GROS-ISLET: Dean Elgar’s five-hour job of the crease in compiling a priceless 77 raised South Africa in your depths 37 for three years into the relative comfort of 218 for five on the opening afternoon of the second Test against the West Indies on Friday.
SCORECARDElgar’s disciplined knock of 77, that spanned 237 deliveries and contained eight fours, was precisely what was demanded of their Proteas captain.
He’d noticed three wickets return at a rain-interrupted morning under gray skies and also on a seaming pitch at which the ancient sediment donated into the chunk beating the bat on several occasions.
His attentive personality contrasts sharply with the style of another left-hander from the tourists’ batting line-up using Quinton de Kock after on Test-best unbeaten 141 from the first Test with a likewise optimistic knock of 59 not out off 103 balls.
Their venture for the fifth wicket realised 79 conducts and finished after Elgar was fooled and siphoned from the smart medium-pace of all-rounder Kyle Mayers at the previous hour of this afternoon.
South Africa’s skipper had previously received strong aid from Kyle Verreynne at a fourth-wicket stand value 87.
Having missed out on a score of notice from his debut innings per week before, Verreyne awakened along with his campaign since the West Indies bowlers stuck with the plan of assault to a brighter day.
But they had been thwarted by the streamlined right-hander who finally dropped in the last over before tea to 27, obtaining a dim touch into an attempted hook Shannon Gabriel to get wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva to select the grab down the leg-side.
Heavily criticised after opting to bat on a seaming pitch at the first Test at exactly the identical place, house captain Kraigg Brathwaite didn’t hesitate to bowl first on winning the toss .
It was warranted with Gabriel, who missed the first Test by trauma, comparative newcomer Jayden Seales and older seamer Kemar Roach carrying a wicket each.
Gabriel had laboured by two Tests to get only 1 wicket against Sri Lanka from the last series three weeks before on placid pitches in Antigua.
However he enjoyed instant success in with Aiden Markram slashing in a brief, broad delivery until he’d scored to provide Roston Chase a comfortable catch at backward-point.
Keegan Petersen tried to repay in partnership with Elgar but edged a full-scale delivery from Seales for former priest Jason Holder to trap that the catch at second slip.
Rassie van der Dussen fought to get bat on ball and fell to his error of conclusion, offering no chance to Roach just because of his off-stump to be hauled back.
South Africa maintained exactly the identical group which thrashed the house side via an innings and 63 runs within three days in the first Test.
Nevertheless West Indies drafted in Gabriel set up of expert off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall.
Opening batsman Kieran Powell, that had been a concussion replacement for middle-order batsman Nkrumah Bonner, kept his position.
West Indies need to win this game to prevent an eighth successive Test series defeat into the Proteas because pulling victory in their historical first-ever Test game experience, a one off assembly in Barbados in 1992.