game on Thursday, was dismissed by Chase for 34 to leave the tourists 83-2 at the halfway point of the sixth over.

Ryan Rickelton and Matthew Breetzke then added a further 30 before the latter went for an ill-advised second run and was run out thanks to a brilliant throw from the deep mid-wicket boundary by Shamar Joseph for 12 off the penultimate ball of the 10^th over.

Rickelton was next to go, caught off the bowling of Romario Shepherd for 19 to leave the score at 124-4 off 12 overs.

Not long after, Andile Phehlukwayo fell to another brilliant piece of fielding from Joseph, this time a catch in the deep off the bowling of Gudakesh Motie for three to leave the South Africans reeling at 138-5 in the 15^th over.

Any chance South Africa had of pulling off the chase was dashed when Gudakesh Motie dismissed both Rassie Van Der Dussen (30) and Wiaan Mulder (9) in the 17^th over.

In the end, South Africa reached 191-7 from their 20 overs, 16 runs short of their target.

Motie ended with 3-22 from his four overs while Shepherd bowled a crucial spell with 1-21 from his four.

Chase, who was named man of the match, completed a fine all-round performance with 1-26 from his four overs.

Chase says the team has eyes on a series sweep.

“Obviously we’ve started the series well being 2-0 up but three is better than two. I just think it’s for us to look at some of the areas where we were weak today and plan to execute them better tomorrow and improve on the areas we did well in as well,” he said.

“The guys have been playing some good cricket, we just had a camp in Antigua and we’ve put in a lot of hard work so it’s just for us to come out and execute and mostly, enjoy the cricket. I think once you go out there to enjoy the cricket, it becomes a lot easier and takes a bit of pressure off of you so it’s just to go out there and have fun,” he added.

The third T20I is set for Sunday.

Cricket South Africa on Tuesday announced Quinton de Kock had replaced Du Plessis as ODI captain ahead of the series against the world champions.

Du Plessis stated the fourth Test against England at the Wanderers, which starts on Friday, could be his last appearance in the longest format on home soil, revealing he may quit after facing West Indies in July and August.

The batsman had earlier outlined his desire to remain Proteas captain until the T20 World Cup in Australia in October, and Smith wants some clarity over Du Plessis' plans.

Interim South Africa director of cricket Smith said of the decision to appoint De Kock as ODI captain: "We see Faf playing a role as a player but from a leadership perspective, we felt the need to move on.

"Faf doesn't see himself being around in 2023. Leadership has been an issue of late in South African cricket and we have made the decision to give Quinny an opportunity.

"We feel tactically he is good, there are areas of his leadership that we all know we need to grow and develop but he is the right guy at this stage to take the one-day side forward."

The former Proteas skipper added: "With the World Cup around the corner, we need to go forward.

"At the moment Faf is in that position but I need to sit with him post this Test series. He has got a bit of time because he is being rested from the one-day series, so we will have some time to have a robust discussion on his future.

"He is the South African Test captain. The next Test match we play after this series will be in the Caribbean - there is an extensive amount of time. I need to understand how he sees his future in the game."

Having decided to bat first in Grenada, Temba Bavuma's side went on to seal a decisive triumph to round off a 3-2 series success.

De Kock's 60 and Markram's 70 set the tone as the tourists reached 168-4 from 20 overs.

It proved the difference, with Evin Lewis' 52 not enough to inspire the Windies, who also lost the Test series against the Proteas 2-0.

South Africa could hardly have got off to a poorer start, however, with captain Bavuma dismissed on the third delivery of the day.

Yet thanks to the efforts of De Kock – who struck his third straight half-century – and Markram, the Proteas were on 128 by the time they next lost a wicket.

After helping to muster the highest partnership of the series for either side, De Kock picked out Andre Russell off Fidel Edwards' bowling, before Markram, who has now scored 50 or more in four of his last nine T20s, succumbed two overs later.

David Miller added 18 off 16 deliveries to ensure South Africa finished with a flourish.

Lewis went on the attack to get Windies off to a strong start, but by the time he was caught by Markram, the hosts were 75-3, having lost Lendl Simmons and Chris Gayle.

Shimron Hetmyer's 33 included two sixes, but the loss of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell in swift succession ultimately left the Windies with too much to do, with Nicholas Pooran's dismissal the final blow to their hopes.

DE KOCK LEADS THE WAY

Though Markram was awarded with player of the match, De Kock has enjoyed a brilliant series.

His innings also included four boundaries along with a pair of sixes, while De Kock's total of 225 runs are also the most by a batter in a bilateral series. 

Lungi Ngidi (3-32), was the pick of the bunch from South Africa's bowling attack.

BOUCHER GETS A MONKEY OFF HIS BACK

This was also a huge win for South Africa coach Mark Boucher. The Proteas have hardly had much in the way of consistent success under his coaching unit, albeit the coronavirus pandemic has certainly played a part in that.

Indeed, South Africa were on a five-series losing streak in T20s, but they may just have started to turn things around.

Half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan (61) and Virat Kohli (65) gave the tourists a platform to build their chase of 288 from, but some excellent bowling and safe hands in the field saw the Proteas dismiss India for an agonising 283 off the second ball of the final over.

India won the toss and put South Africa in to bat, taking the early wickets of Janneman Malan (1) and Temba Bavuma (8). When Aiden Markram fell to Deepak Chahar for 15 in the 13th over, the hosts were 70-3 and wobbling until a partnership of 144 between De Kock and Rassie van der Dussen.

De Kock followed up his 78 from the second game in Paarl by making a classy 124 off 130 balls, with Van der Dussen (52) the only other to make a half-century for the Proteas.

However, both fell in consecutive overs, and though a useful pairing of David Miller (39) and Dwaine Pretorius (20) put on a partnership of 44, South Africa was all out in the last over, with Prasidh Krishna (3-59) bringing the innings to a close with the penultimate ball for a total of 287.

The chase did not start brilliantly for India as KL Rahul was caught by Malan off the bowling of Lungi Ngidi (3-58) for just nine, though Dhawan and Kohli set about repairing that early damage.

Their partnership of 98 appeared to set the tourists on their way to a consolation win, though after Dhawan was dismissed when he hit an Andile Phehlukwayo delivery straight up in the air, allowing De Kock to snaffle the catch, Rishabh Pant was out first ball to Phehlukwayo and India's chase looked less assured.

Kohli steadied the ship with Shreyas Iyer (26) before he was taken by Bavuma off the bowling of Keshav Maharaj, but Suryakumar Yadav (39) and Chahar (54) had India scenting a win.

However, with just 10 runs required for victory, Chahar hit Ngidi straight up in the air, with Pretorious taking the catch, before Jasprit Bumrah (12) was caught by Bavuma off Phehlukwayo to leave India needing seven runs from nine balls with one wicket remaining, which fell when Yuzvendra Chahal (2) hit Pretorious straight to Miller.

Proteas in safe hands with Bavuma

It is safe to say that South Africa's ODI captaincy is in safe hands, quite literally when it comes to Bavuma as he took four catches to help his team dismiss India in Cape Town.

Bavuma also used his bowling attack expertly, with five different bowlers sharing the wickets (Ngidi and Phehlukwayo with three, Pretorius two and Sisanda Magala and Maharaj getting one each).

One day woes for India

Although the first two defeats in this series were the result of poor performances, this was a much tighter affair and stand-in ODI captain Rahul will be pleased with the improvement.

Chahar was one success story, coming in for his first game of the series and hitting 54 with the bat while taking two wickets with the ball, but this now makes it four defeats on the spin in ODIs.

South Africa beat the Windies by six wickets at Centurion on Sunday, chasing down a target of 259.

It marked the record successful run chase in a T20I, while De Kock (100 from 44 deliveries) hit the fastest 50 in the shortest format for South Africa, with his half-century coming from just 15 balls.

De Kock, supported ably by Hendricks (68), took the fight to Windies from the off, with the Proteas reaching 102-0 by the end of the first powerplay. It is the highest powerplay total in a T20I involving a full-member nation.

Hendricks picked up the slack after De Kock's dismissal at the hands of Raymon Reifer (1-42), and the latter put the credit on his fellow opener.

"It was quite special. Reeza was the silent assassin," said De Kock, whose century was his first in T20Is.

"When I got out he said, 'We just did something really special and we should be proud of what we've done'.

"We have played together for so long. We know what he can do."

Asked about his approach, De Kock added: "Just pick the right options and play with a bit of hope. Playing at Centurion, we know we can get a lot of runs here."

South Africa captain Aiden Markram finished the job with 38 runs from 21 balls, and said both teams can be proud of being involved in such a thrilling encounter, with 81 boundaries plundered between the sides.

"It was a great game to be a part of," said Markram. "All in all I think both teams can appreciate it."

Johnson Charles' sublime 118 from 46 deliveries set the Windies on their way to a big total that seemed set to be enough to see the tourists take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Charles' century came off just 39 balls, a new record for a Windies player.

"It was pretty, pretty crazy. When we came off halfway, we thought we had enough," said West Indies captain Rovman Powell.

"But credit to Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks. They applied pressure from ball one.

"We tell [Johnson] to go hard. We give him a licence to hit. He played very well today.

"This is the seventh game I've been on the T20 circuit that we scored 240 or 250 runs and we lost so I'm quite used to it now."

The tourists crushed the Proteas by 107 runs in the opening game of their limited-overs tour on Friday, bowling their opponents out for just 89.

They appeared set to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after restricting South Africa to 158-4 despite Quinton de Kock's 70.

However, they slumped from 98-1 midway through the 13th over to finish on 146-6, well shy of a target perceived to be below par at the halfway stage of the contest.

Steve Smith stole the show in South Africa's powerplay, despite the hosts powering to 59-0 thanks mainly to the efforts of skipper De Kock.

Smith produced an incredible piece of fielding in the sixth over, catching a shot over the deep midwicket boundary from De Kock and throwing it back across the rope before he hit the ground to prevent what looked a certain six.

De Kock struck five fours and four sixes but was eventually caught at long off as Australia fought back, Rassie van der Dussen's 26-ball 37 the other primary contribution as the Proteas' early impetus petered out.

David Warner (67 not out) and Australia captain Aaron Finch put on 48 for the first wicket in 4.4 overs before the impressive Lungi Ngidi (3-41) struck.

Warner and Smith appeared in cruise control, yet both could be considered guilty of not scoring quickly enough and the latter went for 29 off 26 balls when Faf du Plessis raced in from the boundary to claim an excellent catch.

Alex Carey fell to Ngidi for 14 as South Africa's death bowling came to the fore.

Ngidi claimed his third when Du Plessis produced more brilliance in the field, parrying a high shot down the ground to David Miller to remove Mitchell Marsh, though Australia still needed just 20 off the final two overs with six wickets in hand.

Yet Kagiso Rabada drew a leading edge from Matthew Wade at the start of the 19th, during which Warner spent just one delivery on strike. 

Australia required 17 off the final six balls but could manage only four, Anrich Nortje bowling Ashton Agar as South Africa completed a fine comeback to ensure the third and final match on Wednesday will be a decider.

Quinton de Kock starred for the Proteas, but it was Anrich Nortje who ensured England could not win thanks to his bowling in the final over.

South Africa got off to the perfect start, registering their second-most productive powerplay in the tournament so far, without losing a wicket.

De Kock hit his half-century off 22 balls, eventually finishing with 65. However, they soon slipped away as England rallied.

Despite an early over costing him 21 runs, Archer finished strongly on 3-40, helped by some superb catching from Jos Buttler as England eventually limited them to 163-6.

However, England could not keep that momentum going when they stepped up to bat, getting just 41 runs in their own powerplay – their lowest tally this year.

It was not until the introduction of Harry Brook (53) and Liam Livingstone (33) that they found their groove, but when the former got caught in the in the final over, Sam Curran and Jofra Archer could not get the 14 runs they needed from the final five balls, finishing just short on 156-6.

Data Debrief: Records aplenty for De Kock

De Kock has scored back-to-back fifties at the T20 World Cup, but his tally today equalled the fastest half-century of the tournament (USA's Aaron Jones also got 50 off 22 balls).

His 49 runs in the powerplay is the most by a South Africa batter at a men's T20 World Cup, beating his own previous record of 46 against England in 2016.

De Kock suffered the injury in the 2nd ODI on Sunday while attempting to catch a ball off of an edge from England batsman Harry Brook.

The Proteas' wicketkeeper was cleared to bat in the second innings after a scan revealed no fracture and made 31 as a superb Temba Bavuma century saw his side chase down 342 to win by five wickets.

However, Cricket South Africa (CSA) decided De Kock will not be risked in the third ODI with Heinrich Klaasen his replacement.

South Africa are aiming for a series sweep after winning the first two matches in Bloemfontein and made three changes for the final ODI, with Anrich Nortje and Keshav Maharaj also missing out. 

Should they win the final game today, South Africa would boost their chances of automatically qualifying for the World Cup in India later this year with a defeat meaning they may have to go through the qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

The Proteas wrapped up a convincing 2-0 Test series win against West Indies earlier in the month, having beaten world champions England 2-1 in an ODI series before that.

While Shukri Conrad has already taken charge of the Test side, this latest series will be the first for new white-ball coach Rob Walter having completed his term with New Zealand's Central Stags. 

Walter will be without important players, however, after Keshav Maharaj ruptured his left Achilles in the Test series. Wiaan Mulder is also unavailable with a left side strain, with Tabraiz Shamsi and Wayne Parnell replacing the pair.  

South Africa will be favourites given their form, but all-rounder Bjorn Fortuin is certain his side will take nothing for granted when they face off in the first ODI against West Indies since the 2019 World Cup. 

"We are going to need to be at our best in all three aspects of the game to beat them, and that's what we are working towards," Fortuin said. 

"They are a dangerous side on all fronts, whether with the ball or bat. We know they are supreme athletes on the field. 

"The boys are coming off a successful Test series, and we will be looking to build on that and build some momentum."

West Indies have also made leadership changes prior to the series, with Shai Hope taking over the captaincy from Nicholas Pooran.  

Pooran remains in the side and will look to form a key part of the middle order alongside Roston Chase and Shamarh Brook. 

Interim coach Andre Coley's side have won just one of their last eight ODIs and have brought in former leg-spinner Samuel Badree to serve as assistant coach as they look to improve before the World Cup in October. 

De Kock chasing milestone

Quinton de Kock may no longer play Test cricket, but the wicketkeeper's supreme batting talents are still a vital cog in South Africa's limited-over successes. 

The 30-year-old has played 137 ODIs and is just 99 runs away from becoming the seventh men's player to score 6,000 runs for South Africa in the format.

If he reaches the milestone in his first match of the series, De Kock will become the third-fastest player overall to that mark in the history of ODIs, behind only Hashim Amla and Virat Kohli. 

West Indies' ambitions rest on Hope  

New skipper Hope has been a bright spark in an otherwise drab period for West Indies in ODI cricket.  

The Windies will be relying on his top-order exploits as they look to turn around their form, with his average of 49 in men's ODIs the best of any batsman to play at least six innings for West Indies.

De Kock struck 50 off 29 balls and Deepak Hooda made 41 from 27 deliveries in the Super Giants' total of 176-7 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday.

Struggling KKR were bowled out for only 101 in reply as Lucknow moved above Gujarat Titans on net run rate, extending their winning run to four matches.

Mohsin took 1-6 from three overs, while Avesh Khan claimed 3-19 and Jason Holder 3-31 in a one-sided contest, with Andre Russell (45 from 19) one of only three KKR players to reach double figures.

KL Rahul was run out by Shreyas Iyer without facing a ball in the first over, but De Kock and Hooda put on 71 for the second wicket in quick time.

The Super Giants lost their way after Sunil Narine removed De Kock, who struck three sixes, and Russell (2-22) got rid of Hooda and Krunal Pandya (25).

But Marcus Stoinis (28) and Holder (13) took a staggering 30 off the penultimate over from Shivam Mavi to rock KKR and their run chase got off to a nightmare start when Mohsin dismissed Baba Indrajith in a brilliant wicket maiden.

The Knight Riders were 25-4 in the seventh over and although Russell cut loose, their faint hopes of winning were all-but ended when he was caught by Holder off the bowling of the impressive Avesh.

Narine made 22 but Holder sent him packing and dismissed Tim Southee for a golden duck before ending the innings by removing the bails to run Harshit Rana out.

Mayhem in Mavi over

Mavi had only conceded 20 runs from three overs before he was thrown the ball for the penultimate overs, but his figures were spoiled by Stoinis and Holder.

Stoinis clattered the all-rounder into the leg side and over the ropes three times before he was taken by Iyer in the deep. Holder then arrived at the crease to launch him for another two sixes in a stunning late flurry of runs.

Mohsin and Avesh fire again

KKR never looked like chasing down their target after Mohsin struck in a brilliant first over and the wickets continued to tumble.

Mohsin had taken seven wickets in his preview two games and deserved more than the one he added to his tally, bowling 15 dot balls in his three overs. Avesh and Dushmantha Chameera (1-14) also bowled superbly.

Shikhar Dhawan carried his bat for 69, but was starved of the strike as disciplined bowling from the defending champions restricted the Capitals to 162-4 in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Krunal Pandya took 2-26, while Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Chahar also kept it tight in a frustrating innings for Delhi at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

The Indians reached their target with two balls to spare to join their opponents on 10 points at the summit, Suryakumar and De Kock setting them well on their way to consigning the Capitals to just a second defeat.

Suryakumar (53 off 32 balls) made a second consecutive half-century and De Kock (53 from 36) got his second of the tournament before Ishan Kishan chipped in with a brisk 28.

Kagiso Rabada, the leading wicket-taker in the 2020 edition of the IPL, claimed 2-28 but Rohit Sharma's side were not to be denied a fourth win in a row.

Mumbai were made to pay for a lack of runs after Shreyas Iyer – who made 42 – won the toss and elected to bat, Krunal capping an impressive all-round display by hitting two boundaries in the final over from Marcus Stoinis.

Anrich Nortje had taken it down to the wire by conceding just three off the penultimate over, but Stoinis was unable to follow suit.

DHAWAN LANDMARKS IN VAIN

Indian opener Dhawan clattered Krunal over midwicket for his 100th IPL six as he batted through the innings.

The dangerous left-hander also reached the 1,000-run mark for the Delhi franchise, but faced just 52 balls as the Daredevils failed to fire.

Delhi were missing the injured Rishabh Pant and omitted Shimron Hetmyer, with Alex Carey taking the gloves and making an unbeaten 14 after coming in at number six.

Krunal and Bumrah bowled eight and seven dot balls respectively, also conceding just one boundary apiece in an impressive performance in the field for Mumbai.

DE KOCK AND SURYAKUMAR SLAY CAPITALS

Axar Patel gave Delhi a major lift by removing Rohit with the final ball of the fifth over with 31 runs on the board.

De Kock struck three sixes and found the rope four times before Ravichandran Ashwin sent him on his way, Prithvi Shaw taking the catch at deep square leg to leave the Indians 77-2 at the halfway mark.

Suryakuma followed up his blistering 79 in the win over Rajasthan Royals with another key knock, though, hitting six fours and a solitary six before Kieron Pollard and Krunal finished it off.

The excellent Rabada took his wicket tally to 17, six more than Bumrah and Trent Boult, in the battle for the purple cap but he would no doubt have swapped those dismissals for a win.

The Cricket South Africa (CSA) board on Monday decided that all players must take the knee before their remaining World Cup games, as a consistent and united stance against racism.

De Kock has previously declined to make the gesture and opted not to play against the Windies at Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday following the demand from CSA.

Proteas captain Bavuma revealed he was only told wicketkeeper-batsman De Kock would be absent for the eight-wicket victory over the defending champions in the changing room beforehand and was surprised by his decision.

The batsman is unsure whether former captain De Kock will play any further part in the tournament.

He said in a news conference: "I think obviously as a team we're obviously surprised and taken aback by the news.

"Obviously Quinton is a big player for the team, not just with the bat, but the role he plays from a senior point of view and from an experience point of view, and not having that at my disposal as a captain was obviously something I wasn't looking forward to.

"In saying that, Quinton is an adult. He's a man in his own shoes. We respect his decision. We respect his convictions. I know that he'll be standing behind whatever decision that he's taken.

"From the team's point of view, unfortunately we still have to get the job done. There was still a game of cricket there for our country, and it was important, as much as everything was happening, that we found a way to get into the right mental space and take it home for our country.

"I don't know how far it's going to develop. I mean, the decision that he's taken is only today, so I can only speak about what has happened today. It wouldn't be my decision whether to replace Quinton or to get a substitute. That would be probably the coach and the selectors.

"But as far as we stand, Quinton is still one of the players. He's still one of the boys, so whatever support that he needs, whatever shoulder that he requires from his team-mates, we'll be there for him.

"If there's a need for further conversations to be had, I'm sure those will definitely happen amongst the guys."