SA vs WI: Quinton de Kock’s explosive century propels South Africa to historic win
The second T20I between South Africa and West Indies ended up being one for the ages. After winning the first match of the series, Windies looked to clinch the series, and they started the game as they meant to go on.
Batting first, the West Indies got off to a decent start as Kyle Mayers scored 51 runs in 27 deliveries. However, it was the knock of Johnson Charles that was integral for the visitors. Charles scored a fabulous 118 runs in just 46 deliveries and propelled the West Indies to a massive total of 258 runs. The magnitude of his explosive innings can be understood by the fact that out of 118 runs, 106 runs came through boundaries. He smacked 11 sixes and 10 fours, respectively.
Marco Jansen and Wayne Parnell were the only two-wicket takers for South Africa, as the pair took three and two wickets, respectively. Coming in to bat, South Africa had a mountain to climb if they wanted any chance at levelling the series at 1-1. West Indies were soaring high after a fabulous first innings and looked for a similar performance with the ball in the run chase.
Quinton de Kock came in clutch for South Africa
As the Proteas came in to bat, a target of 259 runs looked unattainable; however, the veteran batter, Quinton de Kock, showed just why he is revered as one of the best batters in world cricket.
The 30-year-old scored a brilliant 100 runs in just 44 deliveries to give South Africa just the start that they needed in the game. Reeza Hendricks also came through as a dependable batting partner for de Kock, scoring 68 runs in 28 deliveries. After the Proteas’ openers pretty much finished the game after the first 15 overs, skipper Aiden Markram played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 38 runs to seal the game as South Africa won the second T20I by six wickets.
After a brilliant batting performance, the West Indies were unable to replicate their exploits during the run chase. As the series is level (1-1), both teams have everything to play for in the third game. South Africa takes on the West Indies for the third and final T20I of the series on Tuesday, March 28 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
