In a resounding display of batting prowess, the West Indies cruised to a seven-wicket victory over South Africa in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Brian Lara Stadium. The hosts’ triumph was primarily fueled by a scintillating innings from Nicholas Pooran, who showcased his destructive hitting capabilities to seal the deal.
Tristan Stubbs’ heroics go in vain
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, South Africa posted a competitive total of 174/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Tristan Stubbs top-scored with a 42-ball 76, laced with 8 fours and 3 sixes, to rescue the visitors from a precarious position at 42/5. However, the West Indies bowlers, led by Matthew Forde (3/27) and Akeal Hosein (2/22), kept the South African batters in check for the majority of the innings.
Also READ: WATCH: Nicholas Pooran launches a massive 113-meter six out of the park in The Hundred 2024
Nicholas Pooran’s blitzkrieg seals emphatic victory
In response, the West Indies openers Alick Athanaze (40) and Shai Hope (51) provided a solid start, adding 84 runs for the first wicket. However, the introduction of spin from the South African bowlers slowed down the run rate, and the hosts found themselves at 138/3 in the 14th over. Enter Pooran, who took the attack to the opposition bowlers, smashing 7 fours and 2 sixes in his unbeaten 65 off just 26 balls. His onslaught, along with a steady 7 off 15 balls from captain Rovman Powell, helped West Indies chase down the target with 13 balls to spare.
Kwena Maphaka makes history as youngest debutant
South Africa’s woes were compounded by the absence of their ace pacer Lungi Ngidi, who was ruled out of the series with a calf strain. The visitors handed a debut to 18-year-old Kwena Maphaka, who became the youngest-ever player to represent South Africa in a T20I. Maphaka picked up Powell’s wicket in his 3.5 overs, but it was not enough to prevent a West Indies victory.
Pooran adjudged Player of the Match
For his match-winning knock, Pooran was adjudged the Player of the Match. The left-hander’s onslaught showcased his immense batting prowess and ability to turn the game on its head in a matter of overs. The two teams will now head for the all-important second T20I on Sunday, August 25, on the same ground with West Indies leading the series 1-0.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Kwena Maphaka becomes the youngest player to make an international debut for South Africa (18 years and 137 Days) 🙌🏏#cricket #WIvSA #KwenaMaphaka #southafricacricket #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/1MQ5bhKdNO
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) August 24, 2024
42/5 to 176/7
23(21) to 76(42)
Stubbs Nation Where r we!!! We got an innings underpressure 🤩🤩🤩🥵🥵🥵🥵#WIvsSA pic.twitter.com/0qbPK2vEUx
— SM⁶³ (@LongOff_____) August 24, 2024
An easy win for West Indies in first Match. #WIvsSA #SAvsWI pic.twitter.com/Kovec5ndPp
— Muhammad Irfan 🇦🇺 (@IrfiLuck) August 23, 2024
7️⃣ Maximums, 2️⃣ Fours 💪🏾
Four consecutive 6️⃣s in one over 🔥
An unbelievable performance from Nicholas Pooran#WIvSA #T20Fest #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/QGlh5f6RwZ
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) August 23, 2024
Nicholas Pooran is in full savage mode!🔥😤 #WIvSA
12th Over :- 0 , 1 , 6 , 6 , 6 , 6 pic.twitter.com/TsUTewm0ml
— JD CriCo (@Gaurav_05Kumar) August 24, 2024
Baffling hitting by the #WestIndies or maybe that’s not even the word since we are used to their white ball short form exploits. Good win. Important win. Kudos to Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran. Powerful knocks
But spare a thought for #TristanStubbs #Windies #Proteas pic.twitter.com/rOJqZK35oF
— Cricket Chronicle (@caughtatpoint17) August 24, 2024
Want to dominate a tricky chase? Call Nicholas Pooran 📞 #WIvSA #NICHOLAS #NicholasPooran pic.twitter.com/E2Yjsjgo6a
— Hamza Chaudhary (@Its_HamzaAshfaq) August 24, 2024
Biggest beast of the T20 cricket 💀
65* 26 2 7 against RSA in 1st T20Is
Nicholas Pooran @nicholas_47 ❤️🔥#WIvRSA pic.twitter.com/7Udj65FNA9
— 𝐀𝐧𝐦𝐨𝐥 (@anmolr14) August 23, 2024
Nicholas Pooran – A Special talent ,played a magnificent knock of 67 in just 26 deliveries with 2 fours and 7 maximum and win the game for westindies #RSAVSWI pic.twitter.com/SprNVXa90Y
— Rajeev Ranjan (@CenaHrithik) August 23, 2024
Nicholas Pooran is one of the most talented cricketers to come out of the Caribbean.
— Philasande Sixaba (@psixaba) August 23, 2024
Power. Aggression. Muscle.
West Indies take a 1-0 series lead in true West Indian style 🔥
Controlled aggression!
A timely 4th T20I half century! Of #Nicholaspooran#WIvSA #T20Fest
| #WIvSA#WIvSA pic.twitter.com/RaZT7zHS15
— Ravi Soni (@Ravisonime) August 23, 2024
Also READ: Here are the updated WTC 2023-25 rankings after South Africa’s win over West Indies in Guyana Test
For latest cricket news & updates, visit CricketTimes.com.
