India, Jan. 27 -- The celebrations from theSA20 final have barely ended, but less than 48 hours later, seven players are back in action for their national teams. South Africa and West Indies will play a T20 series that was originally planned as five matches but has now been reduced to three to avoid clashing with preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026.

Both teams are eager to improve on their performances from the last major tournament. South Africa reached the T20 World Cup final but lost to India by seven runs, while West Indies were eliminated in the Super Eights, losing to South Africa. The motivation is high: South Africa tasted international glory last June by winning the World Test Championship, and West Indies aim to recreate th...