Guyanese off-spin bowler and all-rounder Kevin Sinclair and pace-bowler Shamar Joseph starred for West Indies ‘A’ recently as they snatched eight wickets combined to dismiss South Africa ‘A’ For 274 on the third and decisive “Test” match at the Mangaung Oval, South Africa.
West Indies ‘A’ won the opening match by one wicket at Willowmoore Park in Benoni and South Africa ‘A’ rebounded to win the second match by 232 runs at Buffalo Park in East London, the series is tied 1-1.
Sinclair ended with five for 44 from 14.4 overs and Joseph supported with 3 for 65 from 15 overs. Grenadian pacer Shermon Lewis 2 for 68 from 13 overs to give the Caribbean side a strong start.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first South Africa A openers Neil Brand and Raynard van Tonder posted 62 and 25 respectively. Zondo hit the top score of 70, Zubayr Hamza made 30, Clyde Fortuin added 25 each, and Hardus Viljoen got 24.
West Indies A toiled for more than an hour-anda-quarter before Joseph made the breakthrough when he got opener van Tonder caught behind down the leg-side.
Lewis gave the Caribbean side another reason to celebrate three overs later when he got David Beddingham and South Africa A were 69 for 2.
The South Africans reached 102 for 2 at lunch, then Hamza joined Brand, to put on 51 for the third wicket.
Joseph broke the stand in his eighth over when he got Hamza caught behind, top edging an ill-advised cut, and he followed up in his next over with Brand being caught at second slip, and the home team stumbled to 129 for 4.
Zondo then joined in and batted purposefully to reach his 50 from 77 balls to carry South Africa ‘A’ past 200.
A 68-run stand for the eighth wicket between Zondo and Viljoen helped to beef up the total before the last three wickets fell for no runs in the span of seven balls.
In reply, West Indies A lost opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul for just three when he was caught in the slips off pacer Duanne Olivier in the fifth of the eight overs. Windies ‘A’ reached 17 for one at the close with opener Zachary McCaskie not out on 12 and left-hander Kirk McKenzie not out on two.
