Tarouba (Trinidad): Former skipper Nicholas Pooran and opener Shai Hope's fifties powered the hosts - West Indies beat the formidable South African side comprehensively by seven wickets and 13 balls to spare in the first T20I of the three-match series at Brian Lara Stadium here on Friday.
The Caribbean side was ruthless as the new opening pair of Alick Athanaze and Hope set the stage ablaze, smashing 84 runs within the first eight overs. The duo made the most use of the powerplay, hammering 75 runs inside the powerplay and the Proteas never recovered from that as Windies chased down the target in just 17.5 overs, which also marked their highest-ever run chase in T20Is in the last seven years.
The most boundaries to go with the most runs for West Indies in T20Is!👏🏿🙌🏾#WIvSA #T20Fest pic.twitter.com/UDjf5ridw0
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) August 24, 2024
Chasing 176 Windies lost their first wicket when Athanaze, who missed out on a well-deserved half-century, fell on 40 off 30 balls, but then Pooran came in and he was just brutal. He smashed a maximum off Bjorn Fortuin off the second ball he faced in his swashbuckling innings. He continued to showcase his power-hitting ability as he pulverized left-arm pacer Nandre Burger by smacking him for four sixes off four balls.
Hope lost his wickets soon after completing his fifty, but the damage was already done by then. Skipper Rovman Powell struggled to get going but Pooran's rhythm was unmatched and he finished with 65 off 26 balls. He smashed a couple of boundaries and seven sixes in his brutal innings, becoming the player with most boundaries for West Indies in T20Is.
For South Africa, Ottneil Baartman claimed two wickets and rising sensation Kwena Maphaka showed some vigour. But the Aiden Markram-led side was flat on the field and that didn't help them at all.
Earlier, being asked to bat first, the Proteas didn't have a perfect start as they lost five wickets in the first 8 overs with pacers Matthew Forde and Shamar Joseph picking up two wickets each. However, it was Tristan Stubbs' fabulous innings and well supported by Patrick Kruger, who was playing his second T20I game, who stitched a much-needed partnership to take the side to a defendable total. Stubbs hammered 78 off 42 balls with eight fours and three maximums while Kruger amassed 44 off 32 balls with four boundaries and two sixes.
The second T20I is scheduled to be played on August 26 at the same venue. The 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up will aim to make a comeback in the series while the hosts will look to seal the series.
