Seales marks comeback with impressive three-wicket burst

Jayden Seales made an impressive return to first-class cricket as he took three crucial wickets for West Indies A Team against South Africa A on the opening day of the first four-day match at WIllowmoore Park, Benoni on Tuesday.

The home side batted first after winning the toss and posted 287-9. Openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Zachary McCaskie batted through a challenging 35 minutes before the close, and West Indies A got off to a solid start. The pair will resume Wednesday morning with Chanderpaul not out on 27 and McCaskie on 17, with the visitors on 46 without loss.

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Seales last played a first-class match on the Test tour of Australia a year ago. He had surgery in December last year and went through rehab to return to the red ball format.

“It was just about being consistent and trying to figure out the right lengths to cause batsmen problems. Here in South Africa, we know the ball will bounce a lot more than in the West Indies, so we didn’t want the batsmen leaving a lot of balls …. What we wanted was to have them playing a lot more,”

Seales said after the day’s play.

“This three-match series here is very important for me. I got injured in Australia last so I would like to have a good tour here and make the team back to Australia for the Test series (in January 2024), where I would like to redeem myself and perform to the level that I know I am capable of.”

Seales bowled impressively to end with 3-23 from 15.5 overs, and fellow pacer Akeem Jordan supported with 3-61 from 18 overs. West Indies A defied three half-centuries from Keegan Petersen, whose 59 was the top score, fellow senior Test batsman Tony De Zorzi, who made 55, and the uncapped Clyde Fortuin, who gathered 53, before the home team declared about 50 minutes before the close.

After pacer Shermon Lewis got South Africa A captain and opener Neil Brand in the first hour, Zubayr Hamza came to crease and put 62 for the second wicket with De Zorzi either side of South Africa A reaching 79 for one at lunch.

Seales broke the stand early after the interval when he got Hamza for 30 before the Proteas reached 100, and off-spinner Kevin Sinclair got De Zorzi caught behind, and the home team stumbled to 125-3.

David Bedingham transported his rich vein of form for Western Province and English county side Durham into the match and scored 47 at close to a run-a-ball to dominate a fourth wicket stand of 74 with Petersen. Sinclair, who finished with 2-64 from 18 overs, struck a little before tea to remove Bedingham, and the home team reached 205-4 at tea.

After the break, Jordan bowled Petersen to launch a productive period for West Indies A, when they claimed five wickets for 79 in a spell of 20 overs to force South Africa A into a strategic declaration in a bid of early wickets that never materialised.