West Indies 165 for two (Charles 69, King 44, Mayers 36*) beat South Africa 163 for 7 (van dur Dussen 51, McCoy 3-39, Motie 2-21, S Joseph 2-26) by eight wickets
West Indies swept the three-T20I sequence in opposition to South Africa to conclude their T20 World Cup preparations in essentially the most commanding method attainable. South Africa, alternatively, have gained simply two of their final 11 accomplished T20I matches because the final T20 World Cup, and have misplaced sequence to West Indies twice and Australia as soon as, and enter the worldwide competitors on the again foot.
If there’s any comfort, it is that none of South Africa’s powerhouse center order of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs had been a part of this sequence, however all will return for the World Cup. Nonetheless, there stay considerations over Quinton de Kock, who scored 64 runs in three innings and did not have a great time of it on the BBL, the SA20 and the IPL earlier, whereas additionally showing to choose up a again damage on Sunday; and Ryan Rickelton, who managed solely 43 runs in three innings.
Equally, Anrich Nortje’s economic system price of 12.16 by means of the sequence and the absence of any wickets to his identify raises questions over his readiness for worldwide cricket after an almost-nine-month absence following a lower-back stress fracture. However he’s a part of South Africa’s last squad for the World Cup.
West Indies head to Trinidad to play Australia in a warm-up match earlier than their first World Cup match in Guyana, and so they seem as prepared as they are often. They’ve gained 4 out of 5 sequence because the final T20 World Cup, and beat South Africa 3-0 for the primary time on this one. After defending totals of 175 and 207 to win the sequence, they had been made to chase and hunted down 164 inside 14 overs to ease previous South Africa once more.
The redemption of Johnson Charles
However he silenced these questions with a knock of full assurance and authority to deliver up his fifth T20I half-century, and set the platform for one more West Indies win. Charles’ takedown of South Africa’s quickest, Nortje and Gerald Coetzee, was most spectacular. He scored 25 runs off simply ten balls from Nortje, and 22 off 4 from Coetzee, together with three successive sixes. Solely three of his 69 runs got here in singles, and though he was dismissed within the seventh over, he had already put the end result past doubt.
Motie makes essentially the most of it
In Motie’s subsequent over, Matthew Breetzke hit the ball again over the bowler’s head. It seemed like a clear strike however wasn’t timed in addition to he supposed, and Shamar Joseph took a great catch contained in the boundary rope to finish a disappointing tour for the CSA T20’s prime run-scorer for the 2023-24 season.
Van der Dussen’s assertion innings
Mayers misses, after which he does not
Six overs later, Mulder mis-hit a McCoy slower ball to long-on, the place Mayers was able to take the catch two-handed, with greater than sufficient area behind him to tumble, maintain on and keep away from giving freely a boundary.
With the bat, Mayers cracked 4 sixes in an unbeaten knock of 36, serving to wrap the chase up after Charles had laid the inspiration. However Mayers stays a reserve participant within the West Indies T20 World Cup squad.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and girls’s cricket
