Shepherd, Joseph the stars as WI capture T20I series

TAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC):

Led by superb bowling from Romario Shepherd and Shamar Joseph, West Indies snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to upset South Africa by 30 runs and capture the three-match T20 International series with one match to spare.

After being sent in to bat, West Indies posted a commendable 179 for six in their 20 overs at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy yesterday.

Man-of-the-Match Shepherd and Joseph then triggered a middle-order collapse by sharing six wickets between them as South Africa was bowled out for 149 with two balls remaining in the contest.

The victory gave the home side an unassailable 2-0 series lead after they won the opening T20 on Friday by seven wickets.

However, South Africa looked on their way to levelling the series after they were given a spectacular start to the run chase by their top order.

Openers Ryan Rickelton (20) and Reeza Hendricks, who topscored with 44 from 18 balls, propelled them to 63 in less than five overs.

Hendricks was especially brutal on off-spinner Roston Chase, who he smashed for two sixes and two fours in his lone over that leaked 23 runs.

Joseph eventually made the breakthrough when he had Rickelton caught at deep backward square by Matthew Forde attempting a pull shot.

Shepherd then got the crucial wicket of Hendricks after he had lashed six fours and two sixes when he dragged a wide ball on to his stumps to leave the score 71-2 in the sixth over.

And even when Shepherd trapped South African captain Aiden Markram leg before wicket for 19, the visitors were still in control following a 43-run partnership between Tristan Stubbs and Rassie van der Dussen that carried them to 129-3 after 14 overs.

But in a shocking turn of events, South Africa capitulated, losing their last seven wickets for a mere 20 runs.

Stubbs failed to clear the long off boundary and was caught by substitute fielder Fabien Allen for 28 off spinner Akeal Hosein, and five runs later, Donovan Ferreira was stumped off the bowling of Gudakesh Motie as South Africa stumbled to 134 for five.

Hosein also accounted for van der Dussen (17), and when Bjorn Fortuin had his stumps shattered by Joseph, the visitors had crumbled to 144 for seven in the 17th over.

Shepherd returned to grab his third wicket when he had Patrick Kruger caught on the cover boundary by Shai Hope, and Joseph and Forde wrapped up the tail to seal the result.

Shepherd finished with 3-15 from his four overs, while Joseph had his best ever T20 figures of 3-31 from his four overs and Hosein chipped in with 2-25.

Earlier, after losing the toss and being sent in to bat on a flat, dry pitch, West Indies got a decent start from openers Alick Athanaze and Hope, with the pair adding 41 runs.

Athanaze became the first of three wickets for Lizaad Williams when he lobbed an attempted pull to midwicket to be out for 28.

Hope, who made a half-century in the opening T20, made 41 before he launched Patrick Kruger into the hands of van der Dussen at deep point.

Their dismissals led to a sharp decline in the run rate, with Nicholas Pooran taking 19 balls for his 19 runs and Roston Chase labouring to seven from nine balls.

However, captain Rovman Powell, who made 35, and Sherfane Rutherford (29) added 47 runs in five overs to help get the West Indies up to their eventual total.

Williams was the pick of South Africa’s bowlers with 3-36, and Kruger took 2-29,