West Indies Clinch T20I Series Victory Against South Africa with Stellar Performances
The West Indies claimed a decisive victory over South Africa, winning the three-match T20I series 2-0 with one match left to play.
The Caribbean side defended a robust total of 207 runs, thrilling the home crowd at Sabina Park, Jamaica. However, there were some bright spots for SA: Quinton de Kock’s runs and the outstanding efforts of spinners Peter and Fortuin.
South Africa 191 for 7 (de Kock 41, Motie 3-22) lost against West Indies 207 for 7 (Chase 67, Peter 2-32) by 16 runs.
In front of boisterous Sabina Park spectators, West Indies completed the three-match Twenty20 International Series against South Africa with one game remaining. They had successfully defended 208. The same Jamaican location, which will not host any T20 World Cup matches, is the site of all the series’ matches. On a Saturday afternoon, the audience turned out in large numbers to witness another impressive display from their team.
West Indies, who had opted to bat first, got off to a slower start than in the first game (they had scored 100 runs by the midway point), but still played a well-paced innings. Thanks to a 56-run fourth-wicket stand off 36 balls between Roston Chase and Andre Fletcher and a 63-run fifth-wicket stand off only 25 balls between Chase and Romario Shepherd, they picked up speed in the middle and late innings. Chase achieved his maiden T20I fifty in the process.
After nearly nine months off the field recovering from a lower back stress fracture, Anrich Nortje made a costly comeback to the South African team. He did not take a wicket in his four overs at a cost of 47 runs. Nqabayomzi Peter, a rookie who took 2 for 32, was the standout bowler for South Africa, however he is not included in the team for the T20 World Cup.
South Africa responded quickly, reaching 100 in eight overs, but after Quinton de Kock’s 41, nobody was able to score more. Especially dismal was the middle-order, which lost 5 for 54 and folded from 113 for 2 to 167 for 7. Given that Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller were all absent from this series and will all be back for the T20 World Cup, South Africa should not worry too much.
Nevertheless, South Africa has dropped four of their past five T20I series and has not won one since August 2022. Their resistance to spin is still a question mark, and Gudakesh Motie, a left-arm spinner, profited most from it. In his last three games, he has claimed three wickets, with career-best figures of 3 for 22.
Peter bowled to South Africa’s batters as a net bowler in advance of a home series against the West Indies a little over a year ago, without a domestic contract. After leading the victorious Lions to victory in the CSA T20 Challenge, he made his debut for his country at Sabina Park and made an instant impression.
He was brought on to bowl shortly after the Powerplay, and with his fourth delivery, which was full and wide outside off, he nearly lured Brandon King, the West Indies’ acting captain, into a big shot. Wiaan Mulder took the catch over Peter’s head to give him the biggest name on debut, even though King smacked it across the line.
Despite Kyle Mayers hitting his googly for six in his next over, Peter bowled it again. Ryan Rickelton raced to take the catch as Mayers pulled to the spot where deep square leg and fine leg met. In his four overs, Peter concluded with a 2 for 32 total.
Also Read: Carlos Brathwaite’s Epic 6, 6, 6, 6 Sequence: West Indies’ World T20 Triumph vs England
Despite having played at a top level of cricket for twelve years, Roston Chase has only appeared in thirteen Twenty20 matches and had not yet scored a half-century. West Indies turned things around with a creative innings that kept them together and made sure they picked up speed in the second half of their innings.
Chase got two huge sixes off short balls, and five of his six fours came from behind the square. The second one, off Lungi Ngidi, came up fifty off thirty balls, flew over the grandstands, and shattered a window of a parked automobile.
Quinton de Kock hasn’t played his best since quitting ODI cricket at the fifty-over World Cup last year, but he handed South Africa a quick lead and appeared to be on his way back. In the 17 balls he faced, De Kock blasted four fours and as many sixes. He pulled the first ball he faced to fine leg and beat Kyle Mayers to find the boundary.
His two knocks came off of full balls that he smashed over mid-on and short balls that he dragged over long-on, both of which were sixes off of Akeal Hosein. Despite being removed from the game in the same over, he was a crucial factor in South Africa’s highest Powerplay score of 85 for 2.
After being moved up to No. 6 in preference over Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo was brought on with eight overs remaining and South Africa still 84 runs short of the mark. Gudakesh Motie offered a full and wide, forcing Phehlukwayo to try and hit a boundary because they hadn’t scored a boundary since the eighth over.
Phehlukwayo tried to take a shot over the cover, but Shamar Joseph made a move to his right and dove diagonally, making a spectacular deep catch. After two overs, South Africa’s hopes were dashed when Akeal Hosein, at long off, timed his jump expertly to end Rassie van der Dussen’s innings on 30.
