The 2023 Men’s Test Series for South Africa will begin with a competitive fixtures against the West Indies. Starting on the 28th of February, the five-day test will end on the 4th of March. Keep reading to learn all you need to know about the build-up to the game and the South Africa v West Indies first test odds.
Home Team South Africa Aiming for a Win
Playing in the SuperSport Park in Centurion, South Africa, the home team will be aiming for a win against the Windies. ‘The Proteas’ will fancy their chances of winning the game, given their impressive head-to-head record against the West Indies. The most recent encounter between the two teams resulted in a South Africa win. In the 2021 June match, South Africa won the test by 158 runs. Eight days earlier, the South African team also won by an innings and 63 runs.
South Africa have an impressive record against the West Indies. In their past five meetings, stretching over the past nine years, the Proteas have won four out of the five matches. The only time they failed to win the match, the game ended as a draw.
In recent times, however, the South African national men’s cricket team have struggled. Their five most recent matches have ended as four losses and a draw. The matches include two losses to England in late 2022, two losses to Australia and a single draw against the ‘Aussies’ on the 4th of January. Could South Africa go on to win this match?
West Indies in Better Form
Although ‘the Windies’ have a worse head-to-head record against South Africa, they still could potentially win away from home. The West Indies national cricket team comes into the game with the better form, having won two of their most recent five games. Their most recent match resulted in a victory against Zimbabwe, winning by an innings and 4 runs.
The West Indies are still undefeated in 2023, drawing a game against Zimbabwe earlier in February. They also beat Bangladesh in 2022 before losing twice to Australia in November and December. Although West Indies are the away team, they still will have a good chance of further convicting South Africa to more defeats.
In the West Indies match against South Africa, rumour has it the Windies will give debuts to two players. Namely, left-handed batter Alick Athanaze playing for the Windward Islands Volcanoes and right-arm seamer Akeem Jordan who plays for Barbados Pride. The pair have impressive in the first two rounds of the four-day West Indies Championship. Could either one of them have the dream debut and condemn South Africa to a home defeat?
South Africa v West Indies First Test Odds
There are many different online bookmakers that offer odds on the upcoming cricket test match. The likes of 1xBet and 22Bet spring to mind. Essentially, the betting markets offered for the South Africa v West Indies first test vary. However, you can rest assured that whichever sportsbook you choose, you will find loads of betting markets available.
When placing your bet, you will have the chance to bet on the match winner. The options for this bet include South Africa, the West Indies or a draw. In addition to the match winner, online sportsbooks also allow you to bet on a number of different outcomes. Such as, the team to win the coin toss, which team will win by a handicap (or lose within the handicap) and various first bets. Such as the first ball, first over, first wicket and so on. Furthermore, players can also wager on different outcomes, such as team totals, collective points total, player and team props and so on.
Once the match starts, it is also possible to bet on the action with the use of live betting. This allows you to bet on the action as it unfolds. However, you can expect the odds to fluctuate, as they tend to do so with live betting events.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, there are many South Africa v West Indies first test odds that are likely going to update in the coming days. Furthermore, once the matchday teams are announced, you will also have the chance to bet on various player props. That could include the score you believe a batsman will reach, the number of wickets a bowler will claim and so on.
As South Africa take on the West Indies in the first test, there are going to be many surprises and markets to bet on. If you believe one team is the clear favourite, you could also bet on them to win the second test. The second test will be played between the 8th and the 12th of March.
