The West Indies were beaten handsomely in the first match of the KFC T20 International series against South Africa, played at Boland Park in Paarl on January 27. The match was the first of three fixtures in what is the final bilateral competition in preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, starting in February. Captain Shai Hope was rested for the opening T20I, with Roston Chase stepping in as skipper for his 50th T20I match.
South African captain Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Men in Maroon had a mixed powerplay, scoring at a healthy rate but losing three wickets in the process, ending the period at 57/3. The West Indies have rarely won fixtures when they lose so many wickets during the fielding restrictions, and they needed to dig deep and regroup to build the innings.
Two further wickets kept the Windies in check before a partnership between Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer began. The sixth-wicket stand featured a steady combination of strike rotation mixed with big hitting and was worth 74 runs off 50 balls. This provided the backbone for the eventual score of 173/7, which seemed to be a competitive total on the surface.
In reply, South Africa began with a blistering start, scoring 68 without loss in the powerplay. The West Indies’ woeful fielding again cost them when Akeal Hossein dropped Lhuan-dre Pretorius on 21 runs. He went on to score 44 before hauling out off the bowling of Roston Chase. His opening partner Markram was also dropped on 27 and went on to score a blistering 86 off 47 balls, pushing his side to victory. Ryan Rickelton supported his captain following the loss of Pretorius’ wicket, scoring 40 not out to see the Proteas win by nine wickets. The victory was the largest by wickets ever recorded by South Africa against the West Indies.
The Men in Maroon will need to get back to winning ways when they face the same opposition at SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium on January 29.
