Markram’s Masterclass: South Africa Dominate West Indies in T20I Series Opener

Welcome to Sportstar’s coverage of the first T20I between South Africa and West Indies, which took place at Boland Park in Paarl on January 27.

Playing XIs

South Africa: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Dewald Brevis, Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka.

West Indies: Brandon King, Johnson Charles (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase (c), Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales.

Toss

South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first.

Preview

As part of their warm-up for the upcoming T20 World Cup, South Africa and West Indies will face off in a three-match T20I series starting Tuesday at Boland Park in Paarl.

The Proteas, captained by Aiden Markram, recently faced a 1-3 series loss in India, while a second-string West Indies side endured a 1-2 defeat to Afghanistan earlier this month.

Looking ahead to the World Cup, South Africa has opted to rest Quinton de Kock, Tristan Stubbs, and Marco Jansen for the series. Meanwhile, a full-strength West Indies squad, led by Shai Hope, is preparing to challenge the Proteas.

SA vs WI, 1st T20I – Match Details

The opening T20I between South Africa and West Indies is set to begin at 9:30 PM IST, with the toss scheduled for 9 PM IST.

The Squads

South Africa: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Dewald Brevis, Aiden Markram (c), Jason Smith, Rubin Hermann, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Eathan Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka.

West Indies: Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (wk) (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Quentin Sampson, Rovman Powell, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph.

Published on Jan 27, 2026