By virtue of that, the South Africans, who held a 144-run first innings lead, are now 209 runs in front, a very good position from which they can impose their will on the contest, should the West Indies A bowlers fail to fire.
Tony de Zorzi 34, and Raynard van Tonder on 20, are the batsmen that will resume for South Africa A on Thursday.
Earlier, the South Africans led by Keegan Petersen (67), van Tonder (50) and de Zorzi (44), Posted 298 in their first innings, before restricting West Indies A to a meagre 154. Ruan de Swardt (42) and Khaya Zondo (35), also got in on the act for South Africa.
Scores: South Africa A 298 all out & 65-1; West Indies A 154 all out
Akeem Jordan (3-43), Shamar Joseph (3-57), Kevin Sinclair (2-53) and Jair McAllister (2-64) were the wicket takers for the West Indies.
In their first innings, the Joshua da Silva-led Caribbean side, struggled to contend with the spin of right-arm off-break Dane Piedt, with only Zachary McCaskie (62) and Kavem Hodge (25), offering little resistance. In fact, Abhijai Mansingh and Jordan, who both made 14 runs, were the only other batsmen in double figures.
Piedt bagged 5-28, with support from Tshepo Moreki, who had 3-66.
South Africa in their second innings, lost captain Neil Brand cheaply for four, before de Zorzi and van Tonder repaired the damage.
Fletcher, who had scored 53 against the hosts on Wednesday, continued his rich vein of form with a scintillating knock of 84 not out from just 54 balls, including nine fours and four sixes. His explosive innings, coupled with Johnson Charles' brisk 58 off 30 balls, propelled the visitors to a formidable total of 209-3 in their allotted 20 overs. The duo shared a pivotal second-wicket partnership of 92 runs in less than nine overs to lay a solid foundation for their team.
Charles, coming off an unbeaten 119 in the previous match, played another impactful cameo, striking three fours and six sixes before his departure. Fabian Allen contributed a quick-fire 33 not out from 19 balls and with Fletcher shared in an unbroken stand of 83, to boost West Indies A beyond the 200-run mark for the second consecutive game.
The Nepalese bowlers struggled to contain the West Indies batsmen, with Kushal Bhurtel being the most successful among them, claiming 2-23 from his four overs.
In response, Nepal's chase was anchored by a valiant effort from their captain, Rohit Paudel, who blazed his way to 82 off just 47 deliveries, featuring seven fours and five sixes. However, Paudel lacked substantial support from his teammates as Nepal faltered and eventually folded for 181.
Apart from Paudel, Sundeep Jora, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Gulsan Jha contributed 19 each but failed to capitalize on their starts against a disciplined West Indies bowling attack. Matthew Forde and Hayden Walsh Jr starred with the ball, claiming three wickets each, while Fabian Allen chipped in with 2-34. Gudakesh Motie, despite being expensive, managed to pick up two crucial wickets.
With this victory, West Indies A have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, setting the stage for the final match scheduled to be played on Saturday. The dominant display by the tourists bodes well for their confidence heading into the final encounter and also ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, with Cricket West Indies set to announce their squad for the tournament on June 1.
The West Indians made 314-9 declared from 93.2 overs after starting day two 46-0 with Tagenarine Chanderpaul on 28 and Zachary McCaskie on 17.
The pair put on a further 20 runs before McCaskie was the first man to fall for 31 in the 17th over.
Kirk McKenzie then came and went quickly for a duck bringing Kavem Hodge to the crease to partner Chanderpaul.
The pair put on an excellent 110-run third wicket partnership before Chanderpaul fell for a top score of 78 off 150 balls in the 54th over. Chanderpaul’s knock included 12 fours. Vice-captain Tevin Imlach was next to go for 16 to leave the West Indies 196-4 in the 60th over.
Hodge was then joined by captain Joshua Da Silva and the pair added 17 before Hodge was the fifth man to fall, going for a well-played 73 off 151 balls including nine fours.
Da Silva (20), Kevin Sinclair (39) and Akeem Jordan (40) then all added crucial contributions as the innings eventually ended with the tourists leading by 27 runs.
The South African bowling was led by Tshepo Moreki with 3-56 from 19 overs while Dane Piedt took 2-60 from 23.2 overs and Hardus Viljoen took 2-91 from 21 overs.
South Africa “A” were 3-0 off three overs at stumps.
Full scores: South Africa “A” 287-9 dec. off 78.5 overs (Keegan Petersen 59, Tony De Zorzi 55, Clyde Fortuin 53, David Bedingham 47, Jayden Seales 3-23, Akeem Jordan 3-61, Kevin Sinclair 2-64) & 3-0 off 3 overs
West Indies “A” 314-9 dec. off 93.2 overs (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 78, Kavem Hodge 73, Akeem Jordan 40, Kevin Sinclair 39, Zachary McCaskie 31, Tshepo Moreki 3-56, Dane Piedt 2-60, Hardus Viljoen 2-91)
Set a formidable 204 by West Indies A, Nepal’s thrilling victory, which was set up by a captain’s knock from Rohit Paudel, etched their names in the history books, as they successfully got to their target at 206-6 with two balls to spare.
Paudel smashed a 54-ball 112, including 10 fours and two sixes to see his team to a 1-0 lead in the series, which West Indies Head coach Darren Sammy said offers his team a chance to define roles and personnel more clearly for their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad.
However, the Caribbean side’s all-round effort was found wanting, as only captain Roston Chase (74), Alick Athanaze (47) and Keacy Carty (38) offered any resistance with the bat, while only Obed McCoy (2-34) and Matthew Forde (2-49) had some semblance of success with the ball.
Scores: West Indies A 204-5 (20 overs); Nepal 206-6 (19.4 overs)
Asked to take first strike, after losing the toss, West Indies A suffered an early blow, as they lost Johnson Charles (zero) off the last ball of the opening over, with 16 runs on the board. Andre Fletcher (13) stuck two sixes off five balls, before he too departed via the run-out route, leaving West Indies A at 43-2 in the fourth over.
However, Athanaze went about business, striking three sixes and five fours in a 25-ball knock, as he put on 43 for the third wicket with Chase, prior to his demise. From there, Chase and Carty added another 60 runs in a fourth-wicket stand that defined the innings.
Carty’s 38 off 26 balls, included two fours and three sixes, while Chase, who anchored the innings with a captain’s knock, struck nine fours and two sixes in his 46-ball 74. Kadeem Alleyne, on 14, and Keemo Paul, one, were left not out.
No Nepal bowler took more than one wicket.
With runs on the board, West Indies A would have felt confident of wrapping up a win, even more so, after Forde and McCoy combined to remove openers Anil Sah (five) and Kushal Bhurtel (16) to have Nepal at 38-2 in the fifth over.
West Indies remained in the ascendancy when Fletcher and Charles combined to run out Kushal Malla (16), leaving their host on the ropes at 82-3 at the halfway mark.
However, Paudel showed class, in not only reviving his team’s innings, but pushed them all the way with some aggressive stroke play, assisted by wayward bowling from West Indies A attack at times. Dipendra Singh Airee (24) offered support to his captain in getting Nepal across the line for a famous victory.
New Zealand ‘A’ declared at 174 for 7 in their second innings after the West Indies were bowled out for 298 in response to the home team’s first innings total of 481 for 7 declared on the back of 144 from Rachin Ravindra and 135 from Michael Bracewell.
In reply, opener Shayne Moseley scored 110 and Romario Shepherd 77, that rescued the West Indies from 83 for 5, after top order batsman Brandon King, Kyle Mayers and Rovman all failed to score. Nicholas Pooran made 26 and Fabian Allen, 21, also fell after getting starts.
Keemo Paul and Moseley added 79 for the sixth wicket before the former fell for 43. Shepherd, who scored a century in the previous match, then partnered with Moseley to add 115 for the seventh wicket. However, once Moseley fell to Bracewell for 110, the Windies ‘A’ resistance ended.
Bracewell, who took the wickets of Moseley, King, Mayers and Paul, returned to take two of the last three wickets to return figures of 6 for 42 from his 15 overs. Blair Tickner provided support with 3 for 34.
With a formidable lead of 183, New Zealand ‘A’ raced to 174 for 7 off 27.5 overs before declaring for a second time. Mark Chapman top-scored with 40 from 45 balls while Scott Kuggeleijn got 34 from 25 balls. Jimmy Neesham scored 38 from 37.
Rahkeem Cornwall benefitted from the run chase taking 3 for 37 while Hayden Walsh returned figures of 3 for 71.
Chasing 359 for an unlikely victory, King and Mayers were at the crease on eight and 15, respectively heading into the final day’s play.
Joshua Da Silva, the wicket-keeper/batter, will lead the team in both formats, with Andre Coley as the Head Coach. The squads feature several players with international experience, as well as others who have graduated from the CWI Rising Stars U19 and CWI Emerging Players teams.
Speaking ahead of the series, Lead Selector the Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes said: “We stated from very early that we would look to give the opportunities to players and broaden the pool. The ‘A Team’ programme is a very good thing for West Indies cricket and CWI must be complimented for ensuring that we have these matches back up and running and arranging these games in Saint Lucia.”
Haynes added: “The squad is selected for us to have a closer look at the players in the longer format and also 50-over format as we have a lot of international cricket around the corner. We want to give the players exposure and the chance to play ‘A Team’ cricket and President’s XI matches as we had earlier this year as it is vital and much needed.
“Joshua has done quite well so far in his Test career, and we believe he will be a good leader for both formats. We also have a few others in the squads who have played at the international level and performed reasonably well, so we want to see them grow even more and this series against the visitors from Bangladesh will present that golden opportunity.”
The four-day matches will start at 10am (9am Jamaica Time) and the limited-overs matches will start at 9:30am (8:30am Jamaica Time). LIVE ball-by-ball scoring of each game will be available through the www.windiescricket.com match centre while CWI will be LIVE streaming via the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
FULL SQUADS
Four-day “Tests”
Joshua Da Silva (Captain)
Colin Archibald
Alick Athanaze
Yannic Cariah
Keacy Carty
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Bryan Charles
Justin Greaves
Tevin Imlach
Shermon Lewis
Jeremiah Louis
Marquino Mindley
Anderson Phillip
Jeremy Solozano
One-Day 50-overs
Joshua Da Silva (Captain)
Alick Athanaze
Teddy Bishop
Yannic Cariah
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Justin Greaves
Tevin Imlach
Shermon Lewis
Jeremiah Louis
Preston McSween
Marquino Mindley
Anderson Phillip
Kevin Sinclair
Shamar Springer
Along with Da Silva, the 15-member squad includes other players with West Indies Test match experience: left-handed opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, left-handed allrounder Raymon Reifer, fast bowler Anderson Phillip and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie.
The squad also includes three newcomers to the international level: openers Kirk McKenzie and Zachary McCaskie as well as fast bowler Jair McAllister. All three made their first-class debuts during the West Indies Championship four-day first-class tournament earlier this year.
Lead Selector, the Most Honorable Dr. Desmond Haynes, stated that the aim was to pick a balanced team as they look to expose the players to overseas conditions.
“We selected a group of players who we think could benefit from the exposure in Bangladesh and we also have our eyes on the upcoming Test Series against India in the Caribbean.”
He added: “Among the newcomers, we have pace bowler McAllister who is fast and strong and has the ability to unsettle batters. McCaskie had a solid start to his first-class career, showed good temperament, and also has the ability to play all around the wicket. McKenzie was eye-catching during his double-century for the West Indies Academy in the Headley Weekes Tri-Series. It was a superb knock and demonstrated that the investment in the Academy is bearing fruit.”
West Indies “A” Team will arrive in Bangladesh on 11 May and play the three four-day “Test” matches at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS) in Sylhet. These matches will have full first-class status.
This “A” team tour reciprocates the Bangladesh “A” team tour of the West Indies in August 2022, when the teams drew both a two-match series of four-day first-class matches and also a three-match 50-over series at the Daren Sammy Stadium in Saint Lucia.
FULL SQUAD
Joshua DaSilva (Captain)
Alick Athanaze
Yannic Cariah
Keacy Carty
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Tevin Imlach
Akeem Jordan
Brandon King
Jair McAllister
Zachary McCaskie
Kirk McKenzie
Gudakesh Motie
Anderson Phillip
Raymon Reifer
Kevin Sinclair
MATCH SCHEDULE
All matches at SICS, Sylhet
16-19 May: 1st “Test”
23-26 May: 2nd “Test”
30 May to 2 June: 3rd “Test”
Joshua Da Silva gets his second stint as ‘A’ team captain after leading West Indies “A” to victory in the series in Bangladesh earlier this year. Tevin Imlach, the other wicket-keeper/batsman has been named as the vice-captain.
The 14-member squad includes five players with Test match experience: Da Silva, batsmen Kirk McKenzie, and Tagenarine Chanderpaul; along with fast bowlers Jayden Seales and Shermon Lewis.
The squad also includes three newcomers to the international level: Kevlon Anderson, the right-handed batsman; fast bowler Shamar Joseph, and all-rounder Abhijai Mansingh. All three made their first-class debuts earlier this year.
Andre Coley is the head coach for the tour with his assistant coaches being Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies Test captain and Shaun Tait, the former Australia fast bowler.
Lead Selector Desmond Haynes, stated that the panel believes they have picked a balanced team to give the players more exposure in overseas conditions, similarly to the previous “A” Team tour to Bangladesh earlier this year. The panel also outlined that with the overlap between the England Men’s white-ball tour of the West Indies and this tour, the squad was picked with the development of players’ red-ball skills in mind.
“We had a very good ‘A’ Team tour to Bangladesh earlier this year, when were saw a number of players improve and grow. That tour was great for development in the red ball format – we saw some excellent individual performances which led to the team’s overall success. Now with continued investment by CWI in our players, we want to see the same kind of progress on this trip to South Africa,” Haynes said.
“Da Silva did an outstanding job as captain in the ‘Tests’ in Bangladesh and he is again the captain for this tour. Anderson is a young batsman who has benefitted immensely from his time in the West Indies Academy, and we saw his quality of batsmanship in the Headley-Weekes Tri Series. Mansingh showed quality with bat and ball in the first-class competition and gets this opportunity to showcase his skills and progress. Joseph is a young fast bowler who has impressed everyone with his genuine pace, his tremendous fitness and a huge desire to gain more knowledge about the game. You can see he wants to learn and get better.”
FULL SQUAD: Joshua Da Silva (captain), Tevin Imlach (vice-captain), Kevlon Anderson, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kavem Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Shamar Joseph, Shermon Lewis, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Abhijai Mansingh, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair.
Team Management: Andre Coley (Head Coach), Dwain Gill (Team Manager), Jimmy Adams (Assistant Coach), Shaun Tait (Assistant Coach), Barrington Gayle (Physiotherapist), Asia Joseph (Strength & Conditioning Coach)
Match Schedule
21 to 24 November: vs South Africa “A” at Willowmoore Park, Benoni
28 November to 1 December: vs South Africa “A” at Buffalo Park, East London
5 to 8 December: vs South Africa “A” at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
The West Indians began Friday’s fourth and final day at the Manguang Oval in Bloemfontein on 47-1 off 20 overs, needing a further 374 runs for victory with Kirk McKenzie (26) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (11) at the crease.
The pair started day four excellently, putting on a further 79 for the second wicket.
McKenzie was the aggressor throughout, riding his luck and producing some excellent shots on his way to a 94-ball 81 before he fell to Duanne Olivier in the 40th over. His knock consisted 13 fours and two sixes.
Just one over later, Chanderpaul fell for a toiling 31 off 128 balls including three fours.
18-year-old debutant Jordan Johnson was next to go for nine, bringing Da Silva to the wicket to join Kavem Hodge.
Hodge and Da Silva made things very nervous for the South Africans with an 84-run fifth wicket partnership before Hodge fell for a well-played 47 with the score on 233 in the 68th over.
Kevin Sinclair (23), Akeem Jordan (13) and Shamar Joseph (0) all fell in relatively quick succession to leave West Indies “A” on the brink of defeat, especially because they were batting with 10 due to an injury sustained by Jayden Seales.
Nevertheless, Da Silva continued on his merry way, bringing up a fourth first-class hundred off the fifth ball of the 90th over.
In the end, he was the last batsman dismissed for a top score of 110 from 138 balls including eight fours and two sixes.
Dane Paterson led the way with the ball for the South Africans once again with 4-66 from 20.1 overs while Ruan de Swardt took 2-45 from 15 overs.
Full Scores:
South Africa “A” 274 off 67.4 overs (Khaya Zondo 70, Neil Brand 62, Zubayr Hamza 30, Kevin Sinclair 5-44, Shamar Joseph 3-65, Shermon Lewis 2-68) & 272-5 dec. off 66 overs (Zubayr Hamza 110*, Ruan de Swardt 86, Khaya Zondo 31, Raynard Van Tonder 30, Shamar Joseph 5-76)
West Indies “A” 126 off 42.5 overs (Kevin Sinclair 50, Jordan Johnson 33, Dane Paterson 4-34, Hardus Viljoen 2-43) & 344-9 off 91.1 overs (Joshua Da Silva 110, Kirk McKenzie 81, Kavem Hodge 47, Dane Paterson 4-66, Ruan de Swardt 2-45)
Charles's explosive innings included 13 fours and seven sixes as he anchored the West Indies A innings, propelling them to a formidable total of 227-3 against the hosts. His half-century came in a blistering 24 balls, setting the stage for a dominant performance. Charles formed a crucial second-wicket partnership of 145 runs with Andre Fletcher (53), after Alick Athanaze was run out for 17.
Fletcher's innings featured four fours and three sixes before he departed in the 16th over. Contributions from Fabian Allen (19 from nine balls) and Keemo Paul (13 from seven) further bolstered the West Indies A total, which marked the highest score by the tourists in the series so far.
In response, Nepal faced an uphill battle chasing more than 11 runs per over for victory and struggled under scoreboard pressure, losing wickets at regular intervals. Opener Lokesh Bam and Karan both managed 28 runs, while Kushal Malla contributed 20. However, Nepal ultimately collapsed to 151 all out in 19.2 overs.
Hayden Walsh Jr led the bowling attack for West Indies A with impressive figures of 3-28, while Gudakesh Motie provided valuable support with 2-28. Fabian Allen, Matthew Forde, and Obed McCoy also chipped in with a wicket each as the West Indies comfortably secured a pivotal series lead.
Johnson Charles' heroic innings and the collective effort from the West Indies A bowlers have positioned the team favorably as they head towards the remaining matches of the series, aiming to clinch the series victory against Nepal.
Afif Hossain and Saif Hassan have top-scored so far for the hosts with 37 and 31, respectively.
Akeem Jordan has taken 2-24 in his 11 overs, so far, while Kevin Sinclair, who has also bowled 11 overs, took 2-37.
The West Indies have made two changes to their XI from the first Test with Gudakesh Motie and Yannic Cariah being replaced by Keacy Carty and Anderson Phillip.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, the tourists ended day one 220-2 off 68 overs.
McKenzie and Chanderpaul laid a solid foundation with a 130-run opening partnership.
McKenzie led the way with a 124-ball 86 including 12 boundaries and a six while Chanderpaul ended the day 70* off 190 balls including five fours.
Raymon Reifer was the other batsman dismissed for 26 while Alick Athanaze was 35* alongside Chanderpaul at stumps.
Batting first, West Indies A faced early setbacks but rallied behind Andre Fletcher's resilient 43 and Captain Roston Chase's 23. However, wickets fell at regular intervals, leaving the team in a precarious position at 115 for 7. When Fletcher departed, the onus fell on Motie to provide a late surge. With only 13 balls remaining, Motie unleashed a blitz, smashing two fours and four sixes to power his team to a competitive total of 160 for 7. Matthew Forde contributed with an unbeaten 11 as Sagar Dhakal and Kushal Bhurtel each picked up crucial wickets for Nepal.
In response, Nepal's captain Rohit Paudel led the charge with a magnificent 71 off 48 balls, keeping his team in contention. However, Nepal's batting struggled against the West Indies A bowling attack, with only Gulsan Jha offering notable support with 26 runs. Motie continued to make an impact with the ball, claiming 2 crucial wickets for 244 runs alongside Obed McCoy, who showed signs of returning to form with his 2 for 24.
Despite Paudel's heroics, Nepal fell short in their chase, ultimately conceding victory to West Indies A by 10 runs. Motie's exceptional performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
The third match in the series is set for Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Led by the experienced Roston Chase as Captain and supported by Alick Athanaze as Vice-Captain, the West Indies Men’s A Team will engage in a series of five (5) Twenty20 matches against the Nepal Senior Men’s Team. This tour holds significant importance as it serves as another phase in preparation leading up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The series also marks a historic occasion as it is West Indies' first-ever tour to Nepal.
Roston Chase will take on the responsibility of captain for the first time at this level. Commenting on Chase’s selection as Captain, Dr. The Most Honorable Desmond Haynes, CWI’s Lead Selector, emphasized Chase’s consistent display of diligence and leadership skills. Dr. Haynes remarked, “Chase has exhibited over the past few years an impressive work ethic and proven leadership qualities” He further noted, “No doubt since Chase made his T20I debut in October 2021, for the West Indies against Bangladesh he has continued to make considerable strides.”
Brandon King sustained an injury during the West Indies Championship and is rehabilitating. Meanwhile, Evin Lewis advised that he was unavailable for selection.
Dr. Haynes further emphasized the significance of this squad stating “I am confident this Nepal tour marks a crucial step forward in our preparatory phase for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. It presents an invaluable opportunity to get our players who are not in the IPL back on the park playing competitive T20 cricket as well as provides the chance for us to expose a few emerging prospects.”
In preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, White Ball Head Coach, Daren Sammy said “From a coaching perspective, the Nepal tour couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. It offers us a chance to refine our World Cup squad, defining roles and personnel more clearly. Additionally, with nine players in the IPL, we can truly gauge and push the limits of our T20 team’s depth.”
The tour’s opening T20 fixture will bowl off at Tribhuvan University on April 27th, 2024.
FULL SQUAD:
Roston Chase (Captain)
Alick Athanaze (Vice-Captain)
Fabian Allen
Kadeem Alleyne
Joshua Bishop
Keacy Carty
Johnson Charles
Mark Deyal
Andre Fletcher
Matthew Forde
Obed McCoy
Gudakesh Motie
Keemo Paul
Oshane Thomas
Hayden Walsh
The coaching and support staff accompanying the squad are as follows:
Head Coach: Floyd Reifer
Assistant Coach: Rayon Griffith
Physiotherapist: Neil Barry
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Shayne Cooper
Team Manager & Analyst: Avenesh Seetaram
The deadline for submission of the West Indies World Cup squad is May 1, 2024. Prior to the World Cup, the West Indies team will host South Africa for a 3-match T20 series from May 22 - 26, 2024.
The hosts began Thursday’s day three in Bloemfontein 104-3 with a commanding 252-run lead with Zubayr Hamza unbeaten on 33 and Khaya Zondo on 29.
While Zondo was dismissed quickly for 31, Hamza carried on to make a brilliant 110* off 152 balls including 12 fours and a six.
He shared in a crushing 159-run fifth wicket partnership with Ruan de Swardt who made a 126-ball 86 including nine fours and a six.
South Africa eventually declared at 272-5 off 66 overs, leaving the West Indies “A” needing a massive 421 for victory.
Shamar Joseph took all five wickets for the West Indians while conceding 76 runs in 18 overs.
Windies “A” ended the day 47-1 off 20 overs, with Zachary McCaskie being the batsman dismissed for eight.
Kirk McKenzie (26) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (11) are the batsmen at the crease.
Full Scores:
South Africa “A” 274 off 67.4 overs (Khaya Zondo 70, Neil Brand 62, Zubayr Hamza 30, Kevin Sinclair 5-44, Shamar Joseph 3-65, Shermon Lewis 2-68) & 272-5 dec. off 66 overs (Zubayr Hamza 110*, Ruan de Swardt 86, Khaya Zondo 31, Raynard Van Tonder 30, Shamar Joseph 5-76)
West Indies “A” 126 off 42.5 overs (Kevin Sinclair 50, Jordan Johnson 33, Dane Paterson 4-34, Hardus Viljoen 2-43) & 47-1 off 20 overs (Kirk McKenzie 26*, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 11*)
South Africa “A” were able to post 274 in 67.4 overs after winning the toss. Khaya Zondo led the way with a well-compiled 70 off 114 balls including seven fours and two sixes.
Captain Neil Brand also showed some good form with a 93-ball 62 while Zubayr Hamza made 30.
Sinclair was excellent with the ball, picking up 5-44 off 14.4 overs, already his fourth five-wicket haul of his 20-match first-class career.
Shamar Joseph and Shermon Lewis provided good support with 3-65 from 15 overs and 2-68 from 13 overs, respectively.
The West Indians ended the day 17-1 off eight overs, trailing by 257. Tagenarine Chanderpaul was the batsman dismissed for 3. Zachary McCaskie (12) and Kirk McKenzie (2) are the batsmen at the crease.
The teams are tied at 1-1 in the series. West Indies “A” won the first game by one wicket and South Africa “A” won the second by 232 runs.
Full Scores:
South Africa “A” 274 off 67.4 overs (Khaya Zondo 70, Neil Brand 62, Zubayr Hamza 30, Kevin Sinclair 5-44, Shamar Joseph 3-65, Shermon Lewis 2-68)
West Indies “A” 17-1 off 8 overs
South Africa ‘A’ bowled the Caribbean side out for 202 on the third day of the four-day encounter to level the keenly contested series 1-1.
Resuming on 134-5 with Tevin Imlach on 16 and Kevin Sinclair, 15, and with the West Indies A still needing 308 runs for victory, the tourists’ innings only lasted an additional 18 overs as Imlach was dismissed for 34 and Sinclair 21.
Akeem Jordan fought bravely for 21 and Shamar Joseph was not out on 18 as Dane Piedt continued his outstanding performance with the ball, taking three of the final five wickets to fall to finish with the impressive figures of 6-75 and overall match figures of 11-103.
Scores in the match: South Africa ‘A’ ‘298 and 297-4 dec.; West Indies ‘A’ 154 and 202.
Keegan Petersen (67) and Raynard Van Tonder (50) led the way for the South Africans after they were put in to bat by the West Indies “A.”
Tony De Zorzi (44) and Khaya Zondo (35) also batted well on Tuesday.
Shamar Joseph has, so far, taken 2-39 from his 17 overs while Kevin Sinclair and Jair McAllister also have two wickets, each.
The West Indies lead the series 1-0.
Full Scores:
South Africa “A” 266-6 from 85 overs (Keegan Petersen 67, Raynard Van Tonder 50, Tony De Zorzi 44, Khaya Zondo 35, Ruan De Swardt 25*, Shamar Joseph 2-39, Kevin Sinclair 2-53, Jair McCallister 2-64)
Resuming the final day on 57-3, the visitors could only muster 109 in the second innings. West Indies ‘A’ actually batted two men short as Raymon Reifer, who had retired hurt early in the day was unable to complete his innings while Oshane Thomas was also unable to bat due to an injury.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Poran top-scored with 35 off 61 balls with four fours but was also a casualty in the team’s collapse. The only other batsman to come to grips with the situation was wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva who battled for 90 minutes remaining unbeaten on 15 having faced 51 balls.
Scott Kuggeleijn was the best bowler for the hosts with 3-18 as he generated pace and got the ball to move both ways.
Scores: West Indies ‘A’ 322 and 109, New Zealand ‘A’ 574. New Zealand ‘A’ wins by an innings and 143 runs.
Resuming on three without loss on Thursday, trailing by 24, South Africa 'A,' who declared at 287-9 in their first innings, were eventually dismissed for 250, setting a target of 224 for the West Indies 'A.' At stumps, the West Indies 'A' stood at eight without loss.
South Africa's second innings was anchored by opener Neil Brand, who had scored all three runs in their overnight score. Brand's impressive knock of 104, comprising 219 deliveries with 14 fours, was the sole score over 50 for the home team. His patient innings aimed to set a challenging target for the West Indies 'A' as they sought a victory on the final day.
Brand played pivotal roles in partnerships throughout the innings, including a second-wicket stand of 61 with Zubayr Hamza (30) and a fourth-wicket alliance of 55 with David Bedingham (23). A fifth-wicket partnership of 44 with Clyde Fortuin contributed to South Africa 'A's attempt to establish a worthwhile target.
However, wickets began to fall regularly after Fortuin's dismissal for 20, and South Africa 'A' ultimately reached 250 all out. Brand was the ninth man out with the score at 223. Late contributions from Duanne Oliver (14) and Tshepo Moreki (17 from 15) added valuable runs to the innings.
Leading the bowling attack for the West Indies 'A,' Akeem Jordan took 3-58, while Jaydon Seales, Kevin Sinclair, and Shermon Lewis each claimed two wickets.
As the West Indies 'A' looks to secure victory on the final day, Zachary McCaskie (5) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (1) will resume their innings when play begins. The team will need a strong batting performance to achieve the target of 216 runs set by South Africa 'A' and claim victory in this closely contested unofficial Test match.
