WI VS RSA - 1st T20I, South Africa tour of West Indies, 2024

We are done with the first game of the series. Windies have taken the lead. But expect the WC finalists to bounce back. They have less than 48 hours to do so. This is going to be a mouth watering series as both teams have some exceptional talent. We will be back soon with another game of cricket. Bye bye for now.

Rovman Powell: We bowled well in the powerplay. But we let them off after that. We looked a little rusty. As a bowling and fielding group, we need to concentrate on that. Lot of talk is about the next WC. But there is a lot of time for that. We need to play one game at a time. We have to stay in the moment.

Aiden Markram: The ball was coming nicely. Probably we were 10-15 runs short. They bowled superbly. Batting was challenging at the top. Was tacky upfront. Got better with time. They got off to a fantastic start as well. Maphaka is very young. Raw pace. He is here to compete and win games for SA. Fantastic signs for us a team.

Nic Pooran, Player of the Match: I felt Athanaze and Hope played well. Just had to set the game up. I took on my match ups. The first 10 overs were tricky when SA were batting. But Stubbs and Kruger played well. We always knew we had a chance.

19:18 Local Time, 23:18 GMT, 04:48 IST: Windies were ruthless. Athanaze and Hope set the stage ablaze. They hammered 75 in the first 6 overs and SA never recovered from that. Athanaze fell but Pooran came in. And he was just brutal. He smashed a sixer off Fortuin off the second ball he faced. Then he pulverized Burger by hitting him for 4 sixes off 4 balls. Hope fell after scoring his fifty but was too late by then. Powell struggled to get going but Pooran's rhythm was unmatched today and he finished with 65 off 26 balls. Baartman picked up two wickets and Maphaka showed some vigour. But SA were flat on the field and that didn't help them at all.

Kwena Maphaka to Roston Chase, FOUR, and it's all over. Windies take a 1-0 lead. This has been a hammering. Was angled down leg, Roston Chase stayed in his crease and nudged it fine for a four. Windies win by 7 wickets with 13 balls to spare. This is the highest successful chase for Windies at home in the last 7 years. Pooran is at the other end and he is more than chuffed...

Roston Chase, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Kwena Maphaka to Powell, out Caught by Patrick Kruger!! Taken by the man at cover. End of a poor knock from the skipper. He just failed to get going. Was a length delivery, looked to drive and couldn't keep it down. The man at cover took it easily. First wicket in this format for this young boy. First of many more to come. Powell c Patrick Kruger b Kwena Maphaka 7(15)

Kwena Maphaka to Powell, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Kwena Maphaka to Powell, no run, length delivery and has been patted back to the bowler

Kwena Maphaka to Powell, no run, stabs the ball down to point as that was a length delivery

Kwena Maphaka to Powell, no run, nails the yorker. Powell speared it in

Kwena Maphaka [3.0-0-21-0] is back into the attack

Ottneil Baartman to Powell, 1 run, the skipper will keep strike. 3 needed now. Rolled his wrists over the ball and pulled the ball down to deep square for a single

Ottneil Baartman to Pooran, 1 run, only 4 needed now. Pooran had a chance to finish it off. Slower, fuller, Pooran push drives it down to long-off. He wanted to lace that over long-off I guess

Ottneil Baartman to Powell, 1 run, 5 needed now. Was a short ball, pulled down to deep square for a single

Ottneil Baartman to Pooran, 1 run, one more shot and we should be done. Was chopped down to point who fumbled and allowed the single

Ottneil Baartman to Powell, 1 run, 7 needed now. Back to Pooran. Was a short ball and dabbed wide of the man at deep third man. The dive from the fielder helped

Ottneil Baartman to Pooran, 1 run, fans wanted a big hit. Only a single. Was a slower one, on the pads, nudged wide of short fine

Ottneil Baartman to Pooran, wide, and wided again. 9 needed now. Very full down leg and Pooran looked to heave it but misses