There wasn’t enough time for the West Indies to complete what would have been a spectacular victory over South Africa in Trinidad. On the last day, South Africa made an early declaration in an attempt to seal the series 1-0 and capture ten wickets quickly. Though Alick Athanaze in particular did a fantastic job at bat, the hosts ultimately had to settle for a draw despite creating the opportunity for the West Indies to win.
Trinidad Test Day 5 saw South Africa declare their innings at 173/3.
West Indies had a mountain to climb considering how poorly their batting unit performed in the opening innings, but they weren’t willing to settle for a draw, therefore they were convinced they could win. After losing a few early wickets, South Africa gained some momentum, but the Kraigg Brathwaite-led team rallied because to the efforts of Kacey Carty and Athanaze. The umpires declared the West Indies 201/5 after Athanaze scored 92 runs and Jason Holder scored 31* runs.
The players realised it wouldn’t be an easy challenge, but they were committed to winning, according to Brathwaite after the game. He said that they were following their plan and that Athanaze’s batting in the middle of the order was particularly effective.
“Happy with our intentions as a batting team. The boys had a really upbeat attitude. We thought we could win the runs. That wouldn’t be simple, we knew. We were fully committed to our game plan. I thought Alick (Athanaze) approached it well. And Keacy, too, all in on his intentions. In the post-game speech, Brathwaite remarked, “We were up for the challenge today.”
There are instances in which you must move quickly and those in which you must lay the groundwork. It all comes down to preparation and faith. It all comes down to trusting the plans. Hodge accomplished it in England, and Alick (Athanaze) demonstrated it for us. I have to praise the way he planned and adhered to it,” he continued.
Also Read: ‘Tried our best, wasn’t enough time in the end’ – Temba Bavuma after a level first Test matchup with the West Indies
The second Test match of the series is scheduled to start on August 15 at Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana. Brathwaite hinted that the starting eleven for the second test might alter in order to accommodate workload management.
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