West Indies enjoyed a late flurry with the ball that breathed life into their chances in the first Test against South Africa after Anrich Nortje's five-for limited the visitors to just 212 on day two.
Having skittled the hosts for 342, the West Indies were then left with a significant 130-run deficit at the end of the Nortje show.
But a brilliant spell right at the end of the day saw South Africa lose four wickets for just 18 runs towards the start of their second innings, leaving the Proteas looking frustrated.
Alzarri Joseph (5-81) started the day by picking up where he left off, ending South Africa's first innings when dealing with Gerald Coetzee (17) – caught easily by Jason Holder – and Nortje (14) to complete his maiden five-for, owing thanks to Tagenarine Chanderpaul for getting under the latter's slice.
West Indies initially stood firm against a relentless attack as they went into bat, Raymon Reifer (62) proving particularly defiant.
Runs were tricky to come by for the tourists, putting on just 65 between lunch and tea, though Reifer and Jermaine Blackwood (37) managed a respectable stand of 64.
But Nortje (5-36) removed Blackwood, his inside edge drawing a diving catch from Heinrich Klaasen, who ended Reifer's resistance in similar fashion with the West Indies on 169-4.
South Africa made light work of the rest, Nortje taking another four wickets.
Aiden Markram – scorer of 115 on day one – was seemingly in the groove once again as he hit 35 off 33.
But Dean Elgar (1) fell short going for the ramp, his first of four wickets in relatively quick succession, Joseph (2-17) taking two and Jason Holder (1-0) removing Keegan Petersen (7) lbw with the day's last delivery.
A day for the bowlers
The day's last session was particularly dramatic, with the West Indies losing seven wickets and South Africa seeing four fall.
Clearly, the stars of the day were Nortje and Joseph, who each secured five-fors. The South Africa man deserves special mention, however, with his figures of 5-36 truly exceptional.
Holder reaches a milestone
The scalp of Petersen right at the end of the day was momentous for Holder, who reached 150 Test wickets.
As such, he became only the second West Indian to achieve 150 wickets and 2,500 runs in Test cricket. Joseph may have been the main man on the day, but Holder had his moment to shine as well.
Matthews wins third ICC Women’s Player of the Month award
Hayley Matthews has been named as the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for April after spearheading the West Indies’ success in Pakistan across both ODI and T20I series.
Matthews celebrates her third ICC Women’s Player of the Month award after previously winning in November 2021 and October 2023.
Her most recent success comes thanks to an array of eye-catching all-round performances resulting in 451 runs and 12 wickets across both shorter formats.
The West Indies began their tour of Pakistan with three ODIs, and skipper Matthews set the tone early with a dominant display in the opening encounter, blasting an unbeaten 140 from atop the order and following up with three wickets for 17.
More success followed with Matthews replicating her heroics in the third fixture, scoring 141 in 149 balls and taking two wickets for 26 in another comfortable victory to seal the ODI series sweep.
When the attention turned to the subsequent T20I series, the 26-year-old reinforced her position as the top-ranked Women’s T20I allrounder.
Back-to-back half-centuries in Karachi and six wickets at an average of 10.50 told the tale of her series, as she inspired the tourists to another emphatic 4-1 series triumph.
“I am really happy to win the award again. These performances resulted in the team’s success and that’s the most important thing for me as captain,” Matthews told ICC.
“To win in Pakistan was always a big goal. I wanted to perform well and contribute to the team’s success so to be able to have performances and get the results, that was really good and showed that the hard work and the concentration in Pakistan paid off.
“Being able to set some new records and achieve some new milestones as well was good for me so I’m extremely happy. We have confidence and we will take this with us going into the tour of Sri Lanka and look to secure more crucial points in the ICC Women’s Championship.”
Republic Bank CPL launches broadcast talent search
The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have launched a region wide talent search to find a presenter for their broadcast of the 2024 season. The CPL Talent Search is open to all Caribbean residents and the prize for the winner will be a contract to be a pitch side presenter for this year’s event.
This groundbreaking initiative will be searching for the next sports presenting super star from within the region with training on offer for the winning participant so that they can hone their talent and use this amazing opportunity as a springboard to a career in broadcasting. This is one of the many CPL initiatives that look to develop the next generation of Caribbean talent, but this is the first time that the focus will be on the CPL broadcast which was watched by 853.5million viewers in 2023.
Those wanting to submit a performance into the contest can do so by sharing them in front of the camera presenting or interviewing someone on social media with the hashtag #CPLTALENTSEARCH.
Paul Pritchett-Brown, CPL’s Head of Production, said: “We are really looking forward to seeing the submissions from the next generation of broadcasting talent from across the region. This is an amazing opportunity to showcase your skills in front of the camera and we are hopeful that we will get a lot of submissions as we search for the next on screen talent.”
'Not a good sign' – Keane unimpressed by Man Utd's injured absentees
Roy Keane was left questioning the attitudes of Manchester United's players as the Red Devils were once again without numerous key players for Sunday's loss to Arsenal.
Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Lisandro Martinez were among the notable names to miss out for the 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford, as Erik ten Hag bemoaned continued injury issues.
Martinez and Harry Maguire's absence ensured Ten Hag had to field Jonny Evans and makeshift centre-back partner Casemiro in defence, with the latter at fault for Leandro Trossard's winning goal.
Wayne Rooney vocalised his concerns over the application of United's players and Keane, speaking on Sky Sports, echoed his thoughts as he questioned the prolonged absence of some.
"Obviously, that's not a good sign," Keane said of players not returning from injury. "You'd hope players who are carrying injuries are desperate to get back playing again.
"There is always a worry, there are always players at every club that can drag their heels with an injury.
"Generally, players I played with when they were given a period they'd be injured for, they were always trying to knock a week off it and get back playing for Manchester United or whatever club they're at."
Without a host of key players, United have conceded in 10 successive games in all competitions for the first time since October 2021.
The Red Devils' 82 goals they have conceded this season is their most since 1970-71 (also 82), too, as United continue to disappoint in the 2023-23 campaign.
United have also lost 19 games in all competitions this season, their most since 1977-78 (also 19), while their nine defeats at Old Trafford this term are their joint-most at home in a single campaign.
Keane says the concerns over players not racing back to fitness is not unusual, though it does little to aid Ten Hag's plight.
"It's always a worry but I have to say, it goes on at lots of football clubs," the United great said.
"There are lots of players out there when they have an injury, they're not in the hurry to get back in the team. I think that's obvious and happens at lots of football clubs."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
