‘Tough day’ for reeling Windies as SA eye Test sweep

GROS-ISLET, Saint Lucia: West Indies’ vulnerable batting was again exploited by South Africa with the home side routed for 149 in reply to the Proteas’ first innings total of 298 at stumps on the second day of the second Test on Saturday.

South Africa, who won the first Test by an innings and 63 runs inside three days, will start their second innings on the third day with a healthy advantage of 149 runs. After Quinton de Kock’s assured 96 helped South Africa add another 80 runs from their overnight position in the morning session, the Caribbean side tottered to 54 for four before Shai Hope provided a brief respite in an innings of 43 and a partnership of the same total with Jermaine Blackwood.

Blackwood was last out for a topscore of 49 — which took him past 2,000 Test runs — as the lower-order swiftly capitulated, medium-pacer Wiaan Mulder taking three wickets for one run and capitalising on the technical shortcomings of a West Indies team that started this series ranked one spot ahead of their opponents.

“Quinny (Quinton de Kock) started it all for us today and we kept it going with the ball,” said a delighted Mulder. “I got a few wickets at the end of the innings but it’s the raw pace of the opening bowlers that got us going. I am just happy that I was able to land the ball in the right areas and get the results.”

West Indies got off to the worst possible start when Kraigg Brathwaite fell to the first ball of the innings from Rabada caught behind down the leg-side.

West Indies won toss

South Africa 1st Innings (overnight 218-5)

D. Elgar b Mayers 77

A. Markram c Chase b Gabriel 0

K. Petersen c Holder b Seales 7

R. van der Dussen b Roach 4

K. Verreynne c da Silva b Gabriel 27

Q. de Kock c Hope b Mayers 96

W. Mulder c da Silva b Roach 8

K. Maharaj c da Silva b Holder 12

K. Rabada not out 21

A. Nortje c Seales b Mayers 1

L. Ngidi c sub (Bravo) b Roach 1

Extras (b9, lb20, nb3, w12) 44

Total (112.4 overs, all out) 298

Fall: 1-1 (Markram), 2-26 (Petersen), 3-37 (van der Dussen), 4-124 (Verreynne), 5-203 (Elgar), 6-239 (Mulder), 7-275 (Maharaj), 8-275 (de Kock), 9-281 (Nortje), 10-298 (Ngidi)

Bowling: Roach 21.4-6-45-3 (1w), Gabriel 16-4-65-2 (2nb, 2w), Seales 19-4-44-1, Holder 21-5-47-1, Chase 15-4-26-0, Mayers 15-6-28-3 (1nb, 1w), Brathwaite 5-0-14-0

West Indies 1st Innings

K. Brathwaite c de Kock b Rabada 0

K. Powell lbw b Ngidi 5

S. Hope b Ngidi 43

R. Chase c Verreynne b Nortje 4

K. Mayers c Markram b Maharaj 12

J. Blackwood c Elgar b Maharaj 49

J. Holder c Petersen b Rabada 10

J. da Silva c de Kock b Mulder 7

K. Roach c de Kock b Mulder 1

J. Seales c Verreynne b Mulder 0

S. Gabriel not out 0

Extras (b6, lb3, nb4, w5) 18

Total (54 overs, all out) 149

Fall: 1-0 (Brathwaite), 2-8 (Powell), 3-30 (Chase), 4-54 (Mayers), 5-97 (Hope), 6-115 (Holder), 7-143 (da Silva), 8-145 (Roach), 9-145 (Seales), 10-149 (Blackwood)

Bowling: Rabada 13-6-24-2 (1nb), Ngidi 7-0-27-2 (1nb, 1w), Nortje 12-0-41-1 (2nb), Maharaj 18-2-47-2, Mulder 4-3-1-3

Umpires: Joel Wilson (WIS), Gregory Brathwaite (WIS)