Friday, March 29, 2024

Seales’ late scalps boost Windies

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Gros Islet – Teenaged pace newcomer Jayden Seales grabbed a couple of late wickets in the final half-hour to give West Indies a lift, after another batting meltdown crippled them against South Africa in the first Test in St. Lucia.

Seales, 19, was handed a debut cap, becoming the 326th player to appear in Tests for the Windies, and ended the day with three for 34 from 11 overs, and the South Africans reached 128 for four, replying to the Caribbean side’s paltry first innings total of 97, on the first day of the Test at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

After Kemar Roach removed the Proteas’ captain Dean Elgar in the first over of the visitors’ reply, Seales added the scalps of opener Aiden Markram for 60, as well as Test newcomers, Keegan Petersen for 19 and Kyle Verreynne for six before stumps were drawn to prevent South Africa from running away with things.

This unfolded after West Indies failed to back up their decision to bat after winning the toss, and South African pacers Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje dismantled their batting and they were dismissed for their lowest total in Tests against the Proteas.

Jason Holder led the way with 20, but no other Windies batsman reached that high-water mark, and they were bowled out about 40 minutes before tea with Ngidi ending with five for 19 from 13.5 overs and Nortje taking four for 35 from 11 overs.

Roach had Elgar caught at third slip for a fifth-ball duck before Markram and Petersen carried South Africa to 30 for one at tea.

Seales struck in the second over after the break, when Test newcomer Petersen was caught at second slip, playing forward.

But the Windies met defiance, when Markram and Rassie van der Dussen put on 79 for the third wicket to put South Africa in front.

Seales returned for a final spell in the final half-hour and had Markram and Verreynne caught behind in successive over, leaving van der Dussen, not out on 34, and Quinton de Kock, not out on four, to bat through the remaining 10 minutes before the close.

Earlier, Windies stumbled to 48 for four at lunch, after Nortje ran through their top order with three wickets before the interval.

The much-anticipated return of Shai Hope was short-lived, when he played across a well-pitched delivery that moved away slightly and was bowled for 15 by Nortje, who also bowled Brathwaite for 15 on the stroke of the morning drinks break, offering no stroke to a delivery that moved back.

A spell of resistance was broken, when Nkrumah Bonner was caught behind off Rabada for 10 and Mayers was caught at cover off Nortje for one in the final 15 minutes before lunch.

Bonner was later diagnosed with a concussion, after he was struck by the first delivery he faced – from Nortje – and he has been replaced by left-handed opener Kieran Powell for the remainder of the match.

Bonner passed an on-field concussion assessment, but he subsequently underwent further medical examination under the CWI concussion protocols when he came off the field.

After lunch, there was little resistance from the Windies and the decline started, when vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood was caught at gully off Nortje for five in the third over before Ngidi mopped up the rest of the batting, finishing off with Holder caught at second slip.

Summarised scores:

West Indies 97 (Jason Holder 20, Kraigg Brathwaite 15, Shai Hope 15, Rahkeem Cornwall 13, Nkrumah Bonner 10; Lungi Ngidi 13.5-7-19-5, Anrich Nortje 4-35).

South Africa 128 for four (Aiden Makram 60, Rassie van der Dussen 34 not out, Keegan Petersen 19; Jayden Seales 3-34).

(AR)

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