South Africa withstood a late West Indies fight-back led by Darren Sammy to prevail by 17 runs in the second one-day international on Monday and take a 2-0 lead in the five match series.
The South Africans appeared to be coasting to victory, when West Indies, chasing 301 for victory from their 50 overs, slumped to 236 for eight in the 45th over.
However, the Proteas came under attack from Sammy, whose unbeaten 58 from 24 balls contained two fours and six sixes, as he dominated a ninth-wicket stand of 47 with Ravi Rampaul.
PHOTO: AFP
South Africa were fortunate however, when fast-medium bowler Ryan McLaren skillfully fielded a drive from Sammy on his follow-through, and Rampaul was run out off the last ball of the 48th over backing up too far.
Graeme Smith, the South African captain, had the privilege of finishing the match, when Kieron Pollard, running for Nikita Miller, was run out off the first ball of the next over, with a direct hit by Smith at the bowler’s end from short cover.
“We weren’t at our best, and we let a few key chances go earlier, which probably could have gone on to cost us the game,” a relieved Smith said. “Outside of our fielding, I think we controlled the game very, very well, and up to Sammy’s 58, we were in control, but our fielding, our catching in particular, we need to take another look.”
The third and fourth ODIs will be contested on Friday and Sunday at Windsor Park in the Dominica capital of Roseau.
South Africa conceded three half-centuries to West Indies, with Dwayne Bravo hitting the top score of 74 from 70 balls, and the newly arrived opener Dale Richards 51 from 85 balls.
The Proteas put West Indies under early pressure, but Richards and Chris Gayle still gave the home team a steady start of 40.
South Africa tightened their grip, when they reduced West Indies to 119 for three, but Bravo added 63 for the fourth wicket with Pollard, as the hosts ran into deep trouble, and Sammy nearly carried them over the threshold.
“I have to commend the guys for the effort of chasing 300 runs, and in particular, Darren for giving us a bit of hope at the end,” Gayle said. “The middle overs continue to cause our downfall because there are too many dot-balls in that period of our innings, and the run rate creeps up on us, and makes it difficult for the batsmen towards the end.”
Earlier, Hashim Amla continued his rich vein of form with 92, and Jacques Kallis supported with 85 to lead South Africa to 300 for five from their 50 overs.
Amla struck seven boundaries from 95 balls, and Kallis — playing his 300th ODI — hit four fours from 89 balls in a stand of 79 for the second wicket, after the South Africans chose to bat. The Proteas benefited from an opening stand of 89 between Amla and Smith before left-arm spinner Miller bowled the South African captain behind his legs for 37 in the 16th over.
Amla continued to grind away, and reached his 50 from 45 balls with a dab to third man off Bravo before he was caught at mid-wicket off Jerome Taylor in the 32nd over.
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
BELGIANS ADVANCE: Club Brugge gave Atalanta a lesson in efficiency, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had 29 efforts at goal, compared with seven from the visitors Seldom has a player’s sending off had such an influence on a game. AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s second yellow card — for diving — as Feyenoord advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday, giving the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs, eliminating Celtic, UEFA Europa League winner Atalanta BC and French team AS Monaco respectively. “In soccer everything changes in a second,” said Milan forward
RSS