Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored his seventh ODI century, setting Afghanistan on their way to a dominant 177-run win over South Africa on Friday.

Afghanistan now have an unassailable 2-0 lead in their ODI series, with South Africa unable to mount any sort of threat in the sweltering heat in Sharjah.

Gurbaz set the tone from the off with his stand of 105 from 110 balls, which included 10 fours and three sixes, and put together a 101-run partnership with Rahmat Shah (50).

Nandre Burger eventually took Gurbaz, but Azmatullah Omarzai kept the pressure on with his unbeaten 86, bringing up his fastest ODI fifty, as they finished on 311-4.

With the intimidating target set, South Africa's chase got off to a decent start through Temba Bavuma (38) and Tony de Zorzi (31), but Afghanistan's bowlers soon stepped up their game.

Rashid Khan (5-19) and Nangeyalia Kharote (4-26) gave their opponents little to work with as none of the final seven batters hit double figures, with South Africa slumping to 134 all out in the 35th over.

Data Debrief: A historic stand

Gurbaz's century was his seventh in ODIs, breaking Mohammad Shahzad's record, while Shah brought up his 29th half-century in their brilliant stand.

Afghanistan's 177-run win against SA is their largest margin of victory in terms of runs in ODIs, beating their 154-win against Zimbabwe. It was also the tenth time they topped 300 in ODI cricket, and the first against South Africa.

The Jamaica Football Federation have confirmed two friendly internationals for the Reggae Girlz as they continue their preparation for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers which kicks off in 2025.

The Reggae Girlz will be playing a friendly international against World Number 10 France on Friday October 25, 2024 at the Stade Auguste-Bonal (home of FC Sochaux-Montbeliard) which is located in Eastern France.

Kick-off is slated for 9:05 pm local time and 2:05pm Jamaica time. France were quarter-finalists in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Reggae Girlz have fond memories with France as Jamaica’s first FIFA Women’s World Cup Appearance in 2019 came in France and Jamaica’s first ever point at a FIFA Women’s World Cup came against the French in the 2023 tournament in Australia in a 0-0 draw.

The 42nd ranked Reggae Girlz will also face South Africa (who are ranked 50th in the World) on November 29 and December 2 at home.

This will be the first time both teams are facing each other since April 2019 in Durban when both teams played out a 1-1 draw.

Both South Africa and Jamaica made their debut in the senior Women’s World Cup in 2019 in France and in 2023 both teams advanced to the Round of 16 of the World Cup.

Details will follow in subsequent releases in relation to kick off times and venues of these two matches.

President of the Jamaica Football Federation Michael Ricketts welcomes these games for the Reggae Girlz.

“We want to give our Reggae Girlz the best opportunity to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and we feel these upcoming friendly internationals to end 2024 are beneficial to the coaching staff and players to help them prepare for the World Cup Qualifiers.”

World Cup Qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in CONCACAF in 2025.

CONCACAF will have 4 spots for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup which will be hosted in Brazil and two other teams from CONCACAF will qualify for the Intercontinental playoffs.

Not since 2019 have South Africa held the Rugby Championship title, but Saturday could be the day as they head to Argentina knowing victory will seal their fifth crown.

Rassie Erasmus' Springboks have been perfect in the competition thus far, making it four wins from four games with their 18-12 victory over New Zealand two weeks ago.

Standing in their way, though, are a Pumas side that have enjoyed a terrific campaign, handing Australia the heaviest defeat in their storied Test history last time out.

The Wallabies will be desperate to respond in matchweek five's other contest, and a victory over the All Blacks would help them off the bottom of the standings after a difficult campaign.

Ahead of the penultimate round of fixtures, we dive into the best Opta facts and figures to preview both games. 

AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND

Australia were utterly humiliated by Argentina last time out, the game running away from them in the second half as they succumbed to a record-breaking 67-27 defeat, having earlier led by 17 points.

Joe Schmidt's team are up against it as they bid to bounce back this weekend. The Wallabies have only won one of their last 12 Tests against New Zealand, drawing one and losing 10.

The All Blacks have won each of the last seven meetings between the teams by an average margin of 17.4 points per game. The last time they enjoyed a longer winning run against their neighbours was a 10-match span between August 2008 and September 2010.

They also boast a tremendous record in Sydney, where this week's contest takes place. New Zealand have only lost one of their last 10 Tests against Australia in the city, winning the last four while averaging 44.3 points per game. 

Australia have themselves, however, won their last two Tests in Sydney, as many victories as they managed in their 15 games in the city prior to that span (two wins, one draw, 12 defeats). 

And New Zealand have not exactly been faultless on their travels lately, losing three of their last four Tests on foreign soil, including their last two – both in South Africa in this year's Rugby Championship.

If the All Blacks are to halt their miserable run on the road, their ability to create turnovers could be key. 

Their 23 turnovers won in the 2024 Rugby Championship are more than any other team, while their four tries scored from turnovers won are second only to Argentina's five.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Australia – Marika Koroibete

Koroibete has made four line breaks in this year's Rugby Championship tournament, the joint-most of any player this campaign (also Beauden Barrett, with four for New Zealand).

He has recorded at least one in each of his three games in the tournament, after making only two line breaks across his six Test matches before this year's competition began.

New Zealand – Damian McKenzie

McKenzie has made 10 break assists in the Rugby Championship this year, at least four more than any other player in the tournament. 

In addition, he has been directly involved in a try on each of his last three starting appearances in Tests against Australia (one try, two try assists) – will he haunt the Wallabies again here? 

ARGENTINA V SOUTH AFRICA 

South Africa have dominated from the off in this year's edition of the Rugby Championship, scoring 112 points but, most impressively, allowing their opponents just 58 through their four outings to date.

Another victory on Saturday would take them second in the outright charts for most Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship titles, ahead of Australia but behind New Zealand (20).

It would also bring up their outright longest winning run in the history of the Rugby Championship, at six games. History is on their side in Santiago, with the Springboks having won their last eight Tests against Argentina by an average margin of 15.4 points per game. 

They were given a scare when the teams last met in August 2023, though, trailing 10-3 at half-time before rallying to secure a 24-13 victory.

Los Pumas may need something incredible to overhaul South Africa in the standings from here, but they will be on a real high following their thumping win over Australia.

Of the last six occasions where Argentina have scored 50 or more points in a Test, they have followed up with a victory four times, including in their last two such matches.

Felipe Contepomi's team have scored a half-century of points twice in 2024, last doing so on three occasions back in 2015.

They will not expect a repeat against South Africa's fearsome defence, but they could trouble the visitors with their physicality. 

Los Pumas have scored three tries when starting their possession from a scrum in this year's Rugby Championship, as many as all the other teams combined (South Africa two, New Zealand one). 

South Africa, meanwhile, have made a habit of praying on their opponent's mistakes, making 11 kicks in play that resulted in an opposition error, more than twice as many as Argentina, who are second by that metric with five.

The Springboks have also retained possession from 26 in-play kicks, at least 15 more than any other team in the competition, with Argentina and New Zealand logging 11 apiece and Australia recording eight.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Argentina – Tomas Albornoz 

Albornoz has gained 98.4 metres per 80 minutes from his 152 minutes played in the Rugby Championship this year – the most of any player in the campaign.

South Africa – Ruan Nortje 

Nortje (26 – including two steals) and team-mate Eben Etzebeth (21, one steal) have won more lineouts (including steals) than any other players in the Rugby Championship this year. 

Afghanistan took another giant step in ODI cricket after crushing South Africa in a six-wicket victory with 24 overs to spare on Wednesday.

Fazalhaq Farooqi led the way with figures of 4-35, ably supported by Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar's 3-20 and Rashid Khan taking 2-30, as Jonathan Trott's side bowled South Africa out for just 106 in Sharjah.

Wiaan Mulder offered some brief resistance with 52, though only three other Proteas batters managed double figures, and that underwhelming total left Afghanistan with a routine chase.

Though Bjorn Fortuin impressed with an economical 2-22, Azmatullah Omarzai's unbeaten 25 and Gulbadin Naib finishing 34 not out helped Afghanistan to their first-ever win over South Africa with ease.

Data Debrief: ODI world takes note 

This victory marked a maiden win for Afghanistan over South Africa and their third-biggest victory in terms of balls to spare against a Test-playing nation.

It comes as no surprise, though, as Afghanistan have beaten England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia in white-ball internationals in the last 11 months.

A transformative period under coach Trott has been underpinned by star Khan, though it was team-mates Farooqi and Ghazanfar who impressed here.

Indeed, Ghazanfar bowled 47 dot balls from his 10-over spell, removing Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne and Jason Smith, while Farooqi provided a dominant opening up top against a poor Proteas.

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi said he had to prove himself after being given the chance to lead the Springboks out in their Rugby Championship win over New Zealand.

Kolisi's early try after the break sparked the hosts' revival after they went in at half-time 9-3 down before roaring to an 18-12 victory in Cape Town. 

It was the fourth successive win by the Springboks over the All Blacks, as they maintained their perfect record in this year's Rugby Championship.

Kolisi described the encounter as South Africa's most important game since they won the World Cup final against the same opponents in Paris last year.

"The coach gave me the chance when I said I was okay so I couldn’t go half-hearted. Nobody is going to celebrate you if you don’t go flat out," said Kolisi.

"We didn’t start the way we wanted to and the coach was quite honest with us [at half-time]. At the start of the second half we did what we wanted.

"This game was really big for us."

The triumph marked the first time since 1949 that South Africa have won four straight Tests against New Zealand.

However, head coach Rassie Erasmus was muted despite achieving the most successful streak against South Africa's arch-rivals in the professional era.

"It was nice, but they have had big scores against us and six times in a row they have beaten us," he said.

"It's nothing to brag about because they have done worse to us. But it was special."

South Africa continued their dominance in this year's Rugby Championship as they clinched an 18-12 victory over New Zealand in Cape Town on Saturday.

Having trailed by six points heading into the break, the hosts rallied to record a fourth consecutive win over the All Blacks and lift the Freedom Cup for the first time in 15 years.

New Zealand started brightly, with their dominance rewarded by the boot of Damian McKenzie after Jasper Wiese had been sent to the sin bin.

McKenzie converted his second penalty just before the half-hour mark as the Springboks saw some uncharacteristic errors punished. 

Handre Pollard's penalty failed to change the sway of momentum, with McKenzie's third conversion of the half giving the All Blacks the advantage at the break. 

But an immediate response transpired after the interval as Siya Kolisi burst over the tryline, with Pollard's conversion handing the Springboks the lead for the first time.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu extended South Africa's advantage, but McKenzie's fourth and final penalty of the encounter closed the gap once again. 

However, the hosts sealed the win when Malcolm Marx powered over for a try six minutes from time to see the Springboks close in on the title.

Data Debrief: Cape Town comforts

This is the first time since 1949 that South Africa have won four straight Tests against their great rivals New Zealand.

They have also now won four straight Tests in Cape Town, and that is despite trailing at half-time in three of those four matches. 

New Zealand, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four Tests, having only suffered one defeat across their previous nine matches.

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi warned his team the job is far from done despite them rallying for a thrilling victory over New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.

The Springboks secured a 31-27 win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park, coming from behind with two late tries from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Grant Williams.

The victory hauled South Africa onto 14 points in the Championship standings as they bid to end New Zealand's four-year stranglehold on the title, but Kolisi says there is still work to be done.

Addressing the capacity crowd in his post-match interview, Kolisi said: "We play for a lot but you people are our number one motivation. 

"We appreciate you every single day. Please don't stop. When times are tough, please keep supporting us. We cannot do it without you.

"We respect the All Blacks. No matter what people say about them, when they need to turn up, they turn up. We believed in ourselves, we didn't panic, and we did what we wanted.

"They were catching us on the exit. After the first try in the second half, we picked it up. I'm really proud of the boys but the job is not done."

All Blacks captain Scott Barrett, meanwhile, was proud of his team-mates' efforts but admitted they had just fallen short of putting together a complete performance.

"Well done to the Springboks, it showed the class team they are," he said. "We weren't quite good enough. We were good for 62 minutes and it's an 80-minute game.

"There were two key moments after kick-offs where we couldn't quite get out of our half and they punished us. It was a huge effort, we're certainly proud, but it was just not quite to be.

"We'll regroup pretty quickly. Some guys have played here for the first time. It's intense and we'll have to be better next week."

South Africa host New Zealand again in Cape Town next week, while Australia go to Argentina for their round-three matchup. 

Roston Chase insisted that allowing his West Indies team to play their natural game was crucial in securing an emphatic series win over South Africa. 

In a rain-affected third T20I on Tuesday, the Windies emerged victors by eight wickets as they chased down the Proteas revised 108 run target in just 9.2 overs. 

The visitors reached 23 runs without loss before play was stopped at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, with Tristan Stubbs scoring 40 runs from 15 balls upon play resuming.

Aiden Markram (20) and Reeza Hendricks (27) also contributed to South Africa's total, with Romario Shepherd ending with figures of 2-14 for the Windies. 

Despite the early loss of Alick Athanaze (one) after just the fourth ball, Shai Hope (42) and Nicholas Pooran (35) handed the hosts the advantage. 

Shimron Hetmyer's 31 from 17 balls secured the triumph, with West Indies captain Chase pleased with his team-mates playing their natural game in the shorter format.

"It was a good one [leading this time]. We wanted to win the series 3-0. I just asked the boys to give me victory because you want to start well," Chase said. 

"The powerplay, we were doing well. I just thought that today the guys came out and applied pressure early.

"In a shortened game, we want guys to go and play their natural game. Guys came out and played brilliantly."

Shepherd was named the man of the match with his impressive bowling display, securing the wickets of Ryan Rickelton (27) and Markram. 

The 29-year-old was not part of the Windies squad for the T20 World Cup in June, but was happy to exact their three-wicket defeat against the Proteas at the tournament.

"It's just about sticking to the process. Today was quite difficult because of the wet ball. The wicket was sticky," Shepherd said. 

"I think I'm 70% there. You are never 100% in T20 cricket. To come and clean sweep the team which knocked us out of the World Cup was great."

Hosts West Indies secured a 3-0 series sweep over visiting South Africa with an eight-wicket victory in a rain-affected third T20 International at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Tarouba on Tuesday.

In the match that was shortened to 13 overs per side, the West Indians restricted to South Africa to 108-4 from their 13 overs thanks to an excellent 2-14 from two overs for man-of-the-match Romario Shepherd.

Tristan Stubbs was the main scorer for South Africa with 40 from 15 balls including five fours and three sixes while Ryan Rickelton made 27 off 24 balls at the top of the innings.

Chasing a revised target of 116 in their 13 overs, the hosts made light work of it, using only 9.2 overs to secure the win and the series sweep.

Man-of-the-series Shai Hope led the way with 42* off 24 balls while Nicholas Pooran continued the excellent form he’s shown in the last few months all over the world with 35 off just 13 balls including two fours and four sixes.

Shimron Hetmyer also looked good for his 31* off 17 balls.

The West Indies clinched their third successive series win against South Africa with a dramatic 30-run victory at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Sunday. A potent bowling attack, led by Romario Shepherd, Shamar Joseph, Akeal Hosein, and Matthew Forde, played a pivotal role in dismantling South Africa's chase and securing the win.

Set a target of 180, South Africa appeared to be in a strong position at 129 for 3 in the 14th over, but the West Indies bowlers had other plans. In a stunning collapse, South Africa lost seven wickets for just 20 runs within the space of 35 balls, eventually being bowled out for 149 in 19.4 overs, falling short by 30 runs.

The West Indies' innings was anchored by key contributions from Shai Hope (41) and Rovman Powell (35), allowing them to post a competitive 179 for 6. South Africa's bowlers, led by Lizaad Williams (3 for 36) and Gerald Coetzee (2 for 29), kept the West Indies' scoring in check, but the hosts managed a late flourish, adding 50 runs in the last five overs.

South Africa started their chase aggressively, racing to 100 inside 10 overs, but the West Indies bowlers tightened the screws in the middle overs. Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie delivered crucial breakthroughs, dismissing Tristan Stubbs and Donovan Ferreira respectively. However, it was the duo of Romario Shepherd and Shamar Joseph who truly turned the game on its head.

Shepherd was particularly effective, claiming 3 for 15 in his four overs, while Joseph recorded a career-best 3 for 31. Their combined efforts derailed South Africa's chase, which at one point seemed on track for victory.

South Africa's middle-order collapse highlighted concerns for the visitors, with only one batter from No. 3 down managing to surpass 20 runs. In a match where individual scoring milestones were scarce, the West Indies' ability to clear the boundary made the difference. They hit 13 sixes compared to South Africa's six, underscoring their superiority in power-hitting.

The 47-run stand between Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford provided the West Indies with a crucial edge, as their late acceleration ensured a challenging total for South Africa.

The victory not only secured the series for the West Indies but also demonstrated their growing dominance over South Africa, particularly in home conditions. The hosts will now look to build on this momentum as they prepare for future challenges.

The West Indies took advantage of an inexperienced South Africa bowling line-up to take a 1-0 T20I Series lead at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Friday.

The hosts, after winning the toss and electing to field first, took advantage of some bowler friendly conditions early due to an hour-long rain delay to have the South Africans reeling at 42-5 after eight overs.

A 71-run sixth wicket partnership between Tristan Stubbs and Patrick Krueger made things more respectable for South Africa.

They eventually made 174-7 from their 20 overs, an excellent recovery from where they were at the halfway stage.

Stubbs starred with a 42-ball 76 including eight fours and three sixes while Kruger made 44 off 32 balls.

Matthew Forde was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with 3-27 from his four overs.

The hosts then needed only 17.5 overs to reach 176-3. Openers Alick Athanaze and Shai Hope put on 84 for the first wicket and set an excellent foundation for the rest of the chase.

Nicholas Pooran, in his turn in the middle, took advantage of that foundation with a brutal 65* off just 26 balls including two fours and seven mighty sixes.

Shai Hope made 51 in support while Athanaze made 40.

Ottneil Baartman took 2-30 from his four overs for South Africa.

The second game of the series is set for Sunday at the same venue.

Rovman Powell insists West Indies must not get too far ahead of themselves after what he saw as an "unacceptable" level of rustiness against South Africa.

The Windies won by seven wickets in Friday's T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

They have now won five of their last six T20Is against the Proteas, having bounced back from a three-wicket defeat at the T20 World Cup in June.

However, Powell was far from happy with what he saw, with South Africa posting a competitive 174-7 - Tristan Stubbs top-scoring with 76 and Patrick Kruger adding 44.

Powell said: "I think it's always good to go 1-0 up. We bowled well in the powerplay and though we let them off a bit, we were good with the bat.

"The guys look a bit rusty, which is unacceptable at this level.

"To be honest, a lot of talk is around the next T20 World Cup but we have to play one game at a time and see different players. We have to stay in the moment and the 2026 T20 World Cup is too far for us."

Shai Hope's 51 and Alick Athanaze's 40 got the Windies' chase off to a strong start, paving the way for Nicholas Pooran to take centre stage with an unbeaten 65, which included reeling off four straight sixes in one over.

"I just felt like Shai and Alick put South Africa under pressure in the powerplay," said Pooran, who was named Player of the Match.

"At the ten-over mark, we knew it was a better wicket and my job was simple and I just had to take on my match-ups.

"With rain around, the first ten overs were tricky when South Africa batted. Stubbs and Kruger played well, but we knew the wicket would get better."

Along with Stubbs' performance with the bat, one other bright spark for South Africa in their defeat was teenager Kwena Maphaka, who claimed his maiden international wicket.

"Maphaka has a lot of X-factor and is really young," said Proteas captain Aiden Markram. "He has hunger when you speak to him off the field and he wants to win games for South Africa."

The West Indies T20 outfit will get their first opportunity to compete since their Super Eight exit at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June when they take on South Africa in the first of three T20 Internationals at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Friday.

In what promises to be a competitive series, the hosts will be looking for revenge against the team that knocked them out of their home tournament with a three-wicket win via the DLS method in Antigua in their final Super Eight match on June 23.

South Africa eventually got all the way to the final before narrowly losing to India.

West Indies skipper Rovman Powell likes the chemistry he’s seen from his group during their preparation for the upcoming series.

“I think it’s very good. It’s the first series since the World Cup so it’s an important one in the sense that we have to get back on track as a T20 team and I think so far, so good,” he said in a pre-match interview on Thursday.

The squad for the series comprises 12 of the 15 players that represented the region in the World Cup with Powell emphasizing keeping the core of the squad together with one eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Alick Athanaze, Fabian Allen and Matthew Forde are the three new members of the squad, replacing Brandon King, Alzarri Joseph and Andre Russell.

“We try our best as a selection group to keep it as close as possible to those guys in the World Cup looking forward to 2026,” Powell said.

“It’s also an opportunity for us to see other players like Alick (Athanaze), Fabian (Allen), Matthew (Forde) that we identified. Hopefully, once given the opportunity, they can grasp it with both hands,” he added.

Speaking about the team’s performance at the World Cup, Powell found some positives despite exiting the tournament earlier than they had hoped.

“I think we played good cricket. We had a clean slate right through the preliminary stage and faltered in the quarterfinals. I think we showed that we are a quality unit and if we prepare well and have the right plans, we can be successful at the international level,” he said.

With the West Indies currently sitting fourth in the ICC rankings, Powell also spoke about where the team wants to be at the end of 2025. Is it a case of wanting to just be high in the rankings or playing good cricket?

“I think it’s a mixture of both. Gone are the days when you played series just to play them. You use these series as building blocks and nothing is more important than winning. Once you win games you improve your ranking in the ICC standings and also guys become more familiar with roles and more encouraged to play for West Indies because the atmosphere and environment is a winning one,” he said.

“People want to associate themselves with winners so this is a building block for 2026. It might seem a long way away but we just need to continue to play good cricket series by series,” he added.

West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales continued his ascension on the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings as he moved up to a career-best 13th position after finishing as the most successful bowler in the second Test against South Africa in Guyana.

Seales, who finished with nine wickets in a 40-run loss that helped South Africa win the ICC World Test Championship series 1-0, achieved the milestone move, which now makes him the top-ranked Test bowler from the West Indies.

The 22-year-old Trinidadian, who has enjoyed fairly good form since his return from injury, surpassed Barbadian seamer Kemar Roach, who slipped one place down to 18th, as his journey to fitness continues.

Spinners Jomel Warrican (52nd) and Gudakesh Motie (64th), both moved two spots up, while fast bowler Shamar Joseph also progressed 11 spots to 54th in other significant movements for the West Indies players in the bowling rankings.

South Africa’s Player of the Match Wiaan Mulder advanced 27 places to 65th position after finishing with six wickets, while off-spinner Dane Piedt is up nine places to 66th after claiming two West Indies wickets in the second innings of the match.

In the Test batting rankings, former West Indies captain Jason Holder is up seven places to 60th position following his unbeaten knock of 54 in the first innings. He is also up two places to fifth in the list of all-rounders.

South Africa opener Aiden Markram and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne have gained after notching half-centuries in the second innings. Markram inched up two places to 21st, while Verreynne has progressed from 62nd to 46th.

In the ICC World Test Championship, West Indies are last in the nine-team championship with 18.52 after nine matches, while South Africa are in fifth place with 38.89 percentage points after six matches.

India lead the table with 68.52 percentage points after nine matches, with Australia in second on 62.50 after 12 outings. New Zealand and Sri Lanka are the other teams ahead of South Africa.

Meanwhile, in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings, Scott Edwards of the Netherlands has moved up six places to 26th position after scores of 72 and 65 against Canada and the United States, respectively, in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2.

Aaron Jones of the United States (up 11 places to 56th) and Vikramjit Singh of the Netherlands (up nine places to 79th) are others to move up the batting rankings, while Aryan Dutt of the Netherlands is up five places to 33rd.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has unveiled the West Indies Men’s squad for the upcoming T20 International (T20I) series against South Africa, set to take place from August 23-27, 2024, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad. The announcement comes on the heels of the West Indies' 1-0 Test series loss to the Proteas in Providence, Guyana, with the team now looking to bounce back in the shorter format of the game.

 Rovman Powell will lead the side as captain, with Roston Chase serving as vice-captain. The squad also features a mix of experienced campaigners and emerging talents, including the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, and Alick Athanaze. Notably absent from the squad are Andre Russell and Jason Holder, who have both requested periods of rest and recovery following a grueling season that included five consecutive Test matches against England and South Africa. Brandon King also remains sidelined as he continues his rehabilitation from an injury sustained during the World Cup.

 Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, emphasized the importance of rest and recovery for the absent players, stating, “During this period, they all will work closely with the CWI science and medicine team.”

 Head Coach Daren Sammy views the upcoming series as an opportunity for the West Indies to reset and refocus. “Facing a strong South Africa side is an excellent opportunity for our team to reset and refocus with our game plan. We have played them recently and had mixed results, so this should be an exciting and important series. I’m confident in the squad we’ve selected, and with eyes already on the next T20 World Cup in 2026, I know the guys will be keen to show their hunger for success,” Sammy remarked.

 The West Indies, currently ranked 4th in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, will be looking to capitalize on their recent form, having won four of their last five series. South Africa, ranked 5th, presents a formidable challenge, especially after ending the West Indies' World Cup campaign in the Super 8 stage. However, with a squad full of dynamic players, including the explosive Fabian Allen and the reliable Shai Hope, the West Indies are poised to put up a strong fight.

 The T20I series against South Africa also marks a historic occasion as it will feature doubleheaders with the Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) for the first time. Fans will have the unique opportunity to witness both the top male and female cricketers in action with a single ticket.

 The full squad for the T20I series is as follows:  Rovman Powell (Captain), Roston Chase (Vice-Captain), Alick Athanaze, Fabian Allen, Johnson Charles, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd.

The team management unit for the series includes Head Coach Daren Sammy, along with Assistant Coaches Rayon Griffith, Floyd Reifer, and Ramesh Subasinghe. The support staff also comprises Physiotherapist Denis Byam, Strength & Conditioning Coach Ronald Rogers, and others.

 Tickets for the T20I Series are available for purchase online, and fans in the Caribbean can catch all the action live on RUSH SPORTS or via the Flow Sports bluu. App and the SportsMax App. Fans worldwide can follow live ball-by-ball commentary on the Windies Cricket YouTube page and get live scores on the Windies Cricket Match Centre.

 As the West Indies gear up to face South Africa, cricket fans across the region will be eagerly watching to see how the team responds after their recent Test series disappointment. The upcoming T20I series promises to be an exciting chapter in the ongoing rivalry between the two cricketing nations.