South Africa defeated West Indies b💧y 87 runs in the opening Test at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday. With the victory, the hosts also took a crucial 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
The tourists came out all guns blazing and packed the Proteas for 116 in the second innings. Veteran pacer Kemar Roach wreaked havoc and bagged a brilliant five-wicket haul. Barring Aiden Markram, who scored 47 run꧙s, none of the batters from the home team stepped up as the hosts could only manage to give Caribbeans a target of 247.
In response, West Indies found themselves in all sorts of trouble after being reduced to 33/5 in 14.2 overs. The likes of Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers all failed to open their accounts. Josua da Silva and Jermaine Blackwood did show some fightﷺ and formed a partne🌊rship of 57 for the sixth wicket.
Blackwood scored 79 runs off 93 balls with the help of 12 fours and one six, but Kagiso Rabada kept on sending shockwaves to the Windies camp and never allowed them to settl🐓e. The right-arm fast b🌞owler was at his absolute best as he finished with figures of 15-3-50-6.
Brief Scores: South Africa 342 & 116 (Aiden Markram 47; Kemar Roach 5/47) beat West Indies 212 & 159 (Jermaine Blackwood 79; Kagiso Rabada 6/50) by 87 runs.
“It is always nice to get a Test win, on hot and long days, it is quite rewarding as well. Quite comfortable going back to the top credit to the coach and captain for backing me. Very happy with how I played. Played a lot of cricket here at Centurion, and I am glad it worked out, quite a tough wicket out there,” said Markram after bagging the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
RESULT | SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 87 RUNS 🚨
🌊Kagiso Rabada grabbed 6/50 in the second innings as the get the Betway Test series off to a winning start 🇿🇦
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA)
Kagiso Rabada joins an exclusive club 🙌
More on his latest six-wicket haul ➡️ |
— ICC (@ICC)
SA and WI plaꦑy the first ever Test match where all 4 innings have different pacers♏ with a fifer.
Alzarri Joseph 5/81
Anrich Nortje 5/36
Kemar Roach 5/47
Kagiso Rabada 6/50— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats)
6️⃣ wickets for Kagiso Rabada! 🦁👏
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL)
🇿🇦 | Kagiso Rabada 😤
Will never get tired of this.
— DP World Lions (@LionsCricketSA)
Kagiso Rabada's career bowling average is 22 🔥🔥🔥 of of the world best ever 🔥🔥🇿🇦🏏
— Gills (@gpricey23)
Rabada finishes it off and South Africa win the first Test by💙 87 runs
Nortje in the first innings 5-36
Rabada in the second innings 6-50What a pair of exquisite fast bowlers!
— ThePoppingCrease (@PoppingCreaseSA)
Significant Milestone for earlier today.
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket)
Most times, taking at leas🌠t one wicket in 25 or🧜 more consecutive test innings :
3 M Muralitharan
2 JM Anderson
2 DW Steyn
2 J Garner
2 K Rabada— Sooraj Ayyappan (@Sooraj_Ayyappan)
South Africa won the first T🐎est 💙match against West Indies by a margin of 87 runs.
In there 2nd innings WI all out on 159 runs.
Kagiso Rabada did the main damage took 6/50.
Aiden M♛arkram won the player of the match Award of his brilliant 115 & 47 run.
— Surinder (@navsurani)
