West Indies Clinch Third Consecutive T20I Series Victory Against South Africa
West Indies defeated South Africa by a convincing 30-run margin, securing their third consecutive Twenty20 International Series victory at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
South Africa had set a target of 179. South Africa had looked strong early on, but they collapsed spectacularly, losing seven wickets for just 20 runs in 35 balls, and were eventually bowled out for 149 in 19.4 overs.
Key Performances and Match Scorecard
South Africa 149 (Hendricks 44, Stubbs 28, Shepherd 3-15, Shamar 3-31) lost to West Indies 179 for 6 (Hope 41, Powell 35, Williams 3-36, Kruger 2-29) by 30 runs.
Match Analysis
After Tristan Stubbs and Donovan Ferreira were eliminated by Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, respectively, it was up to Romario Shepherd and Shamar Joseph to complete the victory. Joseph finished with a career-best 3 for 31, while Shepherd finished with 3 for 15 from his four overs. Together, they turned South Africa’s hopes of tying the series from positive to negative.
Given that South Africa was off to a fast start and the West Indies had just two days earlier pulled off the most successful chase at the site (175), they would have recognized that the total they established was reachable. They reached 100 in ten overs, but between the tenth and fourteenth overs, the West Indies gave up just one boundary, forcing South Africa to make errors that ultimately cost them the match.
Concerns will be raised about South Africa’s middle order after just one batter, No. 3, managed to score above 20 in a game where there were few individual standout performances. While neither team scored a half-century, the West Indies were unquestionably the superior force in the big hitting department. They scored thirteen sixes as opposed to South Africa’s six, which would indicate where the game was decided.
Another is that the 47-run partnership between Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford gave the West Indies the advantage, as they scored 50 runs in their final five overs.
Shai Hope signaled his intentions in this match after he slog swept Bjorn Fortuin over midwicket to hit his first boundary of the innings following a match-winning 51 in the first game. A scoring opportunity in the V behind the stumps was created by Hope’s pull off Kwena Maphaka in the following over, which went between the wicketkeeper and short fine. Another way Alick Athanaze took advantage of that situation was by playing Lizaad Williams late through third.
Before Hope’s finest was released, West Indies concluded the Powerplay on 43 for 1. Hope was able to strike with the wind as he blasted Aiden Markram for two consecutive sixes over midwicket after the South African captain turned the ball into him. To further highlight his propensity for leg-side play, he pulled Maphaka over cow corner and flicked Patrick Kruger over a wide fine leg for two more sixes.
Before Hope was caught at deep point trying to reach for a wide delivery from Kruger, he had hit 39 of his 41 runs on the leg side and was on track for his third fifty in four innings.
It took Kruger just two more balls to get his second T20I wicket after he took one off of Hope. In the twelfth over, Kruger hit with the opening ball following a change of ends, but he followed the same strategy. He kept his line wide outside off, encouraging Roston Chase to try a long shot. Only enough was obtained by him to locate Maphaka on the outside of the point boundary, who successfully made a low catch to turn West Indies 94 for 3.
Even in this lineup, Kruger is not the preferred all-around player for South Africa, but he has performed well enough to keep Wiaan Mulder on the bench and possibly even beat over Donovan Ferreira.
Reeza Hendricks hit the first boundary of South Africa’s reply when he lifted the final ball of Hosein’s opening over for four over midwicket, despite the ball not being very short. And it seemed like someone had turned on a switch.
After hitting a wide ball from Matthew Forde over point and a full delivery through the covers, Hendricks appeared to only try a back-foot defensive block, which he timed well to get beyond mid-off for four more runs. His greatest moment came when he faced Chase. He scored 22 runs off of him, including back-to-back sixes both sides of the wicket, to help South Africa reach 50 runs in four overs. He also scored 71 in the Powerplay even though he was bowled out on the penultimate ball.
Hendricks was out for forty-four after under-edging Romario Shepherd onto his stumps, but he appeared to be returning to his peak. Hendricks had only reached forty once in the eleven innings prior to this one, so even though he was unhappy not to reach a half-century, he did a good job setting up the chase.
At the beginning of the innings, Hosein lost 17 runs in his first two overs. By the time he returned in the 14th over, South Africa was comfortably ahead. After 13 wickets, they were 125 for 3, with Rassie van der Dussen and Tristan Stubbs both entering and scoring rapidly. When Hosein foxed Stubbs while he was in flight, it was a significant advance.
Stubbs attempted to loft a slow-moving ball over long-off, but Fabian Allen, a replacement fielder, caught it because he could not get enough lift on it. Donovan Ferreira was also dismissed due to pace-off, when Motie stumped him in the following over. However, Hosein’s last ball was the final delivery that ended South Africa’s aspirations.
Shamar caught Rassie van der Dussen when he attempted to hit him over midwicket, but he only made contact with the inside half of the bat. After 16 overs, South Africa was 138 for 6, needing 42 runs in 24 balls. Before Forde concluded the game, Shamar and Shepherd eliminated South Africa and cleaned up the tail.
