For the first time during the tour of the West Indies, the Proteas Women did not produce a defendable score after batting first against the home side. West Indies Captain Hayley Matthews steered her side home to a 6 wicket victory over the South Africans in the second T20 on Sunday night.
With the series now even, no doubt the home team are looking to claim a victory over the green and gold after they lost the ODI series 2-1.
Players have noted the slow conditions in West Indies, which favour bowlers, and as such, the home side put the South African to bat first for the fifth consecutive time. The first four overs looked to be in South Africa’s favour, but things took a turn after that.
Tazmin Brits, unfortunately, did not deliver her usual performances with the bat, like she did so far this season, falling for 14 runs to an in-form Afy Fletcher. Marizanne Kapp fell for a duck while the Captain Laura Wolvaardt managed to squeeze in 16 runs before she was dismissed.
Fletcher took another pivotal wicket for her team after she removed Nadine de Klerk for 20 runs. De Klerk was brought up a little up the order to try and put some runs on the board in the face of a crumbling top order.
The West Indies knew they were in control of the game after 100 looked like an impossible task for the Proteas Women to hit, and clamped down on their run rate with the fall of wickets throughout the innings.
There was no real momentum for the South African batters to ride and left each one of them with a difficult job – swing things back into “our favour”. This was too difficult a task, especially with the West Indian bowlers finding their line.
With less than five overs to go for their innings, the South Africans were in a really uncomfortable sport – having only reached 79 runs with 6 wickets gone. Chloe Tryon had been removed from the crease, and all hope rested on the last ‘dawg’ Annerie Dercksen.
Dercky and wicketkeeper Karabo Meso put up a last stand for the Proteas with the 34-run partnership that helped them reach a meagre 113/6 wickets in 20 overs. There was just one 6 in the South African innings and four 4s.
West Indies opening batters Qiana Joseph and Hayley Matthews got the home side off to a 41 run partnership before Joseph was taken out by Ayabonga Khaka (1/27). Masabata Klaas gave the Proteas their second breakthrough in the 11th over, taking out Shawnisha Hector for just 3 runs on her T20 debut.
But despite the fall of wickets on the other end, Matthews had already gotten her eye and was set on a destructive path forward. The Captain played a true leader’s innings to drive her team home to victory, ending off at 63 not out.
Matthew’s will to finish has helped the home side level the T20 series, which now has to be decided in the final match on Monday night.
