In the final session of the day, eleven wickets fell as both sides faltered in the 28.1 overs that were bowled. But after two periods of a slow burn, West Indies’ collapse from 169 for 3 to 212 all out changed the course of the game. Aiden Markram continued where he left off in the first innings, but this time with more aggression from the get-go as South Africa began their second innings with a 130-run advantage. He effortlessly drove, cut, and drew to end the day on 35 runs off of just 33 balls.
The hosts reached 31 thanks to his flyer in under four overs, but Alzarri Joseph forced Dean Elgar to tumble for the second time in this match into the deep-third trap, reopening the wicket-flow gate. Tony de Zorzi and Temba Bavuma, who each scored a couple on their captaincy debuts, were caught behind after Kemar Roach and Joseph went jaffa for jaffa in the following two overs. In the seventh over, Keegan Petersen hit one of the day’s two boundaries, and after another uneventful over, the day appeared to be coming to a secure conclusion. However, Jason Holder stepped in and claimed his 150th Test wicket on his very first pitch. Petersen was caught lbw to finish the day after it hit a length and stayed low.
Have a look at the performance of 1st day of the respective test match!
Anrich Nortje was South Africa’s leading ball-mutilator earlier on, going 5 for 36. Including a collapse of 7 for 43, he saw West Indies go from 136 for 3 at lunch to 212 all out. Every batter after the top six was removed for a score of under ten thanks to the pacers from South Africa, who smashed through the middle and lower orders. Particularly in the second session, when the hosts only managed to pick up one wicket, Kagiso Rabada, and Marco Jansen was in charge of stifling the runs. With a length ball that straightened off the pitch, Jansen got Raymon Reifer, the innings’ top scorer, to be knick off for 62, starting the second final-session meltdown in two days. Roston Chase was caught by Rabada in the crease, and he then squared up to locate the outside edge of the following ball. Now was Nortje’s chance to act. Joshua Da Silva was gently dismissed after he hit point on the cut shot thanks to a short and wide loosener from him. Jason Holder was also lined up and nabbed for a duck at the slide. The visitors were in an unrecoverable situation at 179 for 7 after 16 balls of frenzied activity resulted in four wickets.
Alzarri Joseph was stopped at a point by Nortje in a dismissal akin to Da Silva. Although Kyle Mayers attempted a comeback, it was too late. He made a cover drive and a few pulls with ease, but his cut shot almost hit a deep point before he holed out to a deep fine leg on the pull. It was the third ‘c Jansen b Nortje’ to show on the scorecard, concluding Nortje’s five-for. The hosts were out for a few more minutes due to a frustrating 31-ball partnership between Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel, but the innings were over in 69 overs. West Indies did have a strong start to their game before they collapsed.
Before being struck by a ball that veered off the field, Kraigg Brathwaite survived six overs of the new ball. Tagenarine Chanderpaul incorporated an opportunistic assault of the looseners into a tight defense against good balls. Chanderpaul scored 22 runs thanks to his percentage play, which also gave Reifer time to settle in before it cost him his wicket. Senuran Muthusamy’s off-drive was cut by him at a gully. Reifer and Blackwood, however, put up 64 as a team, the best partnership of the innings. In order to limit the number of runs made in the second session to 65, the pacers kept up their pressure. In the afternoon, Nortje took over from Rabada as the attacker. In the 35th over, Nortje cut Blackwood in half to defeat the bat. After twenty-one balls and six runs, he repeated the feat. This time, Heinrich Klaasen caught the ball after the full ball hit the inside edge of the full-faced drive.
Only one wicket was lost thanks to tight fielding and tenacious batting, but the game was still in the balance due to a period run rate of 2.24. Early in the session, Reifer achieved fifty; in the 52nd over, Chase was defeated and struck by Rabada but continued. The singles and twos came by to relieve the strain after he hit two boundaries in consecutive overs. That is until collapse 2.0 seized control of the situation. South Africa had a day-opening score of 314 for 8. While Rabada, Coetzee, and Jansen made 28 runs in just 27 deliveries, they were unable to prevent Joseph from recording his first Test five-for.
