Twitter Reactions: Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope outclass lacklustre Proteas bowling in first T20I
West Indies defeated South Africa by seven wickets.
After a dreadful T20 World Cup, West Indies have a point to prove in the ongoing three-match T20I series against South Africa. South Africa, on the other hand, qualified for the finals in the tournament but in the absence of some of the key players in this match, they looked toothless, which resulted in a seven-wicket defeat in Trinidad.
In the absence of Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks opened the innings for South Africa. The duo failed to make a mark and so did captain Aiden Markram but batting at number four, Tristan Stubbs managed to rescue the Proteas. However, wickets fell on one end and that didn’t help the visitors. Stubbs meanwhile played an aggressive brand of cricket and he was later joined by Patrick Kruger as the duo helped South Africa post a respectable total on board.
Stubbs hit 76 runs off 42 balls while Kruger made 44 runs off 32 balls. They stitched a partnership of 71 runs as South Africa posted 174 runs on board in the first innings. Among the bowlers, Matthew Forde picked up three wickets for West Indies while Shamar Joseph picked up two.
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When it came to the chase, West Indies openers Alick Athanaze and Shai Hope gave a brilliant start to the hosts. Knowing the wicket, they paced their innings perfectly and built a partnership of 84 runs, which kind of took the game away from the Aiden Markram-led side. Whatever was left, Nicholas Pooran took care of. After Athanaze departed for 40 runs, Pooran came out to bat at three and wreaked havoc.
He smashed the ball all across the ground and made 65* runs off 26 balls to help West Indies pick up a comfortable seven-wicket victory. Hope supported him with an incredible half-century and with that West Indies took a 1-0 lead in the series. Notably, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi’s absence bothered South Africa. Not having Heinrich Klaasen was also another factor behind their defeat.
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