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Rabada, Maharaj seal win for South Africa against resilient West Indies
South Africa secured a 10th successive Test series win against West Indies, and earned a vital second win in the World Test Championship 2023-2, with a hard-fought 40-run victory in Guyana. In the process, Keshav Maharaj became the most successful spinner in their Test history with 171 wickets, including five in this match and 13 in the series. His success eclipsed an exceptional effort from Jayden Seales, who took 12 wickets across the two matches and a career-best 6 for 61 in South Africa’s second innings in Guyana.
Seales ensured West Indies were left with a gettable, but tough, target of 263 and their chase had all the makings of a classic. They slumped to 104 for 6, before a 77-run stand between hometown hero Gudakesh Motie and Joshua Da Silva put them within sight of a historic victory. Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada. South Africa’s two most reliable bowlers on the tour, denied the hosts despite a fighting effort from the tail.
In a series that was tough for batters with no centuries across the two Tests, no West Indian got a second-innings half-century and they had only one partnership above fifty in the match. In contrast, two South African batters got fifties in the second innings and had three half-century stands in the match. The 63-run tenth-wicket stand between Dane Piedt and Nandre Burger in the first innings proved decisive too.
Overall, it was a series for the bowlers, who benefitted from a surface that was tough for run-scoring in Trinidad and a venue with swing, seam movement and good bounce in Guyana. Shamar Joseph enjoyed his first home Test with 5 for 33 in the first innings but a collective effort from South Africa’s attack gave them the edge where it mattered the most.
Wiaan Mulder operating as the third seamer and sole seam-bowling allrounder, took six wickets in the Test, scored an important 34 in the second innings and shared in an 85-run sixth-wicket partnership with Kyle Verreynne to set up South Africa’s win. His contributions mitigated some of the questions over South Africa’s team composition. They were a bowler short in Trinidad and a batter short in Guyana but found a way to defend a total on a surface that was only three days old and improved for batting.
Set 263, West Indies lost Mikyle Louis in the fifth over when he pressed forward and edged Rabada to Mulder at third slip. Three overs later, Rabada thought he had a second when Kraig Braithwaite, on 17, was given out lbw but the West Indian captain reviewed and replays confirmed the impact was outside off. West Indies went to lunch on 43 for 1.
Braithwaite only added eight runs before Mulder beat his inside edge and hit him on the knee roll. He was given out again and reviewed again, unsuccessfully. Mulder could have had Keacy Carty, on 17, in his next over when he sliced a wide ball to point but Mulder had overstepped. Three balls later, South Africa reviewed a Burger appeal for lbw to Alick Athanaze which was also outside the line and their frustration reached boiling point. It cooled when Carty chopped Mulder on without adding to his score and South Africa were back in it.
Kavem Hodge met fire with fire and took on the short ball. He pulled Mulder through mid-wicket and square leg and then scored two boundaries off three Rabada deliveries but played one shot too many when he inside-edged Rabada onto the stumps. By that stage, offspinner Piedt had been introduced into the attack for the first time in the match and tempted Athanaze with full, flighted deliveries. Athanaze struggled to turn the strike over, eventually went for a rash sweep and top-edged behind the keeper. Aiden Markram ran back from slip to take a good, high catch.
Athanaze’s mistake could be blamed on inexperience but when Jason Holder, the best batter from West Indies’ first innings, holed out to long-on in Piedt’s next over, it was a sign South Africa’s strangle was working.
Enter Motie, who had a disappointing series with the ball, but did his bit with the bat. Motie and Da Silva took the target to below 100. Motie was particularly severe on Piedt and took 18 runs off the 14 balls he faced from him but his attempts to take on Maharaj were not as successful. Motie was hit on the front pad as he moved back to hit the left-arm spinner away and was given out lbw. He reviewed but ball-tracking showed it was clipping leg stump. Da Silva went similarly in Maharaj’s next over, and also asked the third umpire to have a look, but the technology was in South Africa’s favour and Maharaj equalled Hugh Tayfield as South Africa’s leading spinner.
With only two wickets left to get, and Rabada two away from 300, he was brought back on and threatened to produce the goods soon after. Jomel Warrican edged him wide of second slip and then Joseph offered a chance that went between second and third slip as both Markram and Mulder left the ball for each other. Rabada was livid but the annoyance did not last long. Four balls later, Joseph pulled him to mid-on where Temba Bavuma got hang-time with both feet off the floor and plucked the ball in his outstretched right hand to complete the catch of the series.
Rabada was one wicket away from 300 but was unable to complete the feat in the match. Maharaj overtook Tayfield when Seales clipped him to David Bedingham at short leg and South Africa celebrated. Seales had been vocal with them throughout the match, so dismissing him to secure victory was even sweeter for South Africa. It would have stung Seales, who was instrumental in South Africa’s collapse. They lost their last five wickets for 22 runs in 65 balls, including the first three wickets for 8 runs in 15 balls.
Warrican struck in the first over when Mulder chose to stay back in his crease and attempt a flick but missed an arm ball and was hit on the back pad. That early breakthrough prompted Kraig Braithwaite to call on Seales earlier than he may have planned, with the second new ball nine overs away. An under-pressure Maharaj chipped the second ball he faced to Motie at mid-wicket and registered a third successive duck on the tour.
Seales’ next one was all skill as he beat Kyle Verreynne’s inside edge with a delivery that angled into him from wide of the crease. It also confirmed Seales’ second Test five-for. Piedt and Rabada took the lead over 250 but one over and one delivery before the second new ball was due, Rabada went forward to block Warrican and edged to Hodge at slip.
West Indies took the second new ball as soon as it was available and Seales succeeded. Burger drove the fourth ball back to him and Seales reacted quickly to take the catch with both hands to his right to end South Africa’s innings 50 minutes into the third day. Burger’s duck was the third of the innings and seventh of the match for South Africa, their most since 1932.
South Africa are now up to fifth on the WTC points table, with six matches left to play. West Indies remain ninth, with only one win.
Brief scores:
South Africa 160 (Tristan Stubbs 26, Dane Piedt 38*, David Bedingham 28, Kyle Verreynne 21, Nandre Burger 23; Shamar Joseph 5-33, Jayden Seales 3-45) and 246 (Kyle Verreynne 59, Tony de Zorzi 39, Aiden Markram 51, Tristan Stubbs 24, Wiaan Mulder 34; Jayden Seales 6-61, Gudakesh Moti 2-61, Jomel Warrican 2-21) beat West Indies 144 (Keacy Carty 26, Jason Holder 54*, Shamar Joseph 25; Wiaan Mulder 4-32, Nandre Burger 3-49, Keshav Maharaj 2-08) and 222 (Gudakesh Motie 45, Kraig Brathwaite 25, Kavem Hodge 29, Joshua da Silva 27, Jomel Warrican 25*; Keshav Maharaj 3-37, Kagiso Rabada 3-50, Wiaan Mulder 2-35, Dane Piedt 2-50) by 40 runs
[Cricinfo]
Ireland Women 118/9 in 20 overs (Alana Dalzelle 14, Orla Prendergast 26, Leah Paul 10, Alice Tector 10, Louise Little 26*; Lauren Bell 1-39, Linsey Smith 1-20, Sophie Ecclestone 3-22, Charlie Dean 2-11, Dani Gibson 2-10) lost to England Women 119/6 in 17.3 overs (Dani Wyatt Hodge 16, Nat Sciver-Brunt 48, Heather Knight 26; Aimee Maguire 2-23, Orla Prendergast 2-17) by 4 wickets
Lionel Messi marked his record sixth World Cup appearance with his first hat-trick at a FIFA tournament as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 to open the defence of their global crown, he also became the joint highest scorer at World Cups with the feat.
The former 38-year-old forward thought he had opened the scoring in the eighth minute in Kansas City on Tuesday when he slotted home from close range, but the offside flag was raised.
The dream start to his record-setting appearance, which will be matched by Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal against DR Congo on Wednesday, was not to be denied for long though.
A trademark, mazy run was capped by a drive on the edge of the box from that famed left foot. The power too much for Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, son of World Cup winner with France, Zinidine.
Messi doubled his tally on the hour mark with a simple tap in from a rebound off the keeper following a drive from Alexis Mac Allister.
The moment that even a player as decorated as Messi came in the 76th minute when he drilled low past the keeper from just outside the box.
The strike took Messi level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals.
His substitution came just three minutes later to a standard ovation, even old maestro seemed disappointed to be removed – and most likely rested for Argentina’s tilt at becoming only the third side to defend a World Cup title.
Algeria – the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winners – offered little, but were themselves denied an early goal when Fares Chaibi’s ninth minute strike was ruled out for offside.
Messi saw to it that there was no opening game upset to be had tat this edition, having lost their opening game at Qatar 2022 to Saudi Arabia.
Messi, who spent the majority of his club career in Spain with Barcelona before moving to French giants Paris-Saint Germain, plys his trade in US football’s Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
Jordan and Austria open their account in the group later on Tuesday in San Francisco.
[Aljazeera]
United States sprinter Noah Lyles has set the world’s best-ever time over the rarely-run 150 metres race, clocking 14.67 seconds at the Golden Spike meet in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava.
The 28-year-old Lyles on Tuesday beat the previous best of 14.72 set by Kishane Thompson of Jamaica in Florida in April.
At Ostrava, Lyles beat Sinesipho Dambile of South Africa with 14.78, while Australian teenager Gout Gout finished third in 14.96.
“Was there ever any doubt? Was there ever any doubt? We came for a show,” an elated Lyles told Czech TV.
Earlier this month, Lyles took a comfortable win at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Rome with a 9.88 in the 100m, his fastest since clinching gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The high-energy, anime-loving showman has had strong indoor and outdoor performances throughout the year so far, and was named on this year’s Time100 list of the most influential people.
Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol had to bow to in-form Swiss Audrey Werro in her outdoor debut in the 800m.
The 26-year-old Broeders-Bol has switched from 400m hurdles, in which she had won two world gold medals, and clocked an impressive 1 minute 57.13 seconds for second place.
“It was so cool, I love racing in Ostrava. It was tough, but I enjoyed it,” she said.
Broeders-Bol has also claimed multiple medals as the anchor leg in 4x400m relay teams, notably a gold in the mixed event in the Paris Olympics.
She ran her first 800m since 2017 in February, clocking a national record of 1 minute 59.07 seconds before withdrawing from the rest of the indoor season to nurse a foot injury.
The 22-year-old Werro won in 1 minute 54.45 seconds, half a second behind her personal best from March, after shedding Broeders-Bol with 200 metres to run.
“It was a really crazy run, but the time is very good, so I’m really happy,” Werro said.
Having set the eighth best time ever, she stayed over a second behind the oldest world record in athletics of 1:53.28 set in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova of then-Czechoslovakia, who watched the race from the stands.
South Africa’s 20-year-old Bayanda Walaza won the men’s 100m as he equalled his personal best of 9.94 seconds, beating Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon with 9.99 seconds.
US favourites Ronnie Baker and Jordan Anthony were demoted to the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, with times well over 10 seconds.
[Aljazeera]
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