West Indies secure 2-0 lead over South Africa in T20 series. Roston Chase’s unbeaten 67 helps WI reach 207/7. SA’s improved batting falls short as WI bowlers shine, limiting them to 191/7. Chase, Motie, and Shepherd lead the bowling attack.
De Kock and Hendricks set a fiery pace, smashing seven sixes and six fours in the first five overs, propelling South Africa beyond 80. However, De Kock’s departure on 41 off 17, bowled by Hosein, and Hendricks’ dismissal (34 off 18) by Chase, halted their momentum. South Africa finished the powerplay at 85/2. Breetzke and Rickelton then formed a valuable partnership, bringing the chase down to 100 runs needed off 11 overs.
South Africa faced setbacks in the latter part of their innings, losing wickets regularly. Breetzke was run out, and Rickelton fell to Shepherd. Their score slipped to 138/5 in the 15th over when Motie dismissed Phehlukwayo. Despite efforts from Captain van der Dussen, who scored 30 off 22 balls, and later wickets taken by Motie, South Africa couldn’t keep up. They needed 38 runs off three overs, but Shepherd’s tight bowling, conceding only 13 runs in the last two overs, secured victory for West Indies.
West Indies faced an early setback with Johnson Charles’s dismissal, but they managed a decent powerplay, reaching 51/1. Brandon King continued his good form with a brisk 36 before debutant Nqaba Peter dismissed him. Kyle Mayers then took charge, hitting sixes consistently. However, Peter struck again, removing Mayers for 32 off 16, leaving West Indies at 88/3 halfway through their innings.
Andre Fletcher and Chase then built a quick 56-run partnership, providing West Indies the momentum they needed for the death overs. A blazing 63-run partnership in just 25 balls between Chase and Shepherd followed, propelling West Indies past the 200-run mark in the 19th over. Despite losing wickets rapidly towards the end, the hosts managed to post a substantial total, which ultimately proved enough, given their strong comeback with the ball.
Summary :West Indies: 207/7 in 20 overs (Chase 67*, King 36; Peter 2-32, Ngidi 2-41) beat South Africa: 191/7 in 20 overs (De Kock 41, Hendricks 34; Motie 3-22, Shepherd 1-23) by 16 runs.