South Africa vs West Indies 3rd T20, Online Event, March 2023, Watch live

On Wednesday, March 2, 2022, South Africa and West Indies faced off in the third T20 match of their five-match series at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, South Africa. South Africa went into the match with a 2-1 lead and were looking to seal the series with a win, while West Indies were hoping to keep their hopes alive with a victory.

TUESDAY, 28 MARCH 2023
TIME: 7:30 PM ET
TIME: 3:30 PM GMT

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South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first, which was a surprising decision considering the dew factor later in the game. The home team got off to a poor start, losing opener Janneman Malan in the very first over to West Indian pacer Obed McCoy. However, the South African skipper, Temba Bavuma, and Aiden Markram steadied the innings with a solid partnership of 72 runs.

Bavuma played a captain’s knock, scoring 46 off just 33 balls, including six boundaries, before falling to Allen in the 10th over. Markram continued to play well and brought up his half-century, but he was soon dismissed by McCoy for 70 off 48 balls.

South Africa lost a few quick wickets in the middle overs, with Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, and Andile Phehlukwayo all failing to make an impact. However, the lower order batsmen, Dwaine Pretorius and Bjorn Fortuin, provided the much-needed boost towards the end of the innings, with Pretorius smashing 25 off just 13 balls and Fortuin scoring an unbeaten 15 off 9 balls.

South Africa finished their innings at 167-8 in 20 overs, which seemed like a decent total given the slow nature of the pitch. Obed McCoy was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies, taking 3 wickets for 25 runs in his four overs.

In response, West Indies got off to a disastrous start, losing their top three batsmen for just 14 runs in the first three overs. The South African fast bowlers, led by Anrich Nortje, were on fire, consistently hitting the right lengths and making it difficult for the West Indian batsmen to get going.

Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard tried to resurrect the innings with a partnership of 51 runs, but their efforts were in vain as both of them fell in quick succession, leaving the visitors in deep trouble at 80-6 in the 13th over.

Fabian Allen and Jason Holder tried to take the game deep with a partnership of 38 runs, but the asking rate had climbed to over 14 runs per over by then, making it almost impossible for West Indies to win. Eventually, they were bowled out for 122 in 19.2 overs, giving South Africa a comfortable victory by 45 runs.

Anrich Nortje was named the player of the match for his exceptional bowling performance, taking 4 wickets for just 25 runs in his four overs. The South African fast bowler consistently bowled at over 150 km/h and was unplayable at times, picking up crucial wickets at regular intervals.

It was a disappointing performance by West Indies, who failed to put up a fight against the South African bowling attack. Their top order collapsed once again, leaving too much pressure on the middle and lower order batsmen. The absence of their star all-rounder, Andre Russell, continued to hurt the team, as they lacked the firepower in the middle order.

For South Africa, it was a dominant performance, with both bat and ball. The top order batsmen played well to provide a solid foundation, while the lower order provided the much-needed impetus towards the end.

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