SA vs WI 1st T20I Match Prediction: Who will win Today? West Indies tour of South Africa 2026

West Indies vs South Africa T20I series - (Source: X.com)

Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, West Indies and South Africa are all set to engage in a four-match T20I series starting from January 27. The first match will take place at the Boland Park in Paarl. Aiden Markram will lead the Proteas, while the Windies are yet to announce their squad for the tournament. 

Interestingly, the West Indies have not named their squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 as well. Although it is expected that they are set to name the same squad for the SA series and the prestigious event beginning from February 7.

As the high-octane series commences in Paarl, here's a brief look at what to expect from the game.

South Africa vs West Indies current form (last 5 T20Is)

SA vs WI: Key player battles

1. Jayden Seales vs Aiden Markram

West Indies' finest bowler will be Jayden Seales and he will be up against in-form Aiden Markram. Seales was the eight-leading wicket-taker in 2025 across formats and picked up 56 wickets in 33 innings.

Therefore, Seales will look to do the early damage and Aiden Markram, who is a techincally sound player, will look to dominate the right-arm seamer. Talking about their stats, Markram has had the better of Seales in past occasions. Notably, the two players have met each other in Tests, but never in T20Is.

Jayden Seales vs Aiden Markram in Tests: 49 runs; 74 balls; 1 dismissal

2. Shamar Joseph vs Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock against Shamar Joseph will also be a great match-up because the two players have locked horns against each other in T20Is and T20s as well. Notably, De Kock will open the innings, while Shamar will also bowl with the new ball.

De Kock will be tasked to provide the early start and on the other hand, Joseph will look to sweep the Proteas early on. Talking about T20Is, De Kock has got the better of Joseph and amassed 20 runs in just seven balls he faced in T20Is, without getting out once. 

Shamar Joseph vs Quinton de Kock in T20Is: 20 runs; 7balls; 0 dismissal

3. Keshav Maharaj vs Shimron Hetmyer

It will be interesting to see left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj go up against Shimron Hetmyer, who is one of West Indies' finest batters. The two players have played a lot of cricket against each other and contrary to the comman belief that southpaw's find it easy to hit left-arm spinners,  the case is opposite here.

Maharaj has bowled 12 balls to Hetmyer, conceded 30 runs and got rid of the West Indies batter twice in T20Is. Therefore, it will be a great outing.

Keshav Maharaj vs Shimron Hetmyer in T20Is: 30 runs, 12 balls, 2 dismissals

South Africa vs West Indies top performers

Most runs for SA vs WI

Reeza Hendricks (527), Quinton de Kock (499)

Most wickets for SA vs WI

Kagiso Rabada (12), Tabraiz Shamsi (11)

Most runs for WI vs SA

Chris Gayle (375), Nicholas Pooran (262)

Most wickets for WI vs SA

Dwayne Bravo (15), Obed McCoy (14)

South Africa vs West Indies toss prediction

The Boland Park has hosted just a solitary T20I match and therefore it is difficult to explain the nature of the pitch here. Nonetheless, history suggest that the team batting second has the bettter chances of winning, so the side that wins the tos, should look to field first.

Therefore, it seems that if the hosts win the coin flip, they will invite West Indies to bat first.

South Africa vs West Indies 1st innings score prediction

Powerplay: 55/1

Final score: 175

South Africa vs West Indies 2nd innings score prediction

Powerplay: 65/1

Final score: 177

SA vs WI top players prediction

SA's top players

Probable best batters

Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram

Probable best bowlers

Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

WI’s top players

Probable best batters

Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King

Probable best bowlers

Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph

Who will hit the most sixes in the SA vs WI match?

Shimron Hetmyer

Who will hit the most fours in the SA vs WI match?

Aiden Markram

 SA vs WI  Match Winner Prediction: Who Will Win The 1st T20I?

South Africa are the clear favourites to win the first T20I. Firstly, the players are fresh off a SA20 season and since it is their home, they will go all guns blazing against the Windies. The visitors, on the other hand, suffered a defeat against Afghanistan recently, reaching a new low in their cricketing history.