Gros Islet – Kyle Mayers and Kemar Roach grabbed two wickets apiece, and West Indies bowled out South Africa for 298 in their first innings before lunch in the second Test in St. Lucia.
Mayers ended with the impressive figures of three for 28 from 15 overs – including the prized scalp of Quinton de Kock for 96 – and Roach supported with three for 45 from 21.4 overs in a dramatic turnaround for the Windies on the rain-affected second day of the Test at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
The Caribbean side appeared set for another day of toil, after Roach claimed the scalp of Wiaan Mulder – the only wicket to fall in the first hour – caught behind eight, after the Proteas resumed from their overnight total of 218 for five and a wet outfield caused the start to be delayed by half-hour.
But former captain and World No.1 all-rounder Jason Holder opened the floodgates in a second spell, when he had Keshav Maharaj caught behind for one about 15 minutes before the rescheduled lunch interval and South Africa lost their last four wickets for 23 in the space of 50 balls.
Mayers had de Kock caught at gully, when the left-hander, eyeing his seventh Test hundred and second in succession in the series, top-edged a cut and the ball ricocheted from the glove of wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva to Shai Hope, and Anrich Nortje caught at mid-wicket for one in successive over.
Roach brought the curtain down on the South Africans’ resistance, when he had Lungi Ngidi caught at mid-wicket for one about 25 minutes past the rescheduled lunch interval.
West Indies trail 0-1 in the two-Test series, after they crashed to an innings and 63 runs defeat inside three days in the first Test, which ended last Saturday at the same venue.
Though the Vivian Richards Trophy, symbol of Test supremacy between the two sides, is destined to return to Johannesburg, West Indies will be aiming to square the series and avoid their first series defeat of the year.
Summarised scores:
South Africa 298 (Quinton de Kock 96, Dean Elgar 77, Kyle Verreynne 27, Kagiso Rabada 21 not out, Keshav Maharaj 12; Kyle Mayers 3-28, Kemar Roach 3-45, Shannon Gabriel 2-65) vs West Indies.
(AR)
