West Indies beat South Africa by 16 runs in the second T20I to seal the 3-match series, with a game to spare. West Indies batters are in their grooves ahead of the T20 World Cup, and the men in Maroon look promising ahead of the mega event. On the other hand, South Africa’s middle order is the area of concern they need to address ahead of the World Cup.
Roston Chase’s scintillating knock helps West Indies cross the 200-run mark
West Indies opted to bat first after winning the coin flip. Meanwhile, Johnson Charles once again failed to impress with the bat, departing for a mere 7 runs. Brandon King contributed with a useful knock of 36 runs, while Kyle Mayers’ rapid 16-ball 32 runs laid a solid foundation for the hosts. 
Roston Chase accelerated the innings in the middle overs, forging 56 runs for the fourth wicket with Andre Fletcher (29 off 18) and 63 runs for the fifth wicket with Romario Shepherd (26 off 13). Chase remained unbeaten on 67 runs off 37 balls, and the rapid knock from Fletcher and Shepherd helped West Indies post 207/7 despite losing a couple of wickets in the final over.
The debutant for South Africa, Nqaba Peter, grabbed a couple of wickets for 32 runs, but is not in the T20 World Cup squad. Lungi Ngidi and Phehlukwayo also chipped in with a couple of wickets, while Bjorn Fortuin contributed a solitary wicket.
Gudakesh Motie shines with the ball
In pursuit of a hefty 207 runs, Reeza Hendricks (34 off 18) and Quinton de Kock (41 off 17) went honkers and bonkers from the outset and added 81 runs for the first wicket in just 5 overs. However, West Indies staged a comeback in the game and extracted two wickets in quick succession as both Portea openers went back to the hut in the span of four balls.
South Africa’s middle order crumbled under pressure and failed to keep the run rate in check. The stand-in skipper, Rassie van der Dussen, looked sluggish, scoring 30 runs off 22 balls, and let the game slip away from their grasp. The Proteas lost a cluster of wickets at the cue end of the innings and were restricted to 191/7, falling 16 runs short of the target.
Gudakesh Motie starred with the ball, claiming three wickets for 22 runs in his four-over quota. Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein, and Romario Shepherd ended with one wicket to their names.
Both sides will go head-to-head on May 27 for the final T20I of the series at the same venue, Sabina Park. With the T20 World Cup also just around the corner, both teams will want to test their bench strengths in the final T20I of the series to get their combinations right ahead of the global event.
