AHMEDABAD: South African spinner Keshav Maharaj denied on Wednesday that his side will have an advantage in their T20 World Cup showdown against the West Indies in Ahmedabad after playing four of their five matches there.
Both sides come into Thursday’s crucial Super Eights clash off the back of five straight wins in the tournament and the winners will put themselves in pole position for a semi-final berth.
South Africa have played all but one match in Ahmedabad, including a thumping 76-run win over India in their first Super Eights match that silenced an 80,000-strong crowd.
The West Indies have been playing exclusively in Mumbai and Kolkata, where conditions are very different to the cavernous Narendra Modi Stadium.
“It’s nice to not travel,” said left-arm spinner Maharaj, who took 3-24 as co-hosts India were routed for 111 on Sunday. “But from a pitch point of view, I think every game has been very different.
“The four matches that we’ve played here, conditions have played very differently throughout the game.
“So I don’t see it too much of an advantage. It’s just making sure that we adapt quicker rather than later compared to the opposition.”
Maharaj believes his side, finalists in the last edition, have finally developed the character to overcome the shortcomings that have historically derailed their World Cup campaigns.
“In previous World Cups, we never crossed over those small moments… If the character is strong in winning those small moments, it propels us to go further on in this tournament,” he said.
Despite the energy buzzing through the camp after the victory over India, Maharaj warned against complacency against a West Indies side fresh off a mammoth 107-run win over Zimbabwe.
“We’re not getting carried away at that. We still know that there’s a lot of cricket to be played in this tournament,” the 36-year-old said.
“West Indies have a way of turning up in these events and we know the danger they possess from an explosive point of view.”
‘West Indies Have Nothing To Prove’
West Indies batting coach Floyd Reifer said his unbeaten team are being underestimated despite their flawless record so far in the Twenty20 World Cup.
“There’s no point to prove for us and we came here like any other team to win the competition,” Reifer told reporters on Wednesday.
“A lot of people have us flying under the radar but we plan every game to go in there with a positive mentality to win cricket games.”
West Indies are chasing World Cup glory for the first time in a decade, having last triumphed in 2016, and Reifer credits their success to squad depth rather than star power.
“We have quality batters and we’re not like the other teams —depending on one or two batters. Everybody has stepped up every game and put in performances and we’ve been consistent in doing that,” he said.Regardless of Thursday’s outcome, the group featuring defending champions India, West Indies, Zimbabwe and South Africa will remain wide open, with all four teams having an equal chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2026
