Imran Tahir, Hashim Amla star as South Africa rout West Indies by 139 runs in Match 6 of Tri-Nation series

Imran Tahir became the first South African bowler to take seven wickets in an ODI

A 110 from Hashim Amla and a 7-for from Imran Tahir meant South Africa beat West Indies by 139 runs at St Kitts, and in the process, earn a valuable bonus point. Having scored 343 batting first, South Africa managed to clean up the West Indian batsmen for 204 in 38 overs. Tahir’s figures of 7 for 45 not only won his team the match, but also put him on top for the best figures by an South African in an ODI match. With this win, South Africa go on top of the standings in the tri-series, one point ahead of Australia. West Indies on the other hand are two points behind them. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: West Indies vs South Africa, 6th ODI Match

Having seen their opponents post 343 while batting, the West Indian openers got off to a flier, with Johnson Charles looking in fine touch. Having scored 69 in the first nine overs, they were dealt with a blow as Tahir removed Andre Fletcher for 21. The first wicket triggered the collapse as soon Charles and Darren Bravo followed suit.

Last match’s star Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin tried to recover the situation, but their 31-run stand was broken as Shamsi removed Ramdin for 11. Soon, Samuels was removed for 24 by Tahir, leaving West Indies stranded at 128 for 5.

Kieron Pollard and skipper Jason Holder did manage to weather the storm for some time, but their 41-run stand was broken by Tahir, who took three wickets in an over to end any chances of Windies comeback.

Earlier, a brilliant 110 from Amla and pair of 70’s from Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis helped South Africa post a massive 343 on the board. Having been put into bat, Amla and de Kock formed a brilliant 182-run partnership which was catalyst to the cause.

Despite both the openers being removed in quick succession, Chris Morris and du Plessis played breathtaking knocks to put the icing on the cake. Morris scored a 26-ball 40 and du Plessis scored 50-ball 73 as South Africa reached well beyond the 300 run mark.

Brief Scores: South Africa 343 for 4 (Hashim Amla 110, Faf du Plessis 73*; Kieron Pollard 2 for 64) beat West Indies 204 all out (Johnson Charles 49, Marlon Samuels 24; Imran Tahir 7 for 45) by 139 runs

FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: West Indies vs South Africa, 6th ODI Match

About the Author