By Neil Manthorp.
South Africa lost their remaining five wickets inside the first 11 overs of the day as they slipped from a strong overnight position of 223-5 to 246 all out in their second innings, an overall lead of 262 on the third day of the second test against the West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana, on Saturday.
The West Indies require 263 in their second innings to win the match which will be the highest total of the match after South Africa made 160 in their second innings and the home side replied with 144.
At lunch the home side were 43-1 having lost opener Mikyle Louis (4) to a sharp catch at third slip by Wiaan Mulder off the excellent Kagiso Rabada
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite (17*) and Keacy Carty (15*) will resume after the lunch break with another 220 runs required for victory.
South Africa’s excellent sixth wicket partnership of 85 ended with the sixth ball of the morning when Wiaan Mulder was trapped lbw by left arm spinner Jomel Warrican’s skiddy arm ball without adding to his overnight 34 which included a pair of fours and sixes on the second evening.
Keshav Maharaj completed a hat-trick of ducks in the series with a tame chip to short midwicket against Jayden Seales but there was nothing soft about Seales’ fifth wicket, a magnificent late inswinger to Kyle Verreynne which swerved between bat and pad to hit the top of leg stump.
Verreynne’s potentially crucial 59 spanned 78 balls and included eight boundaries but the tourists needed a few more from their top scorer to set a fourth innings target in excess of 300, which was their target.
Rabada attempted to ‘dig in’ with six runs from 23 balls until Warrican (2-21) teased an outside from him with another slider, Kavem Hodge claiming a good, low catch at slip.
The 22-year-old Seales finished the innings with career-best figures of 6-61 from 18.4 overs when he held a brilliant, reflex catch off his own bowling to dismiss last man Nandre Burger for the third duck of the innings leaving first innings top scorer, Dane Piedt, unbeaten on seven.
Although South Africa began the final innings as favourites the West Indies were clearly buoyed by their excellent fightback and will certainly be confident about chasing the runs successfully.
The first test in Trinidad, robbed of almost 150 overs by rain, finished in a draw.
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Mikyle Louis, Keacy Carty, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wkt), Gudakesh Motie, Jomel Warrican, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger.