At Buffalo Park, East London
- Captain Temba Bavuma’s stunning 144 was not enough as the Proteas
lost the second ODI to the West Indies in East London. - The West Indies won by 48 runs after posting an imposing 335, thanks to skipper Shai Hope’s 128 not out.
- The tourists lead the three-match ODI series 1-0 heading
into Tuesday’s final match in Potchefstroom.
In the batting battle of captains fantastic, Shai Hope trumped Temba Bavuma as the West Indies beat South Africa by 48 runs to win the second ODI at a balmy, festive, and excitable East London on Saturday night.
Scorecard
Bavuma’s (144) batting kung-fu more than matched that of Hope (128*), but where Hope received support in the West Indies making 335/8 in their allotted overs, Bavuma was a man alone in South Africa’s 287.
There was support up-front from Quinton de Kock (48), but there wasn’t much else from a middle order that contained three debutants in Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi, and Tristan Stubbs.
The fact that the South Africans were bowled out in 41.4 overs displayed poor batting management from a very inexperienced batting group.
They were asked to chase down the highest total at this ground and failing will be a lesson to them.
It meant the West Indies won only their fifth ODI against SA on these shores and their second at this ground after their sole success in the deflating 6-1 1998/99 ODI series defeat.
They now take an unassailable 1-0 lead ahead of Tuesday’s third ODI in Potchefstroom.
Bavuma’s form in recent limited overs cricket has been rich, with this hundred being his second in three ODIs and comfortably his highest score in the format.
This ton came hot on the heels of his match-winning 172 in the second Test against the same opponents at the Wanderers last week.
In what was Buffalo Park’s first completed ODI in more than five years after Thursday’s washout, Bavuma’s knock was greeted by a joyous crowd, despite its final futility.
With the electric start provided to them by Bavuma and De Kock in terms of a 76-run stand that came off 52 balls, there was a platform for the debutants.
Bavuma was also there with them and batted with the necessary diligence to take the game deep, but the junior batters succumbed to the pressure of the highest successful chase at Buffalo Park.
De Kock looked dangerous in his 26-ball knock that contained five fours and three well-timed sixes.
He couldn’t quite decipher Kyle Mayers’ (1/40) deceptive lack of pace and when he was trapped in front, not even a hopeful review could save him.
Rickelton (14), who was the top run-scorer in this season’s 1-Day Cup, quickly found the going rather tough in his 16-ball stay despite Bavuma’s understated dominance at the other end.
He hit a fortuitous six, but when he was trapped in front off Yannic Cariah’s first ball, a painful introduction to limited overs cricket had come to an end.
De Zorzi (27), had a streaky start against Cariah (1/47), but was far more comfortable against pace, where he was able to rotate the strike with ease.
However, it didn’t come as a surprise when he became the first of Akeal Hosein’s three scalps when he was castled by one that beat him through flight and turn.
That brought the experienced Rassie van der Dussen (8) to the crease and he was inexplicably fidgety despite the assured presence of Bavuma at the other end.
He holed out to Shamarh Brooks at fine leg, exposing Stubbs (6) to a pressured situation. Stubbs didn’t get through the period, skying an easy catch to Hope from an Odean Smith half-tracker.
Bjorn Fortuin (1) and Gerald Coetzee (1) came and went, with the former smartly stumped by Hope off Hosein (3/59) while the latter was sloppily run-out without grounding his bat at the non-striker’s end.
The most disappointing dismissal was that of Marco Jansen (17), who had the measure of the West Indies’ bowling in his 14-ball knock before he picked out Rovman Powell at long-on off Hosein.
That left Bavuma, who raised his fourth ODI ton off 92 balls with 10 fours and three sixes, to marshal the tail in a manner he generally does.
Having taken ownership of most of the partnerships outside of his stand with De Kock, he made 36 of the 49 runs he shared with Lungi Ngidi.
When he feathered Alzarri Joseph (3/53) to Hope, he battled to hide his disappointment, but the fault didn’t lie with him, but with his fellow batters who simply couldn’t stay with him.
Tabraiz Shamsi didn’t see out Joseph’s fire as the Windies’ collective spirit prevailed over Bavuma’s individual fire.
Hope’s superb 14th ODI 100 anchored the West Indies’ formidable total, with the diminutive number four batting through the innings after coming in at 71/2 after Shamarh Brooks (0) was collected by Gerald Coetzee.
Hope shared important stands with Nicholas Pooran (86), Powell (80), Jason Holder (42), and Joseph (42*) where he shifted from being an accumulator to being an aggressor.
He batted according to his team’s needs and with a platform laid by a 67-run opening between Mayers and Brandon King, Hope was able to set his stall and bat deep.
Bavuma tried different bowling options, with Coetzee (3/57) displaying his wares effectively on debut, with Bjorn Fortuin (2/57) providing more than adequate support.
Senior ODI bowlers Ngidi (0/76) and Tabraiz Shamsi (2/62) had off days with the ball while Marco Jansen (1/77) came back well after his first five overs went for 48 runs.
However, the West Indies had placed their faith in Hope and it was their hope, not South Africa’s that triumphed.
Scores in brief:
West Indies: 335/8 (Shai Hope 128*, Rovman Powell 46, Nicholas Pooran 39, Kyle Mayers 36, Gerald Coetzee 3/57, Bjorn Fortuin 2/57, Tabraiz Shamsi 2/62)
South Africa: 287 (Temba Bavuma 144, Quinton de Kock 48, Tony de Zorzi 27, Alzarri Joseph 3/53, Akeal Hosein 3/59, Odean Smith 1/40, Mayers 1/40)
The West Indies won by 48 runs
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