Cricket West Indies (CWI) has confirmed the dates and host countries for the remaining 2023 West Indies Rising Stars age-group Championships following the Rising Stars Men’s U15s Championship which took place in Antigua last month.

The final three upcoming tournaments are the Women’s Rising Stars Under 19s, Men’s Rising Stars Under 17s and Men’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championships which are all important steps in the development pathway for the next generation of West Indies men’s and women’s cricketers.

The Women’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championship, consisting of six rounds of 30-over matches, will take place in Trinidad from 2 to 16 July. The Men’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championship will take place in St Vincent between 2 July and 1 August, consisting of five rounds of 50-over white ball matches and four rounds of three-day red ball matches.

The Men’s Rising Stars Under 17s Championship will take place in Trinidad between 10 August and 1 September featuring five rounds of 50-over matches and for the first time also three rounds of two-day red ball matches.

The Men’s Rising Stars Championships will feature both red ball and 50-over white ball cricket which will help the players develop a strong foundation of skill-sets, both mental and technical, that they can build on as they progress through the CWI development pathway system.

Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket spoke of the importance of the West Indies Rising Stars Championships and age group cricket across the region and how essential they are to develop the next generation of young talent in the West Indies.

“These age group tournaments are of paramount importance, and we want to ensure the players get maximum opportunities and exposure. Many of our current and former international players have graduated from these tournaments and we continue to see this as the ‘nursery’ for West Indies cricket,” Adams said.

“With over 250 teenagers due to participate in these championships, this is the ideal platform for them to launch their careers and the tournaments will allow for ongoing talent identification and development of our best young players”.

 TOURNAMENT DATES

2 to 16 July: Women’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championship, Trinidad

2 July to 1 August: Men’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championship in St Vincent

10 August to 1 September: Men's’ Rising Stars Under 17s Championship in Trinidad

Thelston Payne, the former Barbados and West Indies wicketkeeper batsman died on Wednesday at the age of 66. Reports emerging from Barbados said he died of pancreatic cancer. He had been ailing for some time.

A capable wicketkeeper, the floppy-hat wearing Payne spent most of his Test career as an understudy to Jeff Dujon with whom he shared a resemblance.

He served as Dujon’s back up during the 1984 tour of England, in Australia 1984-85, and on later trips to New Zealand, Pakistan and Sharjah. His only chance came when Dujon missed the second Test against England at Port-of-Spain in 1986 through injury, and he held five catches in a comprehensive win.

He played seven One Day Internationals for the West Indies scoring 126 runs at an average of 31.50 and took six catches.

He was more successful in his first-class career that spanned more than a decade.

Payne played 68 first class matches, scoring 3391 runs at an average of 36.85 for Barbados with six hundreds and 25 half centuries. Behind the stumps, he took 103 catches and completed eight stumpings.

In paying tribute, Cricket West Indies President Dr Kishore Shallow said Payne's contributions to West Indies Cricket will be cherished.

“On behalf of CWI, I offer sincere condolences to the family and friends of Thelston Payne. He is one of those unsung heroes of West Indies cricket who served the game at all levels for over four decades. During his playing career, he was a dynamic keeper and stylish batsman and was part of the great era of West Indies cricket when we dominated world cricket, under Sir Clive Lloyd and Sir Viv Richards.," Dr Shallow said.

“After his playing days were over, he made a meaningful contribution as a coach and mentor in Barbados at the grassroots level. He also played a key role in the development of many players. His contribution will be remembered and we will remain grateful to this stalwart of cricket.”

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grange, says Jamaica intends to throw their hat in the ring in hopes of being able to host matches at next year’s ICC T20 World Cup set to be held in the West Indies and the USA in June.

“In relation to the World Cup, we are interested. We are looking at the numbers and I’m in discussion with Billy Heaven, President of the Jamaica Cricket Association,” Grange told SportsMax.TV.

“A letter was written to the Prime Minister about it by Cricket West Indies and he has referred the matter to me. We’re looking at the numbers and having discussions. The bid is coming up shortly so we have to make a decision very soon but it is something we’d like to do,” the minister added.

For context, Jamaica has not hosted a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match since 2019 and will, once again, not host any in the upcoming season. The country last hosted an international game in January 2022 when the West Indies hosted Ireland for three ODIs and three T20Is.

As it relates to 2023, “things didn’t quite come together for matches” according to CPL Head of PR and Communications Peter Miller.

“Talks are ongoing for 2024 and we are hopeful that we will have matches in Jamaica in the future.”

The main problem, as put by CPL CEO Pete Russell, has been “a lack of support from the Government and the private sector.”

“We have made no secret of the fact that we have lacked support in terms of bringing the CPL to Jamaica over the years and this has been a challenge,” Russell told the Jamaica Observer recently.

The CEO emphasized his point by drawing a comparison with Guyana, who will host the playoffs for this year’s tournament and have also submitted a proposal to host games at the World Cup.

“We feel that what CPL does for the host countries speaks for itself, with Guyana Government’s Cricket Carnival a prime example of what can be achieved if stakeholders work together. There was a 90% increase of international arrivals into Guyana in September 2022 with 31,050 international visitors arriving in the country. There were no hotel rooms available, and money was being put into the Guyanese economy,” he said.

“We want to be able to come back to Jamaica but, for this to happen, we need support from the Government and the private sector,” he added.

Cricket West Indies has moved to settle their legal dispute with former selectors Courtney Browne and Eldine Baptiste, cricket commentator and broadcaster Andrew Mason is reporting.

The two former West Indies players received letters of termination on April 10, 2019, shortly after Ricky Skerritt and Dr Kishore Shallow won the Cricket West Indies presidential elections in March that year. The termination letters made reference to a task force that was being established to review the selection system. The task force that was chaired by CWI Vice President Dr Kishore Shallow was expected to make recommendations.

Notwithstanding that the task force had not yet met, CWI fired the selectors ahead any recommendations that would have come from the task force. The matter has been before the courts for the past four years until now when Mason reported that CWI had decided to settle and will pay all legal costs and 15 months’ payment of the contract.

Mason anticipates that Brown’s pay out would amount to about US$75,000. The money would represent welcome funds for Browne, who is still undergoing rehabilitation after suffering serious injuries in a motor-vehicle accident in December 2019.

The driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident, died on the spot.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) is undertaking a thorough bid process for Caribbean countries wanting to host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which will be held in the West Indies and USA in June next year.

Countries have been required to demonstrate their ability to deliver a world-class venue and stage the matches by providing match and training facilities, undergo a venue inspection, provide immigration, customs, medical and security support, as well as other operational and logistical requirements including accommodation for the members of the teams, match officials and broadcast crew.

Visits to Caribbean venues that are contemplating submitting proposals to host ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 matches started on Wednesday, 26 April. A small team will visit each country to look at facilities and discuss the pathway to becoming a host country. A similar process will also be followed to identify venues to host matches in USA.

Countries selected will have the opportunity to promote themselves to a global audience of over one billion people from all over the world. This tournament will also inject significant investment into the economy of each host nation.

 “We are delighted that the next edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will take place in the West Indies and the USA. Of course, the Caribbean is a region rich in cricket culture where fans can enjoy a carnival experience with a fine tradition of producing exciting and flamboyant cricketing stars across all formats of the game,” said Geoff Allardice, CEO of ICC.

“The T20 World Cup is a special event in the calendar and this upcoming edition of the men’s event will expand to 20 teams competing to claim the ultimate prize in T20 international cricket. All host countries play an important role in the provision of world class venues, training facilities and services for players and officials, with the upgrade of any facilities providing a lasting legacy for the game in the West Indies.”

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI said hosting the World Cup is an opportunity to spur economic growth across the region.

“This will be the most significant sports event held in the West Indies for a generation, helping us to unlock new commercial and economic growth opportunities for the ICC, CWI and our region as a whole,” he said.

“This will be the fifth ICC global event that we have proudly staged, 14 years since we last hosted a Men's World Cup event, and this time it will be bigger than ever. The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 will be co-hosted with the USA and is the largest ICC World Cup in history, with 20 teams playing 55 matches.

“This tournament will be a major financial boost to the West Indies and all our host countries as it's the perfect opportunity to invite the world to the biggest cricket carnival ever staged. CWI aims to partner once again with our regional governments to ensure that we collectively capitalize on this fantastic platform to promote the region to the world.”

Grave added that hosting the tournament will be an “opportunity for us to rebuild our cricket, re-engage our traditional cricket supporters and attract a new generation of fans. Cricket has always been part of our culture and we will celebrate this tournament by providing memorable experiences for teams and cricket fans on and off the field that will blend the unique Caribbean matchday experience with the very best in American sporting entertainment.”

The format of the tournament will see the 20 teams participating – with four groups of five teams in the first round. Each team will play one match against the other teams in the group. The top two teams from each group will move into the Super8s stage and these eight teams will be spilt into two groups of four with each team playing one match against the other teams in top two teams from each group of the Super8s will advance to the Semi-Finals. 

This is the second time that the West Indies will have hosted the event, with the first time back in 2010. West Indies have won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on two occasions – in 2012 in Sri Lanka and 2016 in India.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the full schedule for the West Indies Men’s 2023 International Home series against England. The world champions will visit the Caribbean in December where they will play a three-match CG United One-Day International (ODI) Series and five match T20 International (T20I) Series.

England arrive in Antigua to start the tour with two CG United ODIs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on 3 and 6 December. The third CG United ODI will be played at Kensington Oval, Barbados on 9 December followed on 12 December by the first of five T20Is.

The Spice Isle of Grenada welcomes both teams for two T20Is on 14 and 16 December and the tour concludes in the week before Christmas with the fourth and fifth T20Is at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad which will be hosting a West Indies vs England men’s fixture for the first time on 19 and 21 December.

CWI’s Chief Executive Officer, Johnny Grave said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm the England match schedule and to welcome once again their many travelling fans to the region for a pre-Christmas white-ball tour. “

Grave added: “This tour will be a major economic boost to the host countries, as well as providing our fans with the chance to see some of their favourite players in action against one of our biggest rivals. The tour will also help with our ongoing venue preparation and event planning for one of the biggest events ever to be staged in the region, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which takes place in June next year.

"We also look forward to announcing the fixtures and venues for the India tour of the West Indies in July and August very soon."

Official West Indies Tour Operators and ticket information for the series will be announced in the coming weeks with tickets available in advance on the Windies Tickets service presented by Mastercard, accessible via Windiescricket.com where fans can also find all the latest news and scores. Fans can register sign up to receive the first news of tickets going on sale at https://www.windiescricket.com/updates/. ​

MATCH SCHEDULE

CG United One-Day Internationals

3 December: 1st CG United ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

6 December: 2nd CG United ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

9 December: 3rd CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados

T20 Internationals

12 December: 1st T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

14 December: 2nd T20I, Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

16 December: 3rd T20I, Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

19 December: 4th T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad

21 December: 5th T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad

West Indies white ball opener Brandon King was a significant contributor as Team Weekes ended day one of their Headley-Weekes four-day series fixture in a strong position against the West Indies Academy at Coolidge on Wednesday.

King made a 148-ball 92, supporting Zachary McCaskie’s 147-ball 93, as Team Weekes ended the day 365-7 off 90 overs. Jahmar Hamilton (57) and Kevin Sinclair (52*) also got fifties on day one.

Entering this contest, King had an average of 34.84 in 32 First-Class games including three hundreds and 12 fifties.

King's last four-day appearance came in March last year when he made an unbeaten 119 for the Jamaica Scorpions against the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Brian Lara Stadium.

He spoke about his return to red-ball cricket after the day’s play.

“Very happy to be back playing red ball cricket. It’s been a little while. It was great fun batting out there with no time restrictions,” King said.

The West Indies batsman opener got to the crease with his side 82-3 having lost the wickets of Keacy Carty for 12 and captain Alick Athanaze for a two-ball duck.

He then formed a crucial 136-run fourth wicket partnership with McCaskie.

“It’s 4-day cricket so you have time on your side and you want to try and build a partnership to put the team in a better position,” King said.

“We kept it simple. The pitch wasn’t doing a great deal so we just tried to take as little risk as possible while still putting the bowlers under pressure and it worked out for us,” he added.

Regarding the team’s plan going into the innings, King said it was simple.

“We know that the pitch is generally good for batting and that in the first session the bowlers would get something out of it. Our plan was always to try and bat through the first session with as little wickets as possible then bat the rest of the day,” King said.

“We weren’t too focussed on the number of runs but we knew that if we batted the whole day we’ll get a good score,” King added.

Day two takes place on Thursday.

The Sydney Cricket Ground unveiled a set of gates named after legends Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara on Monday.

According to ESPNCricinfo, April 24 was selected as the date to unveil the gates to mark Tendulkar's 50th birthday as well as the 30^th anniversary of Lara's 277 at the SCG, his first Test century, though that Test was played in January 1993.

"The Sydney Cricket Ground has been my favourite ground away from India," Tendulkar said in a statement released by Cricket Australia.

"I have had some great memories at the SCG right from my first tour of Australia in 1991-92. It is a great honour to have the gates used by all visiting cricketers to access the field of play at the SCG named after me and my good friend Brian," he added.

"I'm deeply honoured to be recognised at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as I'm sure Sachin is,” Lara said.

“The ground holds many special memories for me and my family and I always enjoy visiting whenever I'm in Australia," Lara added.

That innings of 277 remained Lara's highest at the SCG. He totalled 384 runs at the ground in four Tests overall while Tendulkar had an average of 157 at the SCG, scoring 785 runs in five Tests over the years with three centuries, including a memorable 241 not out in January 2004.

The statement also outlines that the gates will be used by visiting players to access the field.

On hand to unveil the gates were SCG and Venues NSW Chairman Rod McGeoch AO, and CEO Kerrie Mather, as well as Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley.

"Sachin Tendulkar's record at the SCG is simply remarkable, while Brian Lara's maiden Test century remains one of the most celebrated innings by a visiting player," Mather said.

"Both players continue to hold a deep affection for the SCG and they remain hugely popular whenever they visit Sydney."

"As the cricketing world celebrates Sachin Tendulkar's 50th birthday, this is a fitting and timely gesture by the SCG to recognise Sachin and Brian Lara as two legends of the international game with exceptional records at the SCG,” said Hockley.

"Their feats will no doubt be an inspiration to not only visiting international teams, but all players fortunate enough to walk onto the hallowed turf of the Sydney Cricket Ground, for generations to come."

The best women’s cricketers in the West Indies will be back in action as Cricket West Indies (CWI) hosts the CG United Super50 Cup and the T20 Blaze regional tournaments in St. Kitts.

The CG United Super50 Cup matches will be played at three venues – Warner Park, the Conaree Cricket Centre, and St. Paul’s Sports Complex from 8 to 17 May with the 50 over matches starting at 10am local time. 

The T20 Blaze will feature five full days of entertainment for the fans from 20 to 27 May at Warner Park. There will be three matches per day – starting at 10am, 2:30 pm and 7 pm (under lights). 

Barbados are defending champions in the CG United Super50 Cup and Jamaica the defending champions of the T20 Blaze. The other teams are the newly renamed Trinidad & Tobago Divas, Guyana, Windward Islands and hosts Leeward Islands.

The Tournament comes on the cusp of CWI’s announcement to start a new Women’s Academy in July for the best U23 players in the region. ​ This will be a major boost for the development of Women’s Cricket in the West Indies and forms part of the overall strategic plan to commit more resources to improving the women’s game at all levels.

CWI’s Director of cricket, Jimmy Adams said, "This year's CG United Super50 Cup and T20 Blaze will be a great opportunity for both talent identification and player development. We look forward to watching a healthy mix of experienced players along with some of the exciting talent we saw in last year's U19 competition. With international tours at home to Ireland and away to Australia this year, these regional tournaments will provide players a chance to fight for places."

Matches will be streamed LIVE on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel with live scorecards and ball-by-ball scoring on the Windiescricket.com live match centre.

FULL MATCH SCHEDULE

CG United Super50 Cup – play starts at 10am

Round 1: Monday 8 May

Windward Islands vs Guyana – Conaree Cricket Centre

Leeward Islands vs Jamaica – St. Paul’s Sports Complex

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Barbados – Warner Park

Round 2: Wednesday 10 May

Jamaica vs Trinidad & Tobago Divas – St. Paul’s Sports Complex

Guyana vs Barbados – Conaree Cricket Centre

Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – Warner Park

Round 3: Friday 12 May

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Windward Islands – St. Paul’s Sports Complex

Jamaica vs Barbados – Conaree Cricket Centre

Guyana vs Leeward Islands – Warner Park

Round 4: Monday 15 May

Jamaica vs Guyana – Warner Park

Leeward Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago Divas – Conaree Cricket Centre

Barbados vs Windward Islands – St. Paul’s Sports Complex

Round 5: Wednesday 17 May

Leeward Islands vs Barbados – Warner Park

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Guyana – St. Paul’s Sporting Complex

Jamaica vs Windward Islands – Conaree Cricket Centre

CWI T20 Blaze (all matches played at Warner Park)

Round 1: Saturday 20 May

Windward Islands vs Guyana – 10am

Leeward Islands vs Jamaica – 2:30:pm

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Barbados – 7pm

Round 2: Sunday 21 May

Windward Islands vs Leeward Islands – 10am

Guyana vs Barbados – 2:30pm

Jamaica vs Trinidad & Tobago Divas – 7pm

Round 3: Tuesday 23 May

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Windward Islands – 10am

Jamaica vs Barbados – 2:30pm

Guyana vs Leeward Islands – 7pm

Round 4: Thursday 25 May

Jamaica vs Guyana – 10am

Leeward Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago Divas – 2:30pm

Barbados vs Windward Islands – 7pm

Round 5: Saturday 27 May

Leeward Islands vs Barbados – 10am

Trinidad & Tobago Divas vs Guyana – 2:30pm

Jamaica vs Windward Islands – 7pm

West Indies avoided a repeat of their remarkable, record-breaking defeat in the second T20I against South Africa by clinging on to win the series decider by seven runs.

The Windies had been on the wrong end of a historic run chase in the sides' previous encounter, the highest scoring Twenty20 match since the format was introduced.

But there would be no repeat in Johannesburg on Tuesday, even if Reeza Hendricks again made life difficult for the tourists after another strong Windies score of 220-8.

Hendricks was credited by centurion Quinton de Kock with inspiring the Proteas fightback in the second match, having contributed 68 off just 28 balls.

Missing De Kock's support, it was a one-man effort this time as Hendricks scored 83 off 43, not quite enough with South Africa falling short on 213-6.

West Indies had posted the second-highest T20I total not to include a single fifty but were also themselves grateful for the work of one batter in particular.

In a blockbuster conclusion to the first innings, Romario Shepherd had scored 26 from the final over to top-score with 44 from only 22 balls – the knock that ultimately proved the difference.

Phenomenal finish sees Windies safe

South Africa handed the ball to Kagiso Rabada with some confidence ahead of the 20th over, with the bowling superstar having restricted the Windies to 2-24 from his previous three overs.

Yet Shepherd, twice put down by De Kock, smashed Rabada all around the ground to set a daunting target. As a result, the Proteas needed to match Shepherd with 26 off the last but could only manage 18.

Repeat proves beyond Proteas

While Hendricks remained in the middle, it appeared very possible South Africa would pull off another stunning recovery. It would have been a record-breaking fifth successful 200-run chase in the format.

However, West Indies kept their nerve, crucially having Hendricks caught by captain Rovman Powell at long on in the 19th over. The Windies still have not lost a T20I series in South Africa, with two wins and a draw.

West Indies captain Rovman Powell got injured while trying to save a 5-year-old ball boy at the edge of the boundary area during the second T20 International against South Africa on Sunday, March 26.

Powell, while chasing a ball towards the boundary, avoided a potentially catastrophic collision and chose to get hurt himself.

The incident occurred in the third over of the South Africa chase when Quinton de Kock hit the ball towards the long off boundary.

Powell gave chase and was inside the dive length to pull the ball back into the field before it touched the boundary. The West Indies captain, however, saw a five-year-old ball boy trying to get to the edge of line and catch the ball and decided to abort the chase in the last minute.

The West Indies captain then jumped over the boy and the boundary line and crashed into the LED boards, before toppling over.

Visibly shaken from the incident, Powell had to be treated at the side-line and took a decent amount of time to get back into the field.

As for the game, South Africa won by six wickets after pulling off a record chase. The West Indies posted 258-5 off their 20 overs and the South Africans needed only 18.5 overs to reach 259-4.

The third T20I takes place at Wanderers in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

South Africa and the West Indies played one of the most amazing games of cricket you will ever see at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.

In the second of three T20Is, the two teams combined for a record 517 runs including 81 boundaries and 35 sixes as the hosts needed just 18.5 overs to chase down a mammoth 258 set by the West Indies.

The catalyst behind the West Indies’ massive total was an innings from top-order batsman Johnson Charles that can only be described as special.

The 34-year-old right-hander, batting at number three, eclipsed Chris Gayle’s record for fastest T20I hundred for the West Indies, 47 balls against England at the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, when he brought up his maiden T20I century off just 39 balls.

Charles eventually made 118 off 46 balls including 10 fours and 11 sixes. He said the key to his innings was understanding the conditions.

“You know as a batsman, with such a good pitch and such a small ground, that you don’t have to over-hit the ball. I think that was one of the key points that all the batsmen had in the back of their minds,” he said in a press conference after the game.

This continues a remarkable career resurgence for the St. Lucian, who was a member of the victorious West Indian sides at the 2012 and 2016 ICC T20 World Cups.

After representing the regional side in a three-match T20I series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2016, Charles was dropped, with many writing him off completely.

“I think being out of the T20 side for six years definitely allowed me to do some soul searching and see where I’ve been going wrong,” Charles said.

After six years on the outside looking in, Charles finally got a second chance to don the West Indian colors when he was, surprisingly to many, selected for the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia after an excellent 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which saw him finish as the third-highest run-scorer with 345 runs in nine innings, including four fifties.

Charles played two games at the World Cup and recorded scores of 45 and 22 against Zimbabwe and Ireland, respectively.

Earlier this year, he played an integral role in leading the Comilla Victorians to their fourth Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) title, making 308 runs in nine innings, including a century and a fifty.

“I’ve gone back to the basics,” was Charles’ response to questions about how he has revived his batting.

“I made sure I have those down pat. Just coming back, it’s worked for me and, going forward, I’m just going to have to make sure that I keep focusing on the basics. If I continue doing that then I’ll keep on having great innings,” Charles added.

Hopefully, Charles can continue this form when the West indies take on the South Africans in the decisive third T20I at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

Quinton de Kock's sensational century propelled South Africa to a remarkable six-wicket victory over West Indies in a thrilling T20I after a record-breaking knock from Johnson Charles at Centurion.

Charles' astonishing 118 from 46 balls and an excellent 51 from Kyle Mayers got the Windies to what looked to be a series-winning total of 258-5 on Sunday.

Yet De Kock (100 off 44) had other ideas, with South Africa's former captain leading the Proteas to a sensational triumph and the highest successful run chase in T20Is.

By the end of the third over the hosts had scored 62 without loss, and they added an additional 20 runs from the next 18 deliveries. South Africa's total of 102-0 from the first six overs is the highest powerplay score in a T20I involving Test-playing nations, and the fastest first hundred runs scored in a T20I involving a full ICC member.

In the process, De Kock struck South Africa's quickest 50, from just 15 balls – the fifth-fastest half-century in the shortest format.

De Kock should have been caught in the deep shortly after, but did not let up as he cruised to his maiden T20I century, taking just 42 deliveries to get there, before falling to Raymon Reifer soon after.

Reeza Hendricks (68 from 28 balls) picked up the slack, though he followed Rilee Rossouw (16) in heading back to the pavilion when the Windies claimed wickets in swift succession in the 12th and 13th overs.

Romario Shepherd caught David Miller to hand West Indies a further flash of hope, yet three big hits from new captain Aiden Markram (38) put the Proteas back in control as they cantered to victory and levelled the series.

Charles' record ton overshadowed

If it was not for De Kock's sparkling knock, Charles would have been the story.

His century, which came from 39 deliveries and included 11 sixes and 10 fours, was the fastest T20I hundred by a West Indies player, surpassing a record set by Chris Gayle in 2016 (47 balls). Unfortunately for the tourists, it was not enough.

Bad day for the bowlers

It was certainly a day for the batters at SuperSport Park. South Africa's bowlers set the tone for what was to come as they struggled to keep the Windies under wraps, despite Wayne Parnell (2-42) dismissing Brandon King in the first over.

The Windies attack then suffered as De Kock, Hendricks and then Markram put them to the sword in a stunning display.

New skipper Rovman Powell powered West Indies to a stunning three-wicket win against South Africa in a rain-reduced T20I clash on Saturday.

The start in Centurion was pushed back because of wet conditions and the contest was reduced to an 11-overs-a-side thrash, with South Africa totting up 131-8, helping by David Miller crunching 48 from 22 balls.

Miller struck three sixes as the home side recovered well from losing opener Quinton de Kock to the first ball of their innings at SuperSport Park.

West Indies made a flying start to their reply as Brandon King and Kyle Mayers took 17 runs from the first four deliveries. King's 23, and 28 from Johnson Charles, helped to put the tourists in a strong position, but it was Powell who played the crucial innings.

The 29-year-old Jamaican hit five sixes in an explosive 43no from 18 balls, holding his nerve after West Indies lost two wickets to Sisanda Magala (3-21) in the 10th over.

Powell's maximum from the second delivery of the 11th over brought the teams level, and he tucked away a single into the leg side from the next ball to seal the win, taking West Indies to 132-7.

Powell starts as he means to go on

The chance to lead arose for Powell when Nicholas Pooran resigned as West Indies' white-ball captain after last year's T20 World Cup.

Powell has taken on the T20I job, with Shai Hope leading the ODI team, and this was a whirlwind beginning for the incoming captain, firstly with the match being reduced to a quickfire slog, and then with the pressure falling on his shoulders with the bat.

He came in at 66-3 in the fifth over, after the breakneck start, and saw the job through, posting his joint-sixth highest T20I score in what was his 47th innings at this level.

Trend to continue?

The last three T20I series between these teams have been won by the touring side, and with two games remaining in this series we might be on for a repeat.

South Africa are experiencing a dire run of series results in T20Is at home, having lost their last four such series, last getting a home success against Sri Lanka in March 2019.

Over the longer course of a full 20 overs it might prove a different story between these teams, with the win for West Indies on this occasion being just the second in their last 16 T20Is away from home. They and South Africa go again on Sunday, also in Centurion.

A new era will start for both South Africa and West Indies when Aiden Markram and Rovman Powell lead the sides in the opening Twenty20 International match of the series on Saturday.

Markram this month replaced Temba Bavuma as captain, with the Test and one-day international skipper axed from the T20I squad.

The opener at SuperSport Park will also be the first T20I since Rob Walter took over as white-ball head coach and comes on the back of a 1-1 ODI series draw with the Windies.

Markram was given the honour of captaining his country in only his third ODI back in 2018, when Faf du Plessis was absent along with other senior players.

The batter felt that opportunity came too soon and believes the experience he has gained since then should stand him in good stead.

He said: "I was quite fresh back then. I was very hard on myself, and always wanted to do well and we know this sport, it doesn't always work out that way."

Markram added: "Being with the legendary team the Proteas had at the time, I paid attention to how Faf managed to marshal his troops.

"That is something I looked up to and strived for probably without him knowing, it was just through me observing from the side."

It will also be a special weekend for Powell in Centurion, where there will be a double-header before the series ends with a contest at JB Marks Oval Potchefstroom on Tuesday.

Powell was selected as the man to replace Nicholas Pooran, who stepped down after the T20 World Cup in Australia last November.

South Africa will be looking to take the momentum from a record-breaking series-levelling ODI win over the Windies in which Heinrich Klaasen was the star of the show.

Klaasen struck 119 off 61 balls as the Proteas chased down their victory target of 261 in just 29.3 overs in Potchefstroom, becoming the first team to score 250 or more to win in under 30 overs.

De Kock set to move level with De Villiers

Wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock is set to go joint-third on the list of the highest appearance-makers for the Proteas in T20Is, as he is currently one behind AB de Villiers' tally of 78.

De Kock has enjoyed facing West Indies in the shortest format, scoring half-centuries in each of his past three knocks.

Windies away form must be addressed

West Indies have won only one of their past 15 T20Is on tour, that coming against Zimbabwe last October. 

Facing South Africa could present a good opportunity to address that poor record, as the Proteas have lost four multi-game bilateral T20I series at home – that is their longest losing run in this format.