Thursday 28 / November / 2024
Gros Islet: South Africa kept things tight as they bundled out West Indies on 149 to end day two of the second Test in the driver's seat on Saturday.
West Indies were bowled out late on the second day to give South Africa a big first-innings lead in the second Test after bundling South Africa for 298 just at the cusp of lunch. Jermaine Blackwood (49) and Shai Hope (43) were the leading run-makers, but neither was able to carry on to a big score as the home side surrendered a first-innings lead of 149.
Wiaan Mulder was the surprise package with the ball, as the medium-pacer took three wickets for just one run.
Blackwood came to the crease at 54-4 and stayed for more than two hours at which time he faced 106 balls and hit six fours. He was the last man out to give left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (2-47) his second wicket.
Late in the day, Blackwood reached the milestone of 2,000 Test runs when he got a boundary from a fabulous ramp shot which sped away to the third man boundary.
Hope, batting at number 3, also played fluently and struck four fours off 103 balls. He added 43 with Blackwood for the fifth wicket but fell with the score at 97-5 and West Indies were back in trouble.
Mulder then made a huge impact when he took his three wickets in the space of eight balls as West Indies lost the last four wickets for six runs.
Earlier, Quinton de Kock made 96 which helped the Proteas add another 80 runs from their overnight position in the morning session. Medium-pacer Kyle Mayers ended with 3-28 off 15 overs to be the best bowler for the home side.
He claimed the important wicket of South African captain and opening batsman Dean Elgar for 77 on the opening day. He added the wickets of de Kock and Anrich Nortje as the tourists lost their last four wickets for 23 runs.
Brief scores: South Africa 298 (Dean Elgar 77, Quinton de Kock 96; Mayers 3-28) vs West Indies 149 (Jermaine Blackwood 49, Shai Hope 43; Kagiso Rabada 2-24)
