In spite of a few hiccups midway through Day 2, South Africa are now in command of the 2nd Test against the West Indies.
Half-centuries from Aiden Markram and Kyle Verreynne have spearheaded a solid show with the bat in slightly tricky conditions.
Initially, the Proteas had unfinished business with the ball. Kagiso Rabada and Nandre Burger would both strike, removing Warrican and Seales for no score.
However, there was a brief momentum shift when the man of the moment, Shamar Joseph, strode out to the middle. Both he and Jason Holder fearlessly took their chances and regularly found the boundary. Joseph would get a couple of reprieves in the slip cordon, but Keshav Maharaj had him LBW. This would secure a slim but useful 16-run advantage.
Following a disciplined comeback with the ball, it was time to replicate that with the bat. Fortunately, the pitch was relatively docile early on in the Proteas’ second innings, and openers Markram and de Zorzi would cash in. They added 79 runs for the first wicket, but the Windies bowlers would dry up the runs after an expensive beginning.
After several quiet overs, Jayden Seales got his team the badly needed breakthrough, when de Zorzi edged behind. Thereafter, Markram and Stubbs occupied the crease, even though runs were a little hard to get. Markram would end a 3-year wait and finally get a Test half-century away from home, but the timely introduction of Gudakesh Motie brought the hosts back in the thick of things.
The left-arm spinner trapped Markram LBW, and skipper Temba Bavuma fell cheaply, in the same manner. The success continued for WI, as Stubbs had a lapse in concentration and nicked to the keeper off Seales. The young quick bagged his third wicket when David Bedingham chopped onto his stumps.
At 139/5, the Proteas were in trouble, and the Windies had more than just a sniff. But that would cap off the good times for the bowlers. The arrival of Kyle Verreynne gradually tilted the balance back in the visitors’ direction, as he took advantage of scoring opportunities and kept the ball rolling.
While Verreynne was motoring along, Wiaan Mulder helped consolidate and set up what would become the highest partnership of this series. The allrounder played second fiddle for most of the final session, but hit a couple of maximums in the final two overs.
The 6th wicket stand is unbroken at 84 runs, and Verreynne has reached a fantastic third Test half-century. The lead is 239, and the Proteas still have some way to go to bat the Windies out of the game. Anything 250 and up will be an arduous chase on this surface, and these two will want to push on for as long as they can tomorrow. The Windies haven’t lost belief, and they will fancy their chances if they’re able to get the remaining five wickets for not much. A captivating third day awaits us in Guyana. Stick around.
SA 160 + 223/5 (Markram 51, Verreynne 50* – Seales 16-4-52-3)
WI 144 (Holder 54* – Mulder 9-2-32-4, Burger 12-2-49-3)
