Fresh off their dominant run at the T20 World Cup, South Africa looked ready to carry their momentum into the ongoing series against the West Indies. They have, instead, produced an almost opposite performance. After that latest defeat in Trinidad, they now trail a 2-0 series deficit that raises some major concerns, both with the bat and ball.
In the second T20I, West Indies was able to score a respectably high, but not insurmountable, 179 runs. South Africa fell well short at 149 runs established its sizeable margin of defeat at 30 runs.
The South African innings started promisingly after opening batsman Reeza Hendricks hit his first six overs with enough boundaries to produce what’s appeared to be a very brisk innings of 44 runs in 18 balls. With Hendricks dismissal, the team seem to lose its momentum. South Africa’s batting order never appear to bounce back.
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They stepped up their middle order and have six other batters who could hardly register double figures. This is a huge problem the management will have to look at quickly, establishing a serious dent towards a sense of urgency.
After the match, South Africa captain Aiden Markram realized a knot of problems when commenting on the team’s innings. He indicated the middle overs were when the game slipped away from them. “In the middle overs, they bowled really well especially in the back end. It made it tough for us to capitalize on the scoring. There are areas we have to refer to,” Aiden Markram said at the post-match presentation, “Let’s hope we can put a better show in the next game.”
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All-rounder Romario Shepherd for the West Indies, had a standout match. His bowling performance led to his player of the match. Shepherd took three wickets for 15 runs in four overs. Shepherd commented on his performance concluded by saying: “I’m very happy with my performance, being in the T20 international side is a great,”
