It was yet another comprehensive masterclass with bat and ball from the West Indies, as they clinically completed the series whitewash in the 3rd T20I against the Proteas.

For a change, Rassie van der Dussen opted to bat first, but what didn’t change was the early dominance from the hosts. The in-form Reeza Hendricks was out early, and neither Quinton de Kock nor Ryan Rickelton could get going. Both departed in successive overs, and an ill-advised big shot from Matthew Breetzke brought about his downfall.

Gudakesh Motie continued his strong run, as he went through a tight 3-over spell. Fortunately for the Proteas, van der Dussen and Wiaan Mulder arrested the collapse and added 77 runs between them. It took a couple of overs for both batters to play themselves in, but it was the skipper who counterattacked with five big hits. Mulder would make a handy 36 from 28, but his dismissal would slow things down at the back end.

Shamar Joseph was on point at the death, and Obed McCoy struck twice in two overs to remove both set batters. Debutant Patrick Kruger managed to hit a couple of boundaries to drive SA past 160.

Some would’ve felt that it was a competitive score that was just about par, but any speculation was quickly quashed by a merciless assault from Brandon King and Johnson Charles.

Whether it was pace or spin, the SA bowlers were at the receiving end of a seemingly never-ending onslaught initially from Charles. The big-hitting right-hander raced to a 20-ball half-century, and brought the equation down to under a run a ball. From then on, it was smooth sailing for the Windies. SA got two wickets, but Kyle Mayers polished off the remainder of the target with a couple of maximums.

While SA had multiple key absentees, so did the Windies. This series has been a stern wake-up call in more ways than one, as it was the last opportunity for anyone to return to form before the big event commences. The Windies are walking back with a spring in their steps, while the Proteas will look to rectify the errors.

SA 163/7 in 20 overs (van der Dussen 51, Mulder 36 – McCoy 4-0-39-3, Motie 3-0-21-2)

WI 165/2 in 13.5 overs (Charles 69, King 44)