South Africa claimed an emphatic 174-run victory to seal an ODI series triumph over Ireland ahead of the final game on Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
Having cruised to a 139-run victory in the opening encounter, the Proteas continued to avenge their shock T20I defeat against the same opponents last week with another commanding display.
South Africa made a strong start with the bat before Ryan Rickelton (40) fell in the 13th over, with Temba Bavuma (35) retiring hurt from the contest soon after.
Rassie van der Dussen (35) and Kyle Verreynne (67) also performed well, only for Tristan Stubbs to steal the show with 112 runs from 81 deliveries, handing the Proteas a strong grip on the encounter, with South Africa ending 343-4 from their 50 overs.
Ireland then made a dismal start to their run chase, losing five wickets in the opening 10 overs as Lizaad Williams and Lungi Ngidi ripped through their opening attack and had Ireland 50-5 early on.
Mark Adair (21) and Andy McBrine (10) momentarily halted the onslaught, but were soon sent on their way, with Gavin Hoey hitting 23 runs before he was bowled and caught by Ngidi (2-38).
Graham Hume and Craig Young's 52-run stand frustrated South Africa, only for the former to be bowled out by Bjorn Fortuin (2-36) with just under 20 overs remaining as Ireland ended all out for 169.
Data Debrief: Proteas on song
It was yet another strong display by South Africa, cruising to a comfortable victory in Abu Dhabi, with Stubbs and Williams starring with the bat and ball.
Stubbs' knock of 112 saw him record a maiden century in international cricket, ending with an impressive strike rate of 138.27.
Williams, meanwhile, continued where he left off from the first match, and now has seven wickets during the series so far.
Temba Bavuma believes his inexperienced South Africa "can be a formidable side" following their Test series win over West Indies.
The Proteas clinched the two-match series - and Sir Vivian Richards Trophy - with a comfortable 40-run victory in the second Test in Guyana.
Resuming day three at 223-5, South Africa could only add another 21 runs as they were bowled out for 246.
However, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj then took centre stage in the field with both taking three wickets apiece - the latter becoming his nation's most prolific spinner in the process by taking his Test tally to 171 - to prevent the Windies from building any momentum.
Although the partnership of Gudakesh Motie and Joshua Da Silva kept the hosts in contention, they were eventually all out for 144.
And skipper Bavuma hopes the victory is a sign of things to come for South Africa.
"The emotions were a little bit up and down," he said. "[We are] glad the weather held up. Both teams were in the game. We had to keep working hard. The game went our way, fortunately.
"We leant on to the bowlers to deliver for us. Rabada led the pacers and the spin department was led by Keshav.
"We just need to keep building. We are an inexperienced team. The more the guys play, the more confident they will become. We can be a formidable side."
Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite added: "Our first innings total was bad [144]. We did well with the ball on the first day. The mindset was to have intent.
"We didn't get the partnerships. There were some rash shots in the first innings. There was some fight from Motie and the lower order.
"The bowlers did a fantastic job after losing the toss. We fought and fought back."
Shamar Joseph’s dream start to Test cricket continued but Wiaan Mulder and Nandre Burger led a spirited fightback for the touring South Africans on day one of the second Test at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday.
South Africa, after winning the toss and batting first, were bowled out for 160 in 54 overs while the West Indies were 97-7 after 28.2 overs in reply, trailing by 63 runs at stumps on day one.
South Africa were made to rue their decision to bat first very quickly as Tony de Zorzi (1), Aiden Markram (14), Temba Bavuma (0) and Tristan Stubbs (26) all fell before the 25th over to leave them reeling at 57-4.
That quickly became 97-9 when Kyle Verreynne, their last recognized batsman, became Shamar Joseph’s fifth victim of the innings with just 36.1 overs on the board.
With the West indies seemingly on the brink of restricting South Africa to less than 100, Dane Piedt and Nandre Burger showed grit, fighting off some quality West Indian bowling on the way to a final wicket partnership of 63 before Burger finally fell off the bowling of Gudakesh Motie for 23 in the 54th over.
David Bedingham was South Africa’s top scorer in the first innings with 28.
Joseph finished with figures of 5-33 off 14 overs and was supported well by Jayden Seales who took 3-45, also from 14 overs.
The West Indian reply got off to a disappointing start when Mikyle Louis was bowled by Burger for a duck in the second over.
The hosts then continued to lose wickets at regular intervals as Kraigg Brathwaite (3), Alick Athanaze (1), Kavem Hodge (4), Keacy Carty (26), and Joshua Da Silva (4) all fell within the first 20 overs.
Jason Holder has so far provided the only meaningful resistance to the South African bowling with 33* while Gudakesh Motie’s wicket for 11 in the 29th over signaled the end of the day’s play.
Wiaan Mulder has dominated the West Indian batting so far with a career best 4-18 off six overs while Burger has taken 2-32 from his seven overs.
Full Scores:
South Africa 160 off 54 overs (David Bedingham 28, Tristan Stubbs 26, Shamar Joseph 5-33, Jayden Seales 3-45)
West Indies 97-7 off 28.2 overs (Jason Holder 33*, Keacy Carty 26, Wiaan Mulder 4-18, Nandre Burger 2-32)
Temba Bavuma lamented a lack of time after South Africa were held to a draw by West Indies in the first Test of their two-match series.
A match heavily impacted by rain concluded on Sunday, with South Africa declaring early on 173-5, but subsequently failing to bowl West Indies out in a little over two sessions.
The Windies reached 201-5 at stumps, chasing a target of 298, with Alick Athanaze (98) superbly marshalling the innings.
It left a Proteas bowling group that were already one player short - South Africa having gone with an extra batter for the first Test - frustrated.
"From our side, we tried our best to get a result in our favour," said Bavuma.
"But the wicket didn't break up as much as we expected. In the end, it was a good, competitive game of cricket.
"We went in with an extra batter as a cushion. As batters, we would like to be a bit more ruthless and convert those fifties into hundreds.
"We lost time because of the weather. With the bowling resources we had, we tried our best.
"A little bit more time and things could have been different."
Keshav Maharaj took 4-88 for South Africa, with Kagiso Rabada (1-38) the only other Proteas bowler to do any damage to the Windies during their second innings.
"I pride myself on playing Test cricket," said Maharaj. "I always relish a chance to bowl and the conditions suited me.
"I tried to keep repeating the process and keep things simple."
Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, meanwhile, was delighted with the grit his team displayed with the bat.
"Happy with our batting group," he said.
"The guys were quite positive, so [I'm] proud of the batting unit. We believed we could get those runs.
"It wasn't going to be easy. We need to keep going from strength to strength."
The second and final Test starts on Thursday.
Temba Bavuma is ready to "throw caution to the wind" after an inspired South Africa performance on day four kept their hopes alive against West Indies.
On another day of limited play due to heavy rain, West Indies struggled through the rest of their innings.
Jason Holder (36) and Kavem Hodge (25) were both taken before Keshav Maharaj (4-76) got his fourth wicket of the innings when Joshua Da Silva (one) was caught.
Kagiso Rabada's 3-56 put West Indies on the back foot, and even Jomel Warrican's 35 could not do much to up their score as they failed to mount a late push.
Jayden Seales was then bowled for four, seeing West Indies finish on 233, trailing the Proteas' score by 124 runs.
South Africa set themselves up nicely for the final day of the Test, with Tony de Zorzi (14) and Aiden Markram (nine) putting the tourists into a 154-run lead at the end of day four.
"Hopefully we can get a full day because that will obviously give us a realistic chance of getting a result," said Bavuma.
"To use the old cliche, we will have to take care of the first hour to set it up and if it's going our way, then we can throw caution to the wind to see what happens.
"But it's imperative that we set it up in that first hour."
De Zorzi and Markram will be looking to keep the pressure on when they resume play at 30-0 on Sunday at Port of Spain.
After starting positively on the opening day, which was lost to rain, West Indies bowlers were made to toil on Thursday’s second day as half-centuries from captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi propelled South Africa into a commanding position at 342-8 in the first Test at Queen’s Park Oval.
De Zorzi, the Proteas’ opening batter, was dismissed for 78 before lunch, while Bavuma was dismissed late in the day for 80, allowing West Indies to gradually claw their way back into the contest. Wiaan Mulder, not out on 37, and Kagiso Rabada, on 12, will resume batting for South Africa on Friday’s third day.
Jomel Warrican has been the pick of the Caribbean bowlers so far, with Kemar Roach (2-53) and Jayden Seales (2-57) also picking up key wickets.
Scores: South Africa 342 for 8 (Bavuma 86, de Zorzi 78, Warrican 3-66) vs West Indies
Resuming at 45-1 on a slow pitch that requires patience instead of flair, South Africa were initially kept quiet by West Indies' senior seamers Kemar Roach and Jason Holder, who started on good lengths but were punished as soon as they strayed.
While de Zorzi, who resumed on 32, got to his 50 off 78 balls, Tristan Stubbs (20) didn’t have the same luck as he edged a delivery from Roach to Holder in the slip cordon, adding only 18 to his overnight score of two.
Bavuma, in his first Test innings since March 2023, and de Zorzi kept West Indies at bay with a 51-run third wicket stand, which was eventually broken when the latter gloved to Kavem Hodge off Warrican shortly before the lunch interval.
After the break, Bavuma again dropped anchor and allowed his partner, David Bedingham, to take the fight to West Indies in a partnership worth 50 runs. Bedingham (29) later holed out to debutant Keacy Carty off Seales.
Ryan Rickelton (19) came and went shortly after watching Bavuma raise his 21st Test fifty. However, the captain was later trapped in front, and as the day draws to a close, Warrican struck twice, removing Kyle Vereynne (39) and Keshav Maharaj (zero) to keep West Indies in contention.
Barbadian all-rounder Shamar Springer was the star of day two of the four-day warm-up match between the West Indies Championship XI and South Africa at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Thursday.
The 26-year-old former West Indies Under-19 star hit 131, his maiden first-class hundred, to propel the West Indians to a formidable 397 all out in their first innings.
The Championship XI started day two 245-6 off 82 overs with Springer and Joshua Bishop at the crease on 45 and 6, respectively.
The pair batted excellently, putting on a partnership of 107 for the seventh wicket before Bishop fell for a 78-ball 50 off the bowling of Dane Piedt.
Kemar Roach (6) and Bryan Charles (0) fell not son after before Springer became the last man to go, also off the bowling of Piedt in the 118th over.
Springer’s innings lasted 212 balls and included 16 fours and three sixes.
Piedt finished with 3-41 off 16.3 overs while pacer Kagiso Rabada took 3-47 from his nine overs.
At stumps, South Africa reached 172-2 off 52 overs, trailing the Championship XI by 225 runs.
Opener Aiden Markram made 82 before retiring hurt while captain Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham were the not out batsmen at the crease at the end of the day’s play on 36* and 35*, respectively.
Anderson Phillip and Nial Smith have split the two wickets.
Full Scores:
West Indies Championship XI 397 all out off 117.3 overs (Shamar Springer 131, Jeremy Solozano 111, Joshua Bishop 50, Dane Piedt 3-41, Kagiso Rabada 3-47, Keshav Maharaj 2-82)
South Africa 172-2 off 52 overs (Aiden Markram 82 retired hurt, Temba Bavuma 36*, David Bedingham 35*)
Dean Elgar began his farewell series with an accomplished unbeaten century to put South Africa ahead of India on day two of the first Test at Centurion.
Elgar will retire from international cricket after next week’s clash in Cape Town and offered a fitting reminder of his qualities with a polished 140 not out – his first Proteas ton in nearly three years.
The 36-year-old occupied the crease for 66 overs, facing 211 deliveries and cracking 23 fours to lead his side to 256 for five. That put South Africa into a narrow lead of 11, with the tourists having earlier been bowled out for 245.
KL Rahul, resuming on 70 overnight, completed a superb century of his own as he scored 31 of his side’s 37 runs in the morning session. He was last man out, bowled by debutant Nadre Burger, having almost single-handedly kept India competitive.
With Elgar holding firm at the top of the order and captain Temba Bavuma absent with a hamstring injury, India successfully chipped away Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi and Keegan Petersen to leave the hosts 113 for three.
But another newcomer, Durham batter David Bedingham, helped South Africa press ahead with an elegant 56 in his maiden Test innings. He put on 131 alongside Elgar, who brought up his 14th hundred, before being cleaned up by Mohamed Siraj.
Kyle Verreyne followed as Prasidh Krishna opened his account as a Test bowler before bad light brought an early finish.
Australia’s Mitchell Starc was looking forward to “a great spectacle of cricket” after his side book their spot in the World Cup final against hosts India.
Starc helped Australia conquer South Africa in the semi-final at Eden Gardens, claiming three for 34 and holding up his end in a vital partnership with captain Pat Cummins during the closing moments of a tense chase.
In the end Australia squeaked home by three wickets in a low-scoring encounter, with Starc’s new-ball burst doing a huge amount of heavy lifting.
He set the tone for the day by removing Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma in the first over, then dismissed Aiden Markram as he and Josh Hazlewood reduced their opponents to 24 for four.
The intensity is only going to be dialled up when they take on undefeated home favourites India in Ahmedabad on Sunday, with up to 100,000 locals ready to roar their nation on at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
And it is a prospect Starc is ready to embrace.
“It’s certainly going to be a big occasion, a World Cup Final in India. It’s going to be loud,” he said.
“I think it’s just going to be a great spectacle of cricket, no doubt. There’s going to be a lot of passion there. Certainly, everyone in our changing room is looking forward to it.
“I don’t think either changing room is new to big occasions. You want to take on the best and that’s why we play the game. They’ve been the best team in the tournament so far and we both find ourselves in the final. That’s what World Cups are about.”
Starc’s skipper, Cummins, was equally enthused about the prospect having been part of Australia’s last ODI world champion squad on home soil eight years ago.
“The stadium is going to be packed, pretty one-sided, but we’ve got to embrace it,” he said.
“The 2015 World Cup was a career highlight, so to be out there in a final in India, I can’t wait.”
Starc agreed with the idea that over the course of a hard-fought contest against South Africa, Australia’s victory lay in their aggression during the powerplay overs. While he and Hazlewood established a stranglehold over the batters, Travis Head and David Warner went on the attack as they raided 60 runs off the first six.
On both occasions, damage was done that could not be clawed back by the Proteas.
“We’ve seen throughout the tournament how tough the first 10 overs can be at certain times…when you’re willing to take the game on like that, sometimes you take a little bit of luck with you,” he said.
“It certainly went to plan with the ball today and the way we set up with the bat is to really be aggressive, take the game on and the freedom to give those guys to go out and play the way they like to.”
Losing coach Rob Walter gave South Africa credit for battling back into contention after their early collapse, making 212 on the back of David Miller’s 101, and insisted the age-old tag of ‘chokers’ was no longer fitting.
“It’s obviously gutting to lose a semi-final but beyond that, I’m incredibly proud of the fight shown by the lads,” he said.
“I guess you need to define what a ‘choke’ is. For me, a choke is losing a game that you’re in a position to win. In this instance, we were behind the eight ball right from the word go and we actually fought our way back into the competition and put up a score that gave us a chance.
“For me there’s nothing even remotely close to a choke that happened out there today. It’s a serious contest between two good teams, number two and three in the tournament.”
South Africa boosted their chances of making the World Cup as captain Temba Bavuma's unbeaten 90 gave them a comfortable eight-wicket win over the Netherlands.
Needing to win both matches against the Dutch and hope Ireland lose at least one of their three matches against Bangladesh in May in order to qualify automatically for the World Cup, which will be held in India later this year, the Proteas eased to victory on Friday.
This ODI was the second of a three-match series that was supposed to take place in late 2021, but was postponed because of concerns over a COVID-19 variant. The first match ended with no result.
The importance of the match was reflected in the strong squad chosen by South Africa, with Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada included despite their imminent IPL commitments.
Nortje played a key role in restricting the Netherlands to 189 all out despite scores of 45 and 48 from Vikramijit Singh and Teja Nidamanuru respectively, taking 2/24 off his eight overs while Sisanda Magala and Tabraiz Shamsi picked up three wickets each.
It was the Netherlands' second-highest ODI score against South Africa, but the Proteas cruised to the winning total regardless as Bavuma's sublime innings (90 not out from 79 balls) helped them to victory.
Aiden Markram chipped in with a half-century off just 37 balls, though it was his captain who finished the job as Bavuma smashed the ball back past bowler Ryan Klein for four to seal the win.
Temba Bavuma and Anrich Nortje have been recalled to South Africa's ODI squad for the upcoming series with the Netherlands.
Captain Bavuma was rested while pace bowler Nortje was injured for the final ODI against West Indies last week as South Africa levelled the series with a four-wicket victory.
But the pair will return for the two-match series with the Netherlands, which gets underway on Friday in Benoni, as South Africa look to boost their chances of reaching the World Cup in India later this year.
South Africa will seal their place at the tournament if they win the Netherlands series. If they fail to do so, however, they will be forced into a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in order to reach the World Cup.
The Proteas are riding the crest of a wave after a stunning six-wicket T20I win over West Indies on Sunday, recording the highest successful run chase in the format's history as Quinton de Kock's brilliant century saw them chase down 259.
After their first meeting in Benoni, South Africa and the Netherlands will renew acquaintances at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on April 2.
A century from Shai Hope in his first game as West Indies captain helped the tourists to a 48-run win over South Africa at Mercedes-Benz Park.
Hope hit 128 not out from 115 balls to lead West Indies to an imposing total of 335-8, their highest score against South Africa in ODIs.
His opposite number, Temba Bavuma, did even better as he managed 144 from 118 in reply, but a lack of help from elsewhere saw the Proteas fall short of the target.
Openers Brandon King and Kyle Mayers put on 67 for West Indies' first wicket before the latter hit Bjorn Fortuin (2-57) to deep midwicket to the waiting hands of Ryan Rickelton for 36.
Hope and Nicholas Pooran steadied the innings after the further losses of Shamarh Brooks (0) and King (30) with a partnership of 86 before Pooran was dismissed by Gerald Coetzee for 39, but Hope established another solid stand with Rovman Powell (46) through the middle overs.
After Jason Holder went for 15, it looked like Hope may run out of partners as Akeal Hosein (2) and Odean Smith (1) departed quickly, but Alzarri Joseph (13 not out) played a solid supporting role in the final overs as Hope clattered some more crucial runs at the end of the innings.
The Proteas' chase got off to a good start as Quinton de Kock and Bavuma provided 76 for the opening wicket before De Kock was trapped lbw by Mayers for an aggressive 48 from 26 balls.
Bavuma kept things ticking over along with Rickelton (14) and Tony de Zorzi (27), while Rassie van der Dussen (8) and Tristan Stubbs (6) exited quickly as South Africa's captain was also running out of partners.
Marco Jansen (17), Fortuin (1) and Coetzee (1) were not far behind, before Bavuma's innings was finally over when he gloved one from Joseph (3-53) down the leg side and into Hope's waiting hands, with the same duo combining to dismiss Tabraiz Shamsi for a duck to secure victory.
It's the Hope that kills you
Hope seems to thrive in the 50-over game more than any other format, averaging 50.4 with the bat in ODIs – the best of any player for West Indies in the history of the format (min. six innings) – compared to 25.0 in Tests and just 17.9 in T20Is.
The new West Indies captain's unbeaten 128 here was his 14th ODI century, which he reached by clubbing five fours and seven sixes.
Bavuma's brave riposte not enough
It will be little consolation to Bavuma that he outscored Hope, but it was still an innings worthy of acclaim from the 32-year-old.
His 11 fours and seven sixes briefly gave the Proteas a chance, but a lack of support meant he was on a hiding to nothing.
Aiden Markram has taken over as South Africa's Twenty20 International captain after Temba Bavuma vacated the role following his appointment as Test skipper.
Bavuma was dropped from the T20I squad altogether for the upcoming three-match series against West Indies later this month after he was named Test captain in February.
The batter will continue to lead the ODI team, but Markram will captain his country in the shortest format having averaged 38.21 runs in 27 innings since making his debut in 2019.
South Africa director of cricket Enoch Nkwe said: "I would like to congratulate Aiden on his appointment as captain of the Proteas T20I team.
"Leadership is extremely familiar to him having successfully led on so many levels. He is a player that inspires confidence and he has all the qualities to succeed in the role. We have no doubt will help take South Africa to the next level.
"At the same time, we would like to thank Temba for filling the position so aptly over the past two years. He has done a commendable job during this period and now has a new role to fulfil within the national set-up."
The squad did not include Faf du Plessis, who was reportedly keen on making a return to the team under new white-ball coach Rob Walter after retiring from Test cricket early in 2021.
Meanwhile, fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada have been left out of the squad for the three upcoming ODIs, though they will return for the following T20I series.
Nortje was on Monday ruled out of the second Test against the Windies this week due to a groin issue.
Cricket South Africa also confirmed JP Duminy has been appointed as permanent white-ball batting coach.
Aiden Markram enjoyed a tremendous return to Test cricket on the first day of the opener against West Indies with a century that ensured South Africa's subsequent minor collapse was not too drastic.
The Proteas began a new era at Centurion Park with Temba Bavuma as captain and Shukri Conrad as head coach, and it initially looked to be starting in style as Markram and former skipper Dean Elgar combined impressively.
But after that pair helped the hosts to 221-2, South Africa endured a difficult third session, eventually reaching 314-8 at stumps.
Elgar paid the price for the crushing defeat by Australia but benefited from early luck on Tuesday when his outside edge was dropped by Roston Chase.
He eventually fell to Alzarri Joseph (3-60), caught by Jermaine Blackwood – who did well to readjust himself – after ramping it too short.
Markram then took over.
He survived a scare on 99, the ball only hitting his shoulder before being caught and slapped the next delivery for four to bring up his century.
Yet Markram was also sent packing by Joseph, a devastating yorker at the base of off stump indicative of the Windies' gradual improvement.
Markram departed with South Africa on 236-4 – Tony de Zorzi's (28) inconspicuous run out began something of a collapse a little earlier, before Bavuma went for a duck thanks to another excellent Joseph delivery snaring him lbw.
Keegan Petersen (14), Heinrich Klaasen (20), Senuran Muthusamy (3) and Kagiso Rabada (8) all went back to the pavilion without making much of an impact.
Marco Jansen (17 not out) and Gerald Coetzee (11 not out) at least ensured South Africa passed 300.
Markram back from the wilderness
Markram was left out of the series with Australia in December and January amid what interim coach Malibongwe Maketa at the time called a "dip" in form.
It is fair to say he responded emphatically here, with 115 off 174 to give South Africa a real foothold. Ultimately, most of the rest of the team did not do his efforts justice, but either way this was a big moment for Markram, who looked quite emotional when confirming his sixth Test ton.
Joseph the Windies' inspiration
It took a while for the tourists to get to grips with South Africa, but there is little doubt Joseph played a vital role in turning the tide somewhat.
He claimed the scalps of both Elgar and Markram, as well as captain Bavuma, who barely knew what hit him when Joseph's ferocious delivery slapped straight into his shin.
Temba Bavuma expects South Africa to put the "trauma" of a hammering in Australia behind them when they start a new Test era against West Indies on Tuesday.
Bavuma has replaced Dean Elgar as captain in the longest format after the Proteas were emphatically beaten 2-0 in Australia, where they probably would have been whitewashed but for the weather in Sydney.
The opening Test against the Windies at Supersport Park will also be Shukri Conrad's first as head coach, with Malibongwe Maketa having taken over on a temporary basis following Mark Boucher's departure.
Bavuma says it is time to heal the wounds from a chastening tour of Australia.
The skipper said: "No one died. We went to Australia and got a good beating. With that there were lessons that guys took individually from it. It was quite hard to have a team de-brief on it because the management who were there, some of those guys are not here now.
"From a personal point of view, I went back and looked at areas I could work on.
"Here within the Test team, guys would've dealt with the challenges that they faced. I also think that guys need to be kind to themselves and understand that Australia is another tough place to tour. That's why people respect Australia for the country that they are.
"Another thing is not to hold on for too long to the trauma or that baggage. At some point you have to move on from it and I trust that the guys have done that."
Tony de Zorzi could make his debut and Aiden Markram has been recalled, while fellow batters Keegan Petersen and Ryan Rickelton have recovered from injuries and Neil McKenzie has been appointed as a batting consultant.
Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne and Lungi Ngidi were overlooked, but Elgar will hope to thrive at the top of the order without the captaincy.
Batter Alick Athanaze and seamer Akeem Jordan will be hoping to make their debuts for the Windies, who arrived in South Africa with three series wins from four after a 1-0 success in Zimbabwe.
Windies overdue a win over Proteas
You have to go back to December 2007 for the first time the Windies beat South Africa in a Test, with the Proteas winning eight and drawing two of the 10 since then.
Only against Bangladesh (14) do the Proteas have a longer active unbeaten streak in the format.
South Africa have won each of their eight multi-game bilateral Test series against West Indies.
Chanderpaul must build on impressive start
Tagenarine Chanderpaul has looked very much at home in the Test arena since making his Windies debut last year.
The left-hander scored a magnificent unbeaten 207 in the first Test against Zimbabwe this month and averages 69.66 from his seven innings.
West Indies will need Chanderpaul to stand up when they attempt to improve a poor record against South Africa.
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