Published: Jan 29, 2015, 02:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Jan 29, 2015, 03:10 PM (IST)
South Africa beat West Indies by a margin of 131 runs in the final game of the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series at the Supersport Park in Centurion on Wednesday. Wayne Parnell was the chief destroyer of the West Indies, finishing with figures of 42 for four, with Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin top-scoring for the visitors with knocks of 50 and 40 respectively. South Africa had earlier finished on a total of 361 for five, with Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw propelling their side with blistering centuries.
West Indies won the toss and chose to put the hosts to bat. They were successful early in the innings as they got the the breakthrough of Quinton de Kock only in the second over of the innings by Jason Holder. Faf du Plessis came in at No.3 had a short stay at the crease as he was dismissed by Andre Russell when tried to play a hook short. Du Plessis was just 53 runs away from the 2,000 ODI runs landmark but could only add 16 runs before he walked back to the crease, as South Africa were struggling at .
It was Amla and Rossouw who once again joined hands in making the lives of the West Indian bowlers a living nightmare. The duo began on a steady note during the early phase of their partnership, with the first boundary after the fall of the second wicket occurring after more than eight overs. It was after South Africa crossed the 100-run mark that the two began to increase the tempo.
Amla and Rossouw brought up their respective centuries during the stand that was worth 247 runs, going ballistic towards the latter phase of the innings. After crossing the 252 run mark at the end of 36 overs, the Proteas smashed 109 runs in the remaining six overs of the innings at a run-rate of more than 18. Amla and Rossouw were dismissed on 133 and 132 respectively amidst the madness, with David Miller and JP Duminy adding valuable knocks to guide their side to a daunting total.
The target would be a daunting one for any side in the world, especially when facing a bowling attack such as South Africa’s. The presence of Chris Gayle in the batting lineup was supposed to give the visitors some reassurance of them finishing on a respectable score, if not chasing the total down. That however, was not to happen as Gayle departed off the very first ball of the match, attempting to cut a wide delivery by Kyle Abbott that resulted in an edge to the wicket-keeper de Kock.
Gayle’s dismissal was a huge blow for the West Indians, as the pressure now descended on Narsingh Deonarine and Dwayne Smith. The two did not show any signs of playing a defensive, going after the South Africa pacers and putting up a brisk 77-run stand for the second wicket in 74 balls. Aaron Phangiso came into the attack, and managed to get the breakthrough soon after as he trapped Smith leg-before on a score of 31 from 28 deliveries. Deonarine got caught in an awful mix-up a couple of overs later, resulting in a run out as West Indies lost their third wicket for 81 runs.
Marlon Samuels, who has proved to be a successful chaser for the West Indies on many an occasion, and Denesh Ramdin decided to keep the fight going for their side. The two did not hesitate from flexing their muscles on many an occasion as the boundaries kept coming for the visitors. Samuels soon brought up his 25th ODI half-century in 46 deliveries, which was assisted by four sixes and a solitary boundary. The tourists were cruising at 172 for three, before an attempt to smash an Abbott delivery towards the off side proved fatal for Samuels as he got his middle-stump uprooted, bringing an end to the 91-run partnership. Ramdin followed suit a few deliveries later as he was brilliantly caught by Amla at mid-on to depart on 40.
The dismissals of the two led to a major collapse, exposing a major chink in the West Indian middle-order, as the visitors were reduced to 196 for eight, with Andre Russell being the only batsman to put up a fight whatsoever with a cameo innings of 24 from 12 balls. Parnell decided to make full use of the short-ball weapon, picking up four wickets in the process. Darren Sammy delayed the inevitable with a brief innings of 27 off 25 deliveries, before playing a Farhaan Behardien delivery onto his stumps.
Brief scores:
South Africa 361 for 5 in 42 overs ( Hashim Amla 133, Rilee Rossouw 132; Andre Russell 3 for 85) beat West Indies 230 in 37.4 overs (Narsingh Deonarine 43, Dwayne Smith 31, Marlon Samuels 50, Denesh Ramdin 40; Wayne Parnell 4 for 42) by 131 runs.
Man of the Match: Rilee Rossouw.
Man of the Series: Hashim Amla
