(CMC) – Openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Zachary McCaskie batted resolutely through four overs before the close and ensured West Indies A safely began their chase of 224 to win the first “test” against South Africa A yesterday.
McCaskie was not out on five and Chanderpaul was not out on one, and the Caribbean side reached eight without loss in the second inning before stumps were drawn on the third day of the four-day contest at Willowmoore Park.
The visitors’ bowlers had earlier defied a sixth-class hundred of 104 from South Africa A captain Neil Brand and dismissed the home team for 250 in their second inning inside the final hour on another intriguing day’s play.
The 27-year-old left-handed opener struck 14 fours from 219 balls in almost six hours at the crease, but his example of resolve was a lesson that his teammates failed to emulate, and it has opened the way for their opponents to push for victory.
Pacer Akeem Jordan was the most successful West Indies A bowler with three for 58 from 22 overs, fellow pacers Shermon Lewis and Jayden Seales, and off-spinner Kevin Sinclair ended with two wickets apiece.
Joshua Da Silva’s side had the South Africans under pressure from early on after they resumed their overnight total of three without loss.
Seales set back the hosts early when he got left-handed opener Tony de Zorzi caught at gully for a duck in the second over of the day.
West Indies A were put on the defensive when Zubayr Hamza came to the crease and put on 64 for the second wicket with Brand, but he was one of two wickets that fell inside the final half-hour before lunch that had South Africa A 81 for three at the interval.
Sinclair trapped Hamza lbw for 30, essaying a paddled-sweep, at the third ball in his third over, and Jordan bowled Keegan Petersen for nine when the batsman offered no stroke to a delivery moving back two balls before lunch.
After the interval, the Caribbean side had limited success when Brand, whose 50 came from 123 balls when he drove Lewis through cover for the fifth of his 14 fours, and David Bedingham knuckled down and grinded out a stand of 55 for the fourth wicket to stabilise the innings of the South Africans.
Lewis broke the stand when he trapped Bedingham LBW for 23, and the home team laboured to 173 for four at tea with Brand not out on 83.
After the break, three wickets—two to Jordan – in the span of 34 balls had South Africa reeling on 193 for seven before Brand decided to take matters into his own hands and tried to reach his hundred, which came from 202 balls when he drove Seales through wide mid-off for two.
Jordan got Clyde Fortuin caught behind for 20 and trapped Mihali Mpongwana for eight before Sinclair bowled Hardus Viljoen for an eight-ball duck.
Lewis got Brand caught at mid-wicket a few overs after he reached his milestone, and there was token resistance from the South Africans’ tail that helped to beef up their final total.
