West Indies vs South Africa, 1st Test: De Kock, seamers help visitors to hand victory in three days

Jun 12, 2021

West Indies vs South Africa, 1st Test: De Kock, seamers help visitors to hand victory in three days Image

South African seamers went on a rampage to inflict an innings-and-63 run defeat on West Indies in the first Test at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia. With that, Dean Elgar’s men have taken an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series.

The result also brings Elgar’s first victory as Test captain. Unfortunately, he did not score a run, bowl a ball, or take a catch in the match.

Roston Chase (62) and Jermaine Blackwood (13) resumed Day 3 at 82/4. They were trailing by 143 runs in the second innings with six wickets in hand. Blackwood could only manage to add three to his overnight 10 before falling to Kagiso Rabada. Rassie van der Dussen took the catch at short extra cover.

Jason Holder, who top-scored for West Indies in the first innings with 20, got only four in the second. In fact, apart from Chase, no one scored in excess of 15. They were bundled out for 162 before lunch. Kemar Roach (13 not out) remained the last man standing.

Rabada led from the front with impressive figures of 5-34 in the second innings – his first five-wicket haul after 33 innings. Anrich Nortje returned 7-81 in the match, while Keshav Maharaj took two wickets. Lungi Ngidi, who claimed 5-19 in the first innings, remained wicketless in the second.

Despite winning the toss, West Indies had collapsed for 97 in the first innings. In reply, Quinton de Kock’s career-best 141 helped South Africa reach 322, which eventually becomes their second-lowest total in an innings victory. Their lowest is 309/9 against Zimbabwe, back in 2017.

The two teams will once again lock horns at the same venue for the second and final Test from 18 June.

Brief scores:

West Indies 97 (Jason Holder 20; Lungi Ngidi 5-19, Anrich Nortje 4-35) and 162 (Roston Chase 62; Kagiso Rabada 5-34) lost to South Africa 322 (Quinton de Kock 141*; Jason Holder 4-75) by an innings and 63 runs. Player of the Match: Quinton de Kock.