By Firdose Moonda (ESPNcircinfo)- West Indies 176 for 3 (Pooran 65*, Hope 51, Athanaze 40, Baartman 2-30) beat South Africa 174 for 7 (Stubbs 76, Kruger 44, Forde 3-27, Shamar 2-40) by seven wickets
West Indies pulled off the highest successful T20 chase at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba to go 1-0 up in the three-match series against South Africa.
After deciding to bowl first, moments before heavy rain delayed the start of play by an hour, West Indies took control when they had South Africa 42 for 5 after eight overs. South Africa recovered thanks to a sixth-wicket partnership of 71 runs from 50 balls between Patrick Kruger and Tristan Stubbs, before Stubbs and Bjorn Fortuin shared a seventh-wicket stand of 60 off 25 balls to give the innings much needed acceleration. Matthew Forde, playing his third T20I, equalled his career-best figures of 3 for 27.
West Indies were always in control of the chase. Shai Hope and Alick Athanaze put on 84 in 49 balls for the opening wicket before Hope and Nicholas Pooran‘s 54-run partnership, off 33 balls, broke South Africa’s back. Pooran was particularly severe on an inexperienced South Africa’s attack and scored his fastest T20I fifty – off 20 balls – and finished unbeaten on 65 off 26.
Without the core of their attack, especially as Lungi Ngidi was ruled out of the series with a calf strain before the match began, South Africa’s depth was tested. They fielded their youngest-ever debutant, Kwena Maphaka, at 18 years and 137 days, and he picked up his first international wicket when he had West Indies captain Rovman Powell caught at extra cover. By then, West Indies needed just three runs to win and Roston Chase finished things off with a four off the next ball. West Indies won the match with 13 balls to spare.
West Indies’ early triple-strike
Powell’s decision to bowl first paid off almost immediately when, after an impressive three-run opening over from Akeal Hosein, Forde made the first incision: Ryan Rickelton reached to cut a short, wide ball and toe-ended to Pooran. Aiden Markram countered with a strong reverse sweep and pull off Hosein but then hit Forde straight to Gudakesh Motie at mid-on. Two balls later, Reeza Hendricks got a leading edge to Shamar Joseph’s first delivery, which swirled to Hosein at deep third and continued a miserable run for the opener. Hendricks has gone past 20 in only two of his last 11 T20I innings.
South Africa struggled through their powerplay and ended on 33 for 3. Rassie van der Dussen was strangled down leg as soon as the fielding restrictions were lifted and Joseph had his second.
Sensational Stubbs
South Africa were in trouble at 42 for 5 after eight overs with all their recognised batters, bar Stubbs, back in the dugout. Stubbs initially played out of character and had just 13 runs off his first 16 balls. His first sign of intent came when he sent Motie over long-on for the biggest six of the innings, but it was only after Kruger’s innings ended that Stubbs took control.
He took successive fours off full deliveries from Forde either side of the wicket, and then reached fifty off 33 balls when he hit Joseph over cover point. He scored 23 runs off the last six balls he faced, and was going for six more when he holed out to long-on on the penultimate ball of the innings. But with 174 on the board, he had given his bowlers something to defend.
Hope and Athanaze give West Indies dream start
It took ten deliveries before West Indies scored their first boundary, but when they did, the floodgates opened. Athanaze, opening the batting in his second T20I, swept Fortuin over long leg, then Hope deposited Ottneil Baartman over long-off and through deep-backward square-leg, but the real damage was done in the fifth over. Athanaze plundered 20 runs off Nandre Burger, including two sixes over deep square-leg, and a gorgeous late cut that went for four and forced South Africa to turn to a fifth bowler within the powerplay. Aiden Markram bowled himself but was even more expensive as he went for 21. Hope scored 16 of those runs off three balls – two of them down-on-one-knee sixes over long-on and long-off – to help West Indies complete an impressive 75-run powerplay.
Pooran’s four successive sixes all but finishes off
With 70 runs off 54 balls required for the win, Pooran saw an opportunity to end things quickly when Burger was brought back in the 12th over. After Hope got off strike, Burger tried a slower ball to Pooran, who had more than enough time to hit him straight over long-off for a 77-metre six. Burger’s next ball was also pace-off and ended up being a full toss and Pooran helped it over midwicket and into the stands. The next two balls were faster and still full and Pooran had his eye in. He hit Burger down the ground for two more sixes to take the equation down to 45 off 48 balls. West Indies lost a couple of wickets but reached the target comfortably in the end.
