BRIDGETOWN: Darren Bravo’s third hundred and a big fifth-wicket partnership with Kieron Pollard rescued the West Indies from complete ruin to a competitive 285 all out against South Africa in the final preliminary match of the tri-nation series at Kensington Oval on Friday.
The winners of this match will face Australia in the final on Sunday at the same venue.
Rocked back at 21 for four after pacer Kagiso Rabada led the assault on the top-order, Bravo stroked a masterful 102, embellished with 12 fours and four sixes off 103 deliveries, and found an able partner in Pollard, who curbed his usual all-out aggression in compiling 62 off 71 balls.
Their stand of 156 was a new West Indian record for the wicket against South Africa and wrested the initiative from the visitors who did not help their cause with untidy cricket in the field.
Getting his first bit of action in the tournament, fast-medium bowler Morne Morkel delivered six of the 17 wides conceded by the Proteas.
Morkel’s nine overs cost 68 runs yet for all that indiscipline, he should have still claimed the important wicket early on of Bravo who, on 11, top-edged an attempted hook only for Wayne Parnell to misjudge the catch at fine-leg and parry the ball over the boundary rope.
Imran Tahir, who routed the West Indies in their last meeting in St Kitts with record-breaking figures of seven for 45, was kept wicketless through his ten overs for the first time in ODI cricket against these opponents.
South Africa’s bowling star without doubt was Rabada, whose return of three for 31 were highlighted by a devastating opening burst after Parnell had removed Andre Fletcher in his opening over.
Generating tremendous pace, Rabada induced an edge from the other opener, Johnson Charles, for Chris Morris to take a comfortable catch at second slip.
He then uprooted Marlon Samuels’ off-stump first ball to have the West Indies tottering at 12 for three.
Denesh Ramdin avoided the hat-trick but subsequently succumbed to the lethal hostility of the 21-year-old fast bowler, first ducking into a short ball to take a blow on the back of the helmet before being comprehensively bowled off the next delivery.
Bravo and Pollard then countered the rampant South Africans with determination and forceful strokeplay before the big-hitting all-rounder was caught at long-on off the suffering Morkel.
Morris claimed three wickets at the end of the innings with West Indies captain Jason Holder (40) and Carlos Brathwaite (33 not out) pushing the home side to a challenging final total.
