3rd T20I, Kingston, May 27, 2024, 12:30 AM
163/7(20.0ov)
165/2(13.5ov)
West Indies beat South Africa by 8 wickets
Right then, that's a wrap to this exciting 3-match T20I series! Brandon King, the skipper of West Indies is handed over the series trophy and he joins his teammates for the celebration and the final photographs. This thrilling series between West Indies and South Africa concludes with the hosts clean sweeping the Proteas 3-0. West Indies were dominant across all three departments throughout the series, securing three consecutive wins before heading to the grand stage. However, for South Africa, it's a different story, with worries mounting high as nothing seemed to go their way. Particularly, their bowling unit appeared completely out of sync. But they will be reinforced with the experienced players heading into the T20 World Cup. Both teams will be now preparing for the upcoming T20 World Cup. West Indies will first face Australia in its solitary warm-up game whereas South Africa will directly play its first league game against Sri Lanka. Till then, take care, and cheers!
Brandon King, the skipper of West Indies says that he is very happy with the series win. Adds they believe in each other as a unit and understand each other's game pretty well. Says it was a good preparation before the World Cup. Says 3-0 is a crucial win. Adds that their bowling has been really consistent with impressive performances from the likes of Gudakesh Motie and others.
Rassie van der Dussen says that it was a thoroughly disappointing series for them. Adds that they were not able to adapt to the Caribbean conditions and he is not happy with their efforts. Mentions that they will obviously have all the experienced players back in the side for the World Cup and a lot of responsibility will fall upon them. Tells that West Indies know how to play in these conditions but that cannot be an excuse as they also have some slowish and spinning conditions at home. Ends by saying that the main squad has been playing together for 3-4 years and they know the combinations. Reckons Quinton de Kock finding his form back and Nqabayomzi Peter's impressive performance were the highlights of the series.
Gudakesh Motie is the Player of the Series for picking up 8 wickets in three games. He says he is very pleased with his performance and adds he has been working really hard for the past few months. Also adds that he has worked hard on bowling yorkers and other variations as well. Says most of the surfaces will be similar.
Johnson Charles is the undisputed Player of the Match for his fantastic knock. He says that they have been working hard leading up to the series and it is all about implementing it out there. Adds that sometimes it comes off sometimes it doesn't but you have to keep the belief in yourself. Mentions that these are promising signs considering they don't have their full squad but still best South Africa 3-0 in this series.
The presentation ceremony...
Earlier in the game, South Africa chose to bat first, but their batting struggles continued as their openers once again failed to set a strong foundation. They kept losing wickets regularly, which dragged down the run rate. Gudakesh Motie shined again by taking a couple of key wickets, and the West Indies spinners did a fantastic job of keeping the Proteas' batters under control, not allowing them to gain any momentum. Obed McCoy further dented their batting line-up as he took a brilliant 3-fer. However, Rassie van der Dussen and Wiaan Mulder built a solid 77-run partnership, and debutant Patrick Kruger's crucial late cameo helped South Africa post a total of 163 on the board. During the chase, Johnson Charles and Brandon King gave West Indies a fantastic start, effortlessly finding boundaries. They didn't give the South African bowlers any chances and threw them off with their incredible hitting and winning the game comprehensively with 8 wickets in hand.
South Africa desperately needed early wickets to put the hosts under pressure, but nothing went their way. They were pummeled from the start, with Anrich Nortje's expensive spell being a major concern as he leaked runs in the Powerplay. Truth be told, every South African bowler was too predictable with their lines and lengths, making it easy for the West Indies batters. No one in the bowling unit could stem the flow of runs in the first six overs. Though Nqabayomzi Peter eventually provided a breakthrough, but it was too little, too late for the visitors. The bowlers couldn't resist the brutal assault from the Windies' batters and were all over the place, not just in this game in particular, but in the entire series. As a result, the tourists faced a crushing defeat and will have a lot to introspect and correct before entering the bigger stage in the coming week.
THIS IS CALLED SHEER DOMINANCE AND THE MEN IN MAROON HAVE DISPLAYED THE GLIMPSE OF THE VINTAGE WEST INDIES HERE. The West Indies which is hungry for redemption. West Indies clean sweeps South Africa by 3-0 in a clinical fashion. An important series win for them just before the T20 World Cup in June. South Africa will be absolutely gutted with the way this series panned out for them. Chasing a modest target of 164, West Indies got off to a blazing start with Johnson Charles and the man in red-hot form, Brandon King, attacking from the first ball. It felt like these two were batting on a completely different pitch. Charles smashed three consecutive sixes, finding the boundary with ease and racing to his half-century in no time. Meanwhile, King played the perfect supporting role, anchoring the innings while Charles went on a boundary-hitting spree. The duo inflated and powered the scoring rate dramatically, keeping the required run rate well under control. Charles was eventually dismissed for a stunning 69 off just 26 deliveries including 6 mammoth sixes and 9 fours. Kyle Mayers then joined the party and further wreaked havoc on the bowlers with his quickfire 36 and finished off things in style for his team with 37 balls remaining.
In over# 14
6
1
1
6
1
Reeza Hendricks 29/0(2.5)
13.5
6
SIX! Kyle Mayers finishes things off in style! Reeza Hendricks drags his length back, on middle, Kyle Mayers stays back and whacks it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a bigger. WEST INDIES WIN BY 8 WICKETS!
13.4
1
Floated, full and on leg, Alick Athanaze clips it through square leg for one.
13.3
1
Flatter, short and on middle, Kyle Mayers uses his feet and pulls it towards long on for a single.
13.2
6
SIX! In a hurry to wrap up now! Offers a juicy half-volley on off, Kyle Mayers predicts the length early, clears his front leg and spanks it downtown for a maximum.
13.1
1
At the stumps on a fuller length, Alick Athanaze works it to the off side for a single.
In over# 13
1
1wd
1
0
6
0
1
2wd
Gerald Coetzee 37/1(3)
12.6
1
Slower one now, on a length and outside off, Alick Athanaze looks to cut but chops it down to the off side for one.
12.6
1wd
Back of a length but way down the leg side, Alick Athanaze tries to pull it away but misses.
12.5
1
A full toss, on off, Kyle Mayers drives it through covers for a run.