Who: USA vs South Africa
What: ICC T20 World Cup Super Eights
When: Wednesday, June 19, 10:30am (14:30 GMT)
Where: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda
How: Follow Al Jazeera’s live coverage

The Super Eight phase of the T20 World Cup kicks off with a surprise contender.

Team USA enters the Caribbean leg of the tournament determined to keep their unexpected journey alive.

“We aren’t going to surrender easily,” said coach Stuart Law after the USA secured their spot in the Super Eights.

The USA squad, enriched by players with Caribbean ties, is expected to attract local support. Aaron Jones, one of these players, noted, “Steven [Taylor] and I have a following in the Caribbean, so we anticipate some crowd backing tomorrow.”

Jones, who hit the joint highest number of sixes (13) in the group stage, expressed the team's excitement to face the world’s top sides. “The team is thrilled to compete against elite nations. We have been aspiring for this over the past few years, and now we’ll simply enjoy our cricket and play without fear.”

South Africa recognizes the challenge posed by the Americans, with captain Aiden Markram emphasizing the need for his team to be at their best. “Despite being labeled a smaller nation, the USA has proven their worth,” Markram stated.

With Super Eight matches spread across various Caribbean venues, Markram highlighted the importance of understanding each ground’s nuances.

Pitch condition

The pitch at Antigua has offered a mix of low and high-scoring matches but generally remains favorable for batting. It contrasts sharply with New York’s pitch, which gave batsmen a hard time.

Bowlers, especially wrist spinners and those with accuracy, will still find some help here.

Weather forecast

This week’s forecast predicts cloudy and humid conditions with minimal chances of rain.

Head-to-head

These teams have never faced each other in any format of cricket.

Form guide

Despite a recent loss to India, the USA will gain confidence from their competitive play, including a historic super over win against Pakistan.

South Africa remains unbeaten in the tournament, although they had a close call against Nepal.

USA: L W W L W
South Africa: W W W W L

USA team news

USA welcomes back captain Monank Patel and left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige, who performed well against Pakistan.

Squad: Monank Patel (captain), Shayan Jahangir, Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Nitish Kumar, Steven Taylor, Harmeet Singh, Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Jessy Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige

South Africa team news

The Proteas may bring in spinner Keshav Maharaj to replace one of their pace bowlers.

Squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Bjorn Fortuin, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi