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At the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, the West Indies executed the most successful Twenty20 chase in history, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series against South Africa.
Just before a strong downpour caused the game to be delayed by an hour, West Indies elected to bowl first, and after eight overs, they had South Africa at 42 for 5, they were in command. Tristan Stubbs and Patrick Kruger put up a sixth-wicket stand of 71 runs from 50 balls, which helped South Africa rally. Stubbs and Bjorn Fortuin then shared a seventh-wicket stand of 60 runs off 25 balls, which provided the innings with much-needed momentum. In his third Twenty20 International, Matthew Forde equalled his best-ever career stats of 3 for 27.
The chase was always under the control of the West Indies. Before Hope and Nicholas Pooran’s 54-run stand, off 33 balls, broke South Africa’s back, Hope and Alick Athanaze put up 84 for the first wicket in 49 balls. Against a young South African assault, Pooran was especially harsh, scoring his fastest T20I fifty (from 20 balls) and finishing undefeated on 65 off 26.
South Africa’s depth was put to the test without the focal point of their assault, particularly since Lungi Ngidi was declared out of the series due to a calf strain prior to kickoff. At eighteen years and 137 days, Kwena Maphaka became their youngest-ever debutant when he trapped West Indies captain Rovman Powell at extra cover to record his first international wicket.
By that point, Roston Chase’s four off the following ball put the finishing touches on a victory that required just three runs for West Indies. With 13 balls remaining, West Indies prevailed in the game.
After a brilliant first over of three runs from Akeal Hosein, Powell’s decision to bowl first paid off almost immediately when Forde made the initial cut. Despite their powerplay, South Africa faltered and finished at 33 for 3. As soon as the fielding limits were restored, Joseph scored his second goal and Rassie van der Dussen was strangled down leg.
After eight overs, South Africa was struggling at 42 for 5, with all of their recognised batsmen—aside from Stubbs—back in the dugout. Stubbs scored just 13 runs off his first 16 balls, acting erratically at beginning. Stubbs didn’t take over until after Kruger’s inning was up.
He took full deliveries from Forde for consecutive fours each side of the wicket, and when he drove Joseph over cover point, he scored fifty off 33 balls. He was going for six more when he holed out to long-on on the penultimate delivery of the innings, having scored 23 runs off the last six balls he faced. However, he had given his bowlers enough to defend with 174 on the board.
When the West Indies finally got their first boundary, it took ten deliveries, but once they did, everything opened up. In his second Twenty20 international, Athanaze opened the batting and swept Fortuin over long leg. Hope then fell victim to Ottneil Baartman’s long-off and deep-backward square-leg blows, but the main damage was done in the fifth over. With two sixes over deep square-leg and a stunning late cut that went for four, Athanaze hammered Nandre Burger for twenty runs, forcing South Africa to switch to a fifth bowler during the powerplay.
When Burger returned in the twelfth over, Pooran sensed an opportunity to put an immediate stop to the situation, with 70 runs off 54 balls needed to win. Burger attempted a slower ball to Pooran after Hope got off to a good start. Pooran had plenty of time to hit the ball straight over long-off for a 77-meter six. Burger’s subsequent delivery was likewise pace-off; it turned out to be a full toss, which Pooran assisted in getting beyond midwicket and into the stands. To reduce the equation to 45 off 48 balls, he struck Burger for two more sixes that went straight down the ground. Despite losing a few wickets, West Indies eventually reached the goal with ease.