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There’s an extra first in this tournament of firsts: this is the first time Nepal and South Africa will play each other internationally. They also do it from opposing sides of the group’s point distribution chart.
After the Nepal-Sri Lanka washout, South Africa made it to the Super Eight, but they probably would have anyhow. They appear to be among the top teams as they have won all three of their games thus far, two of them by narrow margins.
Nepal may believe they have already experienced some success, even though they have only played one complete game and have yet to win a match. Almost all of the 7000 spectators in Dallas were Nepal’s fans, and they cheered them on throughout their first match against the Netherlands. However, their batting collapsed under duress from the Netherlands’ seamers, which is bad news for them because South Africa has some of the best fast bowlers in the world.
Anrich Nortje’s form was South Africa’s biggest worry before into the competition, but he’s back to, if not better than, his prior best. In addition to capturing wickets and reaching speeds of over 150 kph, Nortje has also demonstrated a good slower ball and is closing in on Dale Steyn’s record as South Africa’s most successful bowler in men’s T20 World Cups. With all of his nuances, Nortje and Ottneil Baartman have emerged as a formidable first and second change, surpassing both Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada.
The trip to the Caribbean may provide insight into how much of an impact the spinners will actually play. Keep in mind that South Africa has three specialists in their team, but they have only utilised one of them, Keshav Maharaj. With the inclusion of Sandeep Lamichhane for the West Indian stage of the tournament, Nepal is well-resourced should things go against them and towards the spinners.