New Delhi, February 17 South Africa will be looking to their young, powerful batsman Dewald Brevis to regain his form against a struggling United Arab Emirates in their inconsequential final Group D match of the T20 World Cup here on Wednesday.
South Africa have already qualified for the Super Eights with three wins, including a dramatic double Super Over victory against Afghanistan and a comprehensive seven-wicket win against New Zealand.
For the UAE, it will be an opportunity to test their skills against players like Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi, a strong bowling attack that they rarely face at the international level, as most South African players are playing in the SA20, which clashes with their ILT20.
For South Africa, the match against the UAE will be a valuable practice game in which they will aim to bat first and make the most of the relatively flat pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.
While Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, and Ryan Rickleton have all scored at least one half-century in the three games so far, Dewald Brevis, with scores of 6, 23, and 21, hasn't fully showcased his potential.
Known as "Baby AB" due to his batting style similar to the great AB de Villiers, Brevis' tendency to play reckless shots in between moments of brilliance has proven to be a hindrance in his progress.
This is precisely why the 22-year-old is not yet considered on par with players like Shubman Gill, Harry Brook, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Even though the UAE attack lacks fast bowlers, the Kotla pitch will provide Brevis with an opportunity to regain his form before the crucial Super Eights match against India in Ahmedabad.
As for changes in the playing eleven, it is unlikely that the batting lineup will be altered, but Markram might opt to rest his main fast bowlers Rabada and Ngidi, giving a chance to Anrich Nortje and young bowler Kwena Maphaka.
For the UAE, the responsibility of scoring runs will largely fall on Sohaib Khan, a former student of Jamia Milia Islamia, who has already scored two consecutive fifties in the tournament and has been their key batsman.
Captain Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu are the other two batsmen on whom the Lalchand Rajput-coached side will be relying for scoring runs.
Squads:
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South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickleton, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Kwena Maphaka, Anrich Nortje, Donovan Ferreira, David Miller.
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (captain), Alishan Sharafu, Sohaib Khan, Syed Haidar (wk), Aryansh Sharma (wk), Mayank Kumar, Harshit Kaushik, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Farooq, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Rohid, Simranjeet Singh.
Match Starts: 11 am.
