SA vs WI Test: Who Will Have The Final Lough?

Both South Africa and West Indies have experienced ups and downs in their Cricket journeys for a long time. However, South Africa finally came good on the big stage and ended up as the T20 World Cup 2024 runner-up. Before that, they couldn’t show any significant performance for long. On the other hand, the West Indies have been struggling for a significant period and cannot perform convincingly. Though they have shown some signs of light in shorter versions, WI frequently performs poorly in the Royal Format, that is Test cricket.

A bilateral test is currently underway between the two teams on the West Indies soil and cricket fans are expecting a thrilling end today where both teams have the chance to win this match.

How the Match is Going So Far?

The weather has been interrupting the whole match; rain has affected each day, which threatens this test with a win or loss result. Besides, these scattered rains affect the pitch’s nature. Though the result was assumed to be a draw, the match is still thrilled with expectations of a result on the fifth day.

Well, see how things went in these four days:

Toss: The sky was cloudy, and the rain was inevitable. Yet, South Africa decided to bat first after winning the toss.

South Africa First Innings

South Africa couldn’t even focus earlier since only fifteen overs were played on the first day. The pitch was damp, and the ball’s movement was hard to grasp. Though they lost the wicket of Aiden Markram earlier, another opener, Tony de Zorzi, didn’t allow them to celebrate and carried his innings very carefully.

After the departure of Tristan Stubbs at only twenty, Temba Bavuma took the lead and batted very responsibly with Tony to keep the scoreboard running. Tony’s well-compiled 78 and Bavuma’s 86 helped South Africa hope for a good total. Besides them, Mulder’s unbeaten 41 also helped finish the innings at 357, which was challenging for West Indies considering the pitch condition.

For West Indies, Jomel Warrican took four wickets, and Jayden Seals took three, which obstructed South Africa from scoring a big total.

West Indies First Innings

The host team didn’t allow us to lose the wicket earlier, yet we couldn’t carry it for long! Brathwaite and Louis scored thirty-five before leaving the pitch, indicating a good chase for them.

Carty’s 42 of 81 balls also seemed reasonable as the South African bowlers struggled to get quick wickets. However, the fall of wickets became a regular event after that since no other batter of the West Indies could carry the innings for long after this.  Unfortunately, their innings ended up with only 233.

For South Africa, Keshav and Rabada led the bowling lineup, where Keshav took four wickets, and Rabada took three in this crucial situation. While Keshav got the advantage of the pitch as a spinner, Rabada’s intelligent bowling trapped the West Indian batters to throw their wickets before scoring the expected scores. 

South Africa Second Innings

Thus, South Africa went to bat for the second innings with a 124-run lead! But with time in hand and the continuous disturbance of rain, it was difficult, too! It was still the third day, but South Africa didn’t take any risks. They ended the fourth day with a thirty without loss, boosting the confidence of a happy ending!

The fifth day is still assumed to be a rainy one. Yet, South Africans wanted to score quick runs, which indicated that they still wanted to secure a win, not a lifeless draw! However, their efforts were outstanding! On the fifth day, both the openers continued hitting the balls and played line an ODI match! Tony’s 45 of 60 balls and Markram’s 38 of 48 balls left the foundation for it.

Later, Stubs’ stormy 68 of 50 balls showed how they were implementing their plan perfectly! In just twenty-nine overs, South Africa scored 173 runs for the loss of three wickets and then declared their innings! This indicates their hunger for a win since playing for a draw was a much easier choice! But, saying the innings and giving a target of 298 runs is still a risk!

Prediction for the Fourth Innings

Even after so many interruptions by the rain, ensuring a draw is challenging for the West Indies. If West Indies decides to play for a win, it will be too risky for them and can be ended up as a loss. However, they will likely try to keep the wickets and play for a draw.

West Indies may start the innings slowly, and if they can score at least 150-200 runs with a loss of less than four wickets, then they will take the risk of securing a win!

On this critical fifth day, Keshav is supposed to be South Africa’s key bowler. Like in the first innings, his turns will create much trouble for the West Indian batters, and the pitch condition is likely to be mysterious.

For the West Indies, the batters must be very careful and refrain from playing unnecessary shots. It should not be expected that all those who played well in the first innings will continue playing in that way in the second innings. Yet, Brathwaite, Luise, and Carty are to play the critical roles as they are the top-order batters.

Some Final Thoughts

No matter the result, the positive aspect we have already gotten from this match is the expected uncertainty on the fifth day of a test match! When the more extended version of cricket is assumed to lose its attraction, it is excellent for cricket to keep the charm till the last day. It is also true that without rain, it would not go till the previous day.

For West Indies, a win could have boosted their confidence, and for South Africa, a win is supposed to accelerate their journey. They already have achieved their best in the T20 World Cup this year, and this win could push them ahead in the battle of the Test Championship. Let’s expect that the rain doesn’t ruin the action on the last day and that the result, besides the draw, comes for either side.