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          27/02Result
          19th Match, Pool B (D/N), ICC Cricket World Cup at Sydney, Feb 27 2015
          South Africa won by 257 runs
          Player of the Match
          AB de Villiers
          AB de VilliersSouth Africa
          27/02Result
          19th Match, Pool B (D/N), ICC Cricket World Cup at Sydney, Feb 27 2015
          South Africa won by 257 runs
          Player of the Match
          AB de Villiers
          AB de VilliersSouth Africa

          South Africa need to make statement

          play
          Agarkar: SA would want to prove a point after India loss (1:38)

          Ajit Agarkar and Michael Holding preview the Group B match between South Africa and West Indies in Sydney (1:38)

          • Daniel Brettig
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              Assistant editor Daniel Brettig had been a journalist for eight years when he joined ESPNcricinfo, but his fascination with cricket dates back to the early 1990s, when his dad helped him sneak into the family lounge room to watch the end of day-night World Series matches well past bedtime. Unapologetically passionate about indie music and the South Australian Redbacks, Daniel's chief cricketing achievement was to dismiss Wisden Almanack editor Lawrence Booth in the 2010 Ashes press match in Perth - a rare Australian victory that summer.
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          Feb 26, 2015, 03:00 AM ET

          Match facts

          Friday, February 27
          Start time 1430 local (0330 GMT)

          Big picture

          West Indies played the role of punching bags for AB de Villiers and his team during their recent bilateral series in South Africa, but this World Cup has already shown that context makes an enormous difference to games between otherwise unchanged opponents. South African expectations have been dampened by a poor defeat to India at a packed MCG, while West Indies' propensity for internal chaos was placed to one side by a restorative romp over Zimbabwe.

          These two sides have been kilometres apart in terms of accomplishment in recent times, with South Africa seldom troubled. With Ireland and India showing themselves to be in decent fettle one of the two teams will emerge from the SCG with feelings of enhanced confidence and poise. The other will likely be left extremely worried about their place in the scheme of the tournament, for even if they are not eliminated they would be likely to be pitched into a quarter-final against Australia or New Zealand.

          Logic, talent and recent history suggests that South Africa should have the measure of West Indies by a distance. But the pressures of the event and the vagaries of the SCG - a surface likely at this point of the season to more closely resemble a West Indian pitch than a South African one - may yet throw up some surprises.

          The thought of defeat will haunt both teams, for by the third match of the pool phase it is time to demonstrate whether they are contenders or pretenders. There will also be expectation from around the world that, after a pair of thrilling encounters between Associate nations, the top tier need to step up and produce a contest worth the name.

          Form guide

          West Indies: WWLLW(last five matches, most recent first)
          South Africa: LWWLW

          In the spotlight

          Following his storming display against Zimbabwe, plenty are waiting to see how Chris Gayle fares against South Africa's more vaunted bowling attack. Gayle may not even be a certainty in the game, after his old back trouble emerged in the wake of the Manuka performance. It would be typical of the stop-start narrative of his recent career if Gayle were to be unavailable, but if West Indies are to reverse a poor recent record against South Africa they will surely need him.

          Over-rates are far from the only worry for AB de Villiers entering the SCG match. His team flunked out badly against India, the size of the occasion appearing to overwhelm them. So much expectation sits on de Villiers' shoulders, but he can at least be consoled by the thought of his extraordinary 149 against these same opponents in Johannesburg.

          Teams news

          Chris Gayle is under a cloud due to back trouble, while Sulieman Benn may return to the XI after missing out on the Zimbabwe match due to injury.

          West Indies (possible) 1 Dwayne Smith, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Jonathan Carter, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Lendl Simmons, 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Andre Russell, 9 Jason Holder (capt), 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Sulieman Benn.

          Farhaan Behardian and Kyle Abbott are two likely inclusions for Wayne Parnell and the injured Vernon Philander. There is also some speculation over the fitness of JP Duminy.

          South Africa (possible): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Kyle Abbott, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir.

          Pitch and conditions

          The SCG's pitch square is tiring towards the end of a long summer, and there may not be too much pace or bounce in the surface. But Sydney's atmosphere can offer swing, and there should be a modicum of spin also as the match goes on.

          Stats and trivia

          • South Africa's previous World Cup match at the SCG was the infamous 1992 semi-final against England, when a simplistic rain calculation left the Proteas needing 22 runs off one ball.

          • West Indies have won only one of 17 encounters with South Africa since 2007, but their World Cup record is tighter - 3-2 South Africa's way

          • Sydney's first match of the tournament

          Quotes

          "I've spoken about building a relationship with the players, and I think I'm getting there slowly but surely. It won't happen overnight, but I think the longer I'm here, the more I'll build relationships."
          West Indies captain Jason Holder

          "There's nothing you can do except get it right and keep the intensity for 50 overs. It's not as easy as it sounds. We've got Imran who can get through overs quickly and hopefully the part-timers can help him but the seamers take time. I can't give the captain's armband away, we've asked the umpires about it, but I am nominated captain for the tournament."
          AB de Villiers on over rates

          Match Coverage

          All Match News

          Mission Impossible?

          0

          Number of times that West Indies have successfully chased down a 300+ target in their ODI history.

          Fastest 150

          64

          Balls in which AB de Villiers reached his 150, the fastest for any batsman in ODI history.

          Leading from the front

          15

          Number of players who have scored 3000 ODI runs as captain; AB de Villiers is the 15th.

          A Big Stand

          127

          The partnership between Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, the 2nd-highest 2nd-wicket stand for SA in World Cups.

          Stuck in First Gear

          14.2

          Overs in which South Africa reached fifty, their second-slowest against West Indies since 2001. Slowest is 19.2 overs (2004)

          Best against

          94.66

          Amla's average against WI in ODIs - the highest he averages against any team. Has hit 4 tons and 3 fifties in 11 inns.

          SA Clear Favourites

          1

          Number of times West Indies have beaten South Africa in their last 18 ODIs.