Proteas, Windies hunt unlikely Test win after rain-hit day four

WITH a yellow-level weather alert in full effect across TT on August 10, the West Indies and South Africa endured another rain affected day as they battled on day four in the first Test of their two-match series at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair.

The teams had an anxious six-hour wait before play started on day four, with persistent overnight and midday rain making for very bleak conditions at the venue. The day’s proceedings eventually began at 3.30 pm, and the South Africans needed just 24.5 overs to take the last six West Indies wickets before racing to 30 without loss from five overs to start their second innings — ending the day with a 154-run lead heading into the final day.

With just two hours available in the fourth day’s play, the Proteas wasted little time in showing their intent — bowling out the West Indies for a modest first-innings score of 233.

West Indies closed day three on 145 for four, with Kavem Hodge and former skipper Jason Holder unbeaten on 11 and 13 respectively. The home team’s middle and low-order didn’t stick around for too long, though, as they added just 88 runs to their overnight total.

Proteas’ ace pacer Kagiso Rabada was a thorn in the regional team’s side, and he scooped up three wickets in just four overs after taking the second new ball to help wrap up the hosts’ tail. Rabada eventually finished with three for 56, with left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj leading the way with figures of four for 76, with three of his wickets coming on day three.

Before the new ball was taken, part-time spinner Aiden Markram (one for 42) had the last say in a battle with a running battle with Jason Holder (36), who had struck the off-spinner for several boundaries. With West Indies’ score on 173, Holder was dismissed after going for one drive too many as he was clean-bowled.

In the very next over, West Indies vice-captain Joshua Da Silva, a Queen’s Park Cricket Club player who calls the St Clair venue his home, seemed to be bamboozled by a Maharaj delivery which held up in the surface as he offered a simple catch to Tony de Zorzi at mid-on. Da Silva made just one and West Indies slipped from 173 for four to 174 for six in the matter of three deliveries.

Rabada then worked his magic with the new ball as he got the scalps of Hodge (25), Gudakesh Motie (duck) and number eight batsman Kemar Roach (eight) in consecutive overs as the Windies slipped to 215 for nine.

Number ten batsman Jomel Warrican (35 not out off 32 balls) had some fun and he hit fellow left-arm spinner Maharaj for a pair of sixes to reduce the Proteas’ first-innings lead to below 150.

Fastbowler Lungi Ngidi got his only wicket of the innings when he clean-bowled Jayden Seales for four to end the Windies innings.

The 32-year-old Warrican, whose previous Test match came at the Queen’s Park Oval versus India last July, believes there’s still a semblance of a chance for his team to eke out a result on day five.

“Obviously, the plan is to not let South Africa get away. We got to try and bowl them out. If we bowl them out, that means we’re controlling how much runs they score,” Warrican told reporters at the end of the day’s play.

“We have to bowl them out as quickly as possible so the lead doesn’t get too big.”

The visitors ended the first innings with a 124-run lead, and although the likelihood of a favourable result in this match isn’t great, the opening pair of de Zorzi (14) and Markram (nine not out) showed positive signs by taking the Proteas to the close of play on 30 without loss.

After losing approximately two days to rain in this Test, it will take a herculean effort from either team to try and force a result on the final day’s play on August 11.

SCOREBOARD

SOUTH AFRICA 1st Innings 357

WEST INDIES 1st Innings (overnight 145 for four)

K Brathwaite run out (Mulder) 35

M Louis b Maharaj 35

K Carty lbw b Maharaj 42

A Athanaze c Markram b Maharaj 3

K Hodge c Bedingham b Rabada 25

J Holder b Markram 36

J Da Silva c de Zorzi b Maharaj 1

K Roach lbw b Rabada 8

G Motie c Markram b Rabada 0

J Warrican not out 35

J Seales b Ngidi 4

Extras (b1, lb7, nb1) 9

TOTAL (all out, 67 overs) 233

Fall of wickets: 1-53 (Louis); 2-114 (Brathwaite); 3-119 (Carty); 4-124 (Athanaze); 5-173 (Holder); 6-174 (Da Silva); 7-188 (Hodge); 8-192 (Motie); 9-215 (Roach); 10-233 (Seales).

Bowling: Rabada 18-3-56-3; Ngidi 11.5-5-26-1; Mulder 9-2-25-0; Maharaj 40-15-76-4; Markram 13-1-42-1.

SOUTH AFRICA 2nd Innings

T de Zorzi 14 not out

A Markram 9 not out

Extras (b4, lb2, nb1) 7

TOTAL (without loss, 5 overs) 30

Yet to bat: T Stubbs; T Bavuma; D Bedingham; R Rickelton; K Verreynne; W Mulder; K Maharaj; K Rabada; L Ngidi.

Position: South Africa lead by 154 runs.