South Africa: 343/4 (Amla 110, Du Plessis 73*, De Kock 71)
West Indies: 204 all out (Tahir 7/45, Shamzi 2/41)
South Africa won by 139 runs
HerschelleGibbs may soon have to hand over the key to the island of St Kitts handed to him after his 2007 World Cup record-breaking exploits to Imran Tahir after the Proteas leg-spinner spun his own bit of history on the tiny Caribbean island last night at Warner Park.
Tahir roared through the West Indies batting line-up to record the best bowling figures by a South African in an ODI with his 7/45 eclipsing Kagiso Rabada’s 6/16 achieved on debut just last year against Bangladesh in Dhaka. Tahir’s brilliance along with Hashim Amla’s 23rd ODI century propelled South Africa to the top of the Tri-Series table as the final third of this intriguing competition sails on to Barbados.
Besides the bucketful of tricks that Tahir possesses in his armoury in terms of his googlies, top-spinners and leg-breaks that had the West Indian batsmen perplexed last night, it is his irrepressible character that sets him apart from his peers. Tahir holds no fear of being struck for a boundary and also, more importantly, possesses the mental strength to come back after being hit for one. This was glaringly evident during last night’s magnificent spell as Tahir induced the breakthrough just when the West Indies openers were preparing an assault.
Undeterred by being smeared through mid-wicket by Johnson Charles two balls previously, Tahir showed that ice runs through his veins by luring Andre Fletcher into playing another big shot with a well-flighted delivery that unfortunately for Fletcher only travelled far enough to Farhaan Behardien who was patrolling the fence.
Tahir received a little help from his friends Tabraiz Shamsi, who looks like the genuine article with every passing outing, and Wayne Parnell after the opening dismissal upfront, but the evening soon enveloped into the “Immy Tahir Show” with the 37-year-old snaring six further wickets to also become the fastest South African to 100 ODI wickets in just 58 matches.
South Africa’s march to the top of the table though required the batsmen to also play their part, and it was Amla that followed up his comments in the lead-up to the match that it was the responsibility of the top-six to shoulder the responsibility with some strong actions of his own.
The former Test captain’s message was certainly delivered to the rest of his senior batting colleagues too with opening partner Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis following their former Test skipper’s lead with contrasting, but equally important half-centuries at either end of the innings.
With Amla timing his innings to perfection – his half-century came from just 37 balls and century off only 89 – it alleviated the pressure of having to set the pace that young De Kock often falls prey to. The more Amla found the boundary without any undue risk either through the covers off the front or back foot as the Windies bowlers offered up too much width outside the off stump, the more De Kock settled in and found his own rhythm.
The way the pair beautifully dovetailed off each other provided insight into why the 182-run partnership for the first wicket was already their eighth stand in excess of 100 together. With De Kock still only 23 and Amla (33) harbouring intentions of playing through to the next World Cup in 2019 the potential for the duo to become South Africa’s most successful opening partnership in ODI’s ever looms large.
When Amla, who also passed 1000 ODI runs against the West Indies, was eventually dismissed caught at long-off a few balls after reaching the three-figure milestone, the dinner table could not have been set any more delectably for captain AB de Villiers to feast at.
With the West Indies attack De Villiers’s favoured dish too as the “Pink ODI” at the Wanderers and World Cup group match at the SCG last year can attest to when the skipper tore up the record books faster than Usain Bolt, it was a surprise to see lanky all-rounder Chris Morris stride to the crease at No 3 with 16.5 overs remaining in the innings.
The Proteas team management often get criticised for their lack of tactical nous and game awareness, but coach Russell Domingo and his team pulled the correct joker out of the pack on this occasion. Throughout this Tri-Series teams have struggled to accelerate the innings during the last 15 overs, especially if there was a fresh batsman at the crease who had not yet acclimatised to the conditions.
Morris’s insertion gave him the license to attack the Windies bowlers during this critical period of the game. Although South Africa lost De Kock shortly after Amla’s dismissal to a brilliant yorker from Jerome Taylor that uprooted the left-hander’s off stump, it had no impact on Morris’s gameplan as the all-rounder continued to play with the freedom of a millionaire as he rattled along to 40 off just 26 balls (2x4, 2x6).
De Villiers eventually came to the crease at No 5 – after Du Plessis – and swung for the fences from the outset. An entertaining cameo ensued with De Villiers striking a rapid 27 from just 19 balls (1x4, 2x6), but that was the mere sprinkles on the sundae compared his old schoolboy bunk partner Du Plessis’s cavalier 73 not out from a mere 50 balls (6x4, 2x6).
Best South African bowling figures in ODIs
1. Imran Tahir: 7/45 vs West Indies, St Kitts 16 June 2016
2. Kagisa Rabada: 6/16 vs Bangladesh, Dhaka 10 July 2015
3. Makhaya Ntini: 6/22 vs Australia, Cape Town 3 March 2006
4. Allan Donald: 6/23 vs Kenya, Nairobi 3 October 1996
5. Shaun Pollock: 6/35 vs West Indies, East London 24 Jan 1999 - Independent Media