Roston Chase proved to be an utility all rounder as West Indies won the second T20I match vs South Africa. They accelerated in the middle and latter period, thanks to a 56-run fourth-wicket stand off 36 between Roston Chase and Andre Fletcher and a 63-run fifth-wicket stand, off only 25 balls, between Roston Chase and Romario Shepherd. In the process, Roston Chase scored his first T20I fifty.
Roston Chase struck a 38-ball 67 not out and was supported well by the other batters as the hosts posted a good total after opting to bat. Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks then gave a blazing start in the chase but the West Indies bowlers came back well, led by economical performances from Gudakesh Motie (3-22), Romario Shepherd (1-23) and Chase (1-26) to restrict South Africa to 191/7.
South Africa came up with an improved batting effort in the second T20I but it wasn’t enough to go past West Indies’ total of 207/7 at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica as the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Pitch and Toss
Expect the captain to copy the first game’s tactics and bat after winning the toss. The ball starts to hold up on the pitch once it gets old as the spinners do have their lots of spin and bounce on the track. The batters will enjoy the early pace and bounce on the track, and powerplay overs will be key to the top order for both sides.
This pitch is right in the middle, so even square boundaries, down the ground is 72m, there is also the wind factor, the shorter boundary to my right is going to come more into play. It’s very dry again, quite a few cracks again. It has more rolling to it and it has a better color but it’s going to turn but it won’t turn as much as in the first game, reckons Mike Haysman in his pitch report.
West Indies skipper Brandon King won the toss and chose to bat with one change in the squad as Romario Shepherd comes in the playing XI for Jason Holder. South Africa skipper Rassie Van der Dussen bowling first made two changes in the playing XI replacing Gerald Coetzee with Anrich Nortje and handed debut to Nqaba Peter in place of Ottniel Baartman
Newcomer Nqaba makes a name in his debut match in the Powerplay
Little more than a year ago, Peter was a net bowler, without a domestic contract, bowling to South Africa’s batters in their preparation for a home series against West Indies. Now, after finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker at the CSA T20 Challenge for the title-winning Lions, he made his international debut at Sabina Park and immediately impressed.
Brought on to bowl just after the Powerplay, he tempted West Indies’ stand-in captain Brandon King into a big shot with his fourth ball that was full and wide outside off. King slapped it across the line but could not clear Wiaan Mulder at long-on, who took the catch over his head to give Peter the biggest name on debut.
In his next over, Peter was not put off by Kyle Mayers hitting his googly for six and bowled it again. Mayers pulled to the area between deep square leg and fine leg, where Ryan Rickelton ran around to take the catch. Peter finished with 2 for 32 in his four overs.
Earlier, West Indies lost Johnson Charles early but they did have a decent powerplay as they got to 51/1. Brandon King extended his good form as he struck a quick-fire 36 before debutant Nqaba Peter ended his stay. Kyle Mayers then took over, dealing in sixes regularly. But Peter also bagged Mayer’s wicket, dismissing him for 32 off 16, as West Indies finished at 88/3 at the halfway stage of their innings.
Chasing half-centuries as Roston Chase guides West Indies to 207 for 7
Roston Chase has played high-level cricket for a dozen years but this is only his 13th T20I and before today, Roston Chase had yet to score a half-century. That changed with an innovative innings that held West Indies together and ensured they accelerated in the second half of their innings. Five of Roston Chase’s six fours were scored behind square and two of them were big ones, both off short balls. The second, off Lungi Ngidi, sailed over the stands and broke a window of one of the parked cars, as he brought up fifty off 30 balls.
Andre Fletcher and Roston Chase then put on a brisk 56-run stand to give West Indies the momentum they were looking for ahead of the death overs. A 63-run stand off only 25 balls between Roston Chase and Shepherd ensued, which powered West Indies past 200 in the 19th over. Although the hosts lost quick wickets towards the end, they finished with a sizable score, one that proved enough thanks to their good comeback with the ball.
Quinton’s quick start makes match interesting in the Powerplay
Quinton de Kock has not been at his most fluent since retiring from ODI cricket at last year’s fifty-over World Cup but showed signs of returning to his best as he gave South Africa a speedy start. De Kock pulled the first ball he faced to fine leg and beat Kyle Mayers to find the boundary and went on to hit four fours and as many sixes in the 17 balls he faced.
The shots of his knock were back-to-back sixes off Akeal Hossein, the first off a full ball that he slammed over mid-on, and the second off a short ball that he pulled over long-on. He was bowled in the same over but was still the major contributor to South Africa’s highest Powerplay score of 85 for 2.
De Kock was in a belligerent mood, as was Reeza Hendricks, as they struck seven sixes and six fours between them inside the first five overs to power South Africa past 80. But de Kock’s stay came to an end on 41 off 17 when he was bowled by Akeal Hossein and Hendricks (34 off 18) followed soon after, bowled by Roston Chase, with South Africa ending the powerplay at 85/2. Matthew Breetzke and Ryan Rickelton put on a useful partnership as they helped South Africa forward in the chase, bringing the equation down to 100 off 11 overs.
Catches win matches as Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie guides WI to series win
Andile Phehlukwayo was promoted to No.6, above Wiaan Mulder, and was called on with eight overs left, and South Africa still 84 runs away from the target. They had not hit a boundary since the eighth over, and Phehlukwayo had no choice but to try and get one when Motie offered one full and wide.
Phehlukwayo attempted a shot go over cover but Shamar Joseph moved to his right and dived diagonally to take an amazing catch in the deep. Two overs later, Hossein, at long-off, timed his jump well to end Rassie van der Dussen’s innings on 30, and with it South Africa’s hopes.
Regular wickets hampered South Africa in the second half of their innings, with Breetzke getting run out and Rickelton falling to Shepherd. South Africa slipped to 138/5 in the 15th over when Motie accounted for the wicket of Andile Phehlukwayo. Captain Rassie van der Dussen struck a 22-ball 30 as he tried to revive the chase but Motie bagged his wicket and sent Wiaan Mulder back soon after. South Africa needed 38 off the last three overs but Shepherd gave away only 13 in the two overs he bowled at the end, ensuring a victory for the home side.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Loosing South African skipper Rassie Van Der Dussen said :
Not too happy with the bowling performance. Our seamers had no answers against their batters, spinners bowled well. We were going to be under pressure with the bat with that kind of a total. He (Shepherd) was disciplined with his lengths.
We will take the learnings, disappointed as we lost the series. Fortuin bowled only 2 overs in the previous game so he had a point to prove. He (Peter) made his debut, he was brilliant, an exciting player for the future.
Winning West Indies skipper Brandon King said :
It’s an amazing feeling, with one game to go, I am very happy. Roston paced his innings perfectly, finished well. Having an all-rounder in T20 cricket is valuable. He (Chase) is bowling in the powerplay, very happy with his performance. SA batters came out with a lot of aggression. Shepherd bowled with clarity and executed his plans. We want to carry this momentum into the World Cup, looking forward to it.
Roston Chase Man of the Match for his all round efforts said :
I have been ready for the opportunity, putting up the effort. Have conditioned my mind to play that role. The plan was to take it to 14 overs but then we realised the wicket was better than yesterday. We put on the accelerator and it paid off. For me it’s about watching the batter till the last moment and bowling accordingly.
After choosing to bat, West Indies started slower than the first match (where they had reached 100 runs by the halfway mark) but paced their innings well. They accelerated in the middle and latter period, thanks to a 56-run fourth-wicket stand off 36 between Roston Chase and Andre Fletcher and a 63-run fifth-wicket stand, off only 25 balls, between Chase and Romario Shepherd. In the process, Chase scored his first T20I fifty.
Anrich Nortje returned to the South African side after almost nine months on the sidelines as he recovered from a lower back stress fracture and was expensive on his return. His four overs cost 47 runs, and he went wicketless. The star of South Africa’s bowling was debutant Nqabayomzi Peter, who took 2 for 32, but is not in the T20 World Cup squad.
In response, South Africa were quick out of the blocks and brought up 100 in eight overs but no-one could kick on after Quinton de Kock’s 17-ball 41. The middle-order were particularly disappointing and folded from 113 for 2 to 167 for 7, losing 5 for 54. South Africa may not be too concerned because none of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs and David Miller were involved in this series and all four will return for the T20 World Cup.
Still, South Africa have not won a T20I series since August 2022, and have lost four of their last five series. Their ability against spin remains a concern and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie benefited most from that. He picked up career-best figures of 3 for 22 and has taken three wickets in each of his last three matches.
West Indies take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the 3-match T20I series. South Africa had gotten off to a flier as they scored 81 runs in less than 5 overs, however, once the openers departed, the Proteas kept losing wickets at regular intervals throughout the run chase.
de Kock, Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen chipped in with crucial knocks, but the Windies bowlers pulled things back dramatically following the opening stand. Gudakesh Motie was the pick of the bowlers from Windies as he took three wickets. Earlier in the day, it was Roston Chase’s excellent knock of 67*(38) that powered the hosts beyond the 200-run mark. The third and final T20I will be played on Sunday and West Indies would be happy to go 3-0 before the World Cup in their own backyard.