The first game’s Player of the Match, Keshav Maharaj, trapped Gudakesh Motie right in front of him, and the hosts took an early lead of 97/7. Adding as many to their total would have been their hope in order to close the gap or, even better, take the lead and acquire the upper hand.
But it was all Shamar Joseph’s to do, as he was the last player in, joining Jason Holder, after Jommel Worrican and Jayden Seales left for 16 and 7-ball ducks, respectively. When there were runs to be scored, none of them hesitated to put runs in. At one point, in fact, they appeared so stable that the Proteas had to set up defensive fields for the batters in order to control the run flow.
The event that occurred an over before Holder’s half-century was what sparked the otherwise silent Providence Stadium crowd. Holder tucked a full delivery on the pads to deep backward square leg to mark his milestone. The West Indian innings, however, was short-lived as Joseph was dismissed for yet another leg before wicket, this time by Maharaj.
Tony de Zorzi was in a barren patch, managing only three runs in his last 34 deliveries after scoring 36 off 38. Gudakesh Motie fired Aiden Markram shortly after he turned fifty.
The Proteas had a far better start in their second essay than they had in the first. Jaydon Seales made a well-earned breakthrough, but
South Africa fell quickly from 134/2 to 139/5 during the overs 45 to 48 window, which was the catalyst for the collapse. Amidst the apparent possibility of yet another collapse, the visitors found comfort in the stand that separated Kyle Verreyne and Wiaan Mulder, the best bowler from the opening session.
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As the Test progresses to the “moving day,” or Day 3, more action is assured as the match remains tight with everything up for grabs for both sides. The final four overs of the day saw 26 runs go into the visitors’ account. Africa finished the day with 223/5. With three important wickets taken, Seales was the most effective bowler.
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