An encouraging fightback resulted in an impressive series-levelling victory for South Africa in the second T20I against West Indies in Grenada this Sunday (June 27). The visitors came out triumphant by 16 runs in a relatively low-scoring game, equalling the five-match series 1-1.
Asked to bat first upon losing the toss, Proteas got off to a quickfire start, with opening batsmen Reeza Hendricks (42) and Quinton de Kock (20) maximising the powerplay restrictions and laying a solid foundation.
The tourists were happily placed at 73 for no loss in a shade over six overs and looking set for a big score when they lost their way after the dismissal of De Kock. Soon Hendricks fell too and the hosts regained the momentum that they had carried into the match.
The South African middle-order never really got going against a resurgent Caribbean bowling attack. Thankfully for the visitors, their skipper Temba Bavuma batted well at an end amidst all of this and ended as a top-scorer (46 off 33 balls) in his team’s 166/7, which many felt wouldn’t be enough against a rampaging West Indies batting unit.
And for a bit, it did seem that it wouldn’t be enough when Caribbean openers Evin Lewis and Andre Fletcher started at a run-rate of nearly 10 runs per over. Lewis continued from where he left in the first T20I and quickly reached 21. Just then, however, he was dismissed by pacer Anrich Nortje to bring a sense of confidence within the South African camp. Very soon they also got the wicket of Chris Gayle for just 8. It was Kagiso Rabada who dismissed the mighty left-hander.
It was a spinners’ show then as George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi kept things tight at either end and gradually took the game away from the hosts. While Linde got Nicholas Pooran and even more dangerous Andre Russell out caught in the outfield, Shamsi chipped in with the scalp of Kieron Pollard during their tight four-over spells.
When Rabada added a second scalp to his kitty in the form of Fletcher in the 16th over of the chase, the result seemed a foregone conclusion. However, just then, West Indies all-rounder Fabian Allen threatened to ruin the visitors’ party. He played a fantastic cameo of 35 off just 12 deliveries.
Allen was on strike when West Indies were left needing a rarely achieved equation of 36 off 6 balls against Lungi Ngidi. The left-hander struck two sixes from the first two balls to raise a semblance of hope for the Calypso Kings. But there was too much left to do by the end and even Allen succumbed to a Ngidi yorker. And with that, Proteas completed their great fightback and win.
Earlier in the day, the West Indies attack – considered their weaker suit – had one of its better outings, restricting South Africa to what seemed a manageable total at the halfway mark. Kevin Sinclair (2/23) and Obed McCoy (3/25) were the pick of the bowlers for the hosts, who would’ve taken heart from their performance in the first half.
For South Africa, Rabada ended as the top wicket-taker (3/37) in the innings but it was the work done by the rest – the likes of Linde (2/19), Shamsi (1/16) and Nortje (1/27) – with their miserly spells, that really created the pressure and induced the false strokes out of a West Indies batting unit known for their remarkable power-hitting abilities.
Brief scores:
South Africa 166/7 in 20 overs (Temba Bavuma 46, Reeza Hendricks 42; Obed McCoy 3/25, Kevin Sinclair 2/23) beat West Indies 150/9 in 20 overs (Andre Fletcher 35, Fabian Allen 34; Kagiso Rabada 3/37, George Linde 2/19) by 16 runs.
