South Africa back on track in this tournament
South Africa 144 for 2 (Markram 51*, Hosein 1-27) beat West Indies 143 for 8 (Lewis 56, Pretorius 3-17) by eight wickets
South Africa overcame team turmoil and rallied to complete a third successful chase against West Indies in four attempts and get their T20 World Cup campaign back on track. They did against the backdrop of an instruction from the Cricket South Africa board that the team must collectively take a knee before matches at this tournament and the options of raising a fist or standing to attention were no longer available to them and Quinton de Kock sitting out the match as a result. De Kock was the player who previously made no gesture in support of antiracism and a decision on his participation in the rest of the tournament once team management have reported to the board.
De Kock was replaced by Heinrich Klaasen behind the stumps, who made one fumble but was otherwise tidy, and Reeza Hendricks at the top of the order, who set the tone for the chase.
South Africa’s attack kept West Indies to a gettable 143, despite an onslaught from Evin Lewis. Lendl Simmons was too slow, Chris Gayle did not come off and West Indies lost 8 for 64 between the 11th and 20th over to fall short of what they considered a par score - 160. Hendricks’ 39 laid the groundwork for South Africa, before an 83-run stand between Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram sealed victory in the 19th over.
2
6
3
1
Magnificent Markram
Aiden Markram has become South Africa's highest run-scorer in men's T20I cricket in 2021 in this innings, going past Quinton de Kock's 462 runs. De Kock is not playing this game after deciding not to take a knee, following the directive by the CSA board instructing all players to make the gesture in a sign of unity. No South African has ever scored 500 runs in a T20I year, though, and Markram could be the first to get there.
462 Highest number of T20I runs for South Africa this year, before this match
2
8
6
4
All even at the halfway mark
It's all set up for a tense finish. West Indies were 65 without loss after 10 overs in their innings, South Africa are 66 for 2.
6
6
7
3
Fourth time lucky?
This is the 16th T20I meeting between South Africa and West Indies and just the fourth time South Africa have chased. They've been successful on two of those occasions, first at the 2007 T20 World Cup, when they scored 208 and then a year later, in Johannesburg, chasing 132. Most recently, South Africa lost chasing 168 against West Indies in July.
3 Number of times South Africa have chased against West Indies before today
6
1
2
Hendricks has 1,000
Reeza Hendricks would not have played this game if Quinton de Kock did not pull out for personal reasons (and Quinton de Kock may not pulled out if CSA's board did not issue a directive instructing players to take a knee, but that's another discussion) but Hendricks made the most of his early opportunity. He brought up 1,000 T20I runs when he stepped out to hit Akeal Hosein over long-on for the first six of the innings, and will have plenty more to do after South Africa lost Temba Bavuma to a run-out in the opening over.
4
13
7
3
Do West Indies have enough?
Maybe not, says our stats whizz, Shiva Jayaraman: There have been 36 innings in all T20s when teams batting first have hit exactly eight sixes and nine as West Indies have done today, but only once has a team managed a lower score than this. In five of these 36 innings, teams have breached the 170 mark. The highest total scored with eight sixes and nine fours is 198 by Western Australia against New South Wales in 2009/10. The average total in such innings before today was 160. Have West Indies left a few handy runs on the field today?
3
2
4
WI just below par, South Africa to chase 144
It's all set up intriguingly well at half-time here. West Indies have comprehensively showed that their batting blow-out in the first match was just that, and bettered their 55 by 88 runs.
Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons set the tone with an opening stand of 73, but South Africa's attack pulled it back and took 3 for 16 between the 11th and 14th over. Chris Gayle, batting at No.4 for the first time in T20Is, threatened with a run-a-ball 12 before Kieron Pollard hit 26 off 20 balls but West Indies didn't finish as strongly as they would have liked. Anrich Nortje and Dwaine Pretorius used pace and lack of pace well at the death to finish with four wickets for 12 runs in the last two overs.
3
8
3
4
Gayle and Pollard take on Shamsi
West Indies entered the final five overs on 95 for 3, and it seems its time to put foot. Here's how Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard entered the last five.
•
6
1
6
1w
1
1
16
22
16
13
Slow Simmons
8
4
2
5
Lewis launches it, Simmons simmers, a first for Gayle
Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons finished with their highest opening stand, 73, in what was a partnership of two halves. Lewis smashed 56 off 35 balls, with all of his five fours and two sixes coming on the legside, while Simmons bided his time, scoring only in singles. He had 13 when Lewis holed out to deep mid-wicket.
West Indies sent in Nicholas Pooran at No.3, promoting him above Chris Gayle. That made it the first time Gayle has batted outside the top three for West Indies in a T20I. He survived a review for lbw off Keshav Maharaj's final ball, as he missed a slog sweep and fell over. Gayle was on 1 at the time.
2
3
2
Openers in the runs
Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons have given West Indies their best opening stand in their last 13 games, and got them to the halfway mark on 65 without loss. They are also closing in on their best first-wicket partnership this year. Their previous best was 85, against South Africa in June.
Their time in the middle hasn't been chanceless, though. Simmons was dropped on 4, off the bowling of Anrich Nortje, by stand-in wicket-keeper Heinrich Klaasen.
62 West Indies previous highest opening partnership in their last 13 games.
7
5
3
4
Markram's best - as a bowler, and then one too many
Aiden Markram delivered his best two overs opening the bowling in T20Is, after previously conceding 0/24 in two overs and 0/20 in one. This was his effort this time.
Over one:
1
1w
•
1
•
•
1
And over two:
•
•
•
•
•
•
But then there was this...
2
•
•
6
6
4
13
10
12
15
De Kock sits out for personal reasons
Right, and hot on the heels of Cricket South Africa telling the national team that all of them have to take a knee, we've got some major team news. Quinton de Kock, the only player who did not observe any of the gestures previously available to South Africa (taking a knee, raising a fist, or standing to attention) has made himself unavailable for this match for what Temba Bavuma called "personal reasons."
That means Heinrich Klaasen will keep wicket for South Africa and Reeza Hendricks has been brought in to open the batting. The rest of South Africa's team is unchanged.
South Africa: 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk)s, 7 Kagiso Rabada, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Lungi Ngidi, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi
West Indies have made one change to their team too, and it's in the bowling department. They've left Obed McCoy for legspinner Hayden Walsh.
West Indies: 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Lendl Simmons, 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Dwayne Bravo 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Hayden Walsh, Ravi Rampaul
21
7
15
33
South Africa instructed to take a knee
Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo's coverage of this crucial T20 World Cup match.
Both South Africa and West Indies batted badly in their openers and will be looking for some redemption and some points. But before we get the action under way, we've got breaking news from Cricket South Africa, who have instructed the team to collectively take a knee, in keeping with what teams like West Indies have been doing.
CSA’s board has issued a directive to the national men’s team to collectively take a knee before the start of their remaining T20 World Cup matches. The board recognised concerns that “the different postures taken by team members in support of the BLM initiative created an unintended perception of disparity or lack of support for the initiative”, and feel it is “imperative for the team to be seen taking a united and consistent stand against racism, especially given South Africa’s history.”.
Since the BLM movement re-emerged last year, South Africa have adopted varied stances towards supporting the anti-racism movement, but the national team has not taken a knee together. The closest South Africa came to that was when all the players, support staff and administrators involved in the 3TC event last July, including director of cricket Graeme Smith, took a knee before play. Thereafter, all South Africa’s players raised a fist before the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka last December, before the discussion re-emerged on their tour to the West Indies this winter.
14
6
8
40