Sports
Dominant South Africa seal series 2-0
A dominant performance from South Africa with the ball in the final innings helped them cleansweep the two-match Test series against West Indies on Saturday (March 11). South Africa, favourites to clinch the game by stumps on the third day, were rampant with the ball after setting the visitors a target of 391. West Indies were reduced to 34/6 at one stage before getting all out eventually for 106.
Resuming at 287/7, the hosts lost skipper Temba Bavuma early for 172. Kagiso Rabada cleared the ropes a couple of times that helped them go past 300 before Jason Holder brought an end to the innings. A target of 391 was always going to be a tall task for a side that had failed to get anywhere closer to 300 so far in the series. Even though the visitors made a watchful start, scoring 20 off the first 10 overs without a wicket, South Africa made inroads after breaking that stand.
Rabada proved to be Kraigg Brathwaite’s nemesis again as he got one delivery to come back in after pitching to trap the skipper leg-before-wicket. Raymon Reifer then bagged a second-ball duck as he edged a delivery going down leg to the keeper in the same over. Simon Harmer then got into the act as Tagenarine Chanderpaul edged a delivery to second slip to reduce the visitors to 25/3.
The procession continued as Harmer then got rid of Jermaine Blackwood whereas Keshav Maharaj got one to turn big to breach Roston Chase’s defence before successfully getting a call in his favour for lbw against Kyle Mayers. But while celebrating the wicket, Maharaj suffered a freak injury and had to be stretchered off the field. At 34/6, the result was a foregone conclusion as Joshua Da Silva and Holder came out swinging post the lunch break.
Da Silva hammered Harmer for a six en route to making 34 whereas Holder found the boundary four times in his 19. The two players added 58 for the seventh wicket in their breezy partnership before Gerald Coetzee broke the stand. He breached Da Silva’s defence as well a few overs later before Harmer completed the formalities.
Brief scores:
South Africa320 (Aiden Markram 96; Kyle Mayers 3-32) & 321 (Temba Bavuma 172; Kyle Mayers 3-46) beat West Indies251 (Jason Holder 81*; Gerald Coetzee 3-41) & 106 (Joshua Da Silva 34; Gerald Coetzee 3-37) by 284 runs.
(Cricbuzz)