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Windies seeking to improve Test record at Providence, as second match bowls off today
West Indies vs. South Africa 2nd Test at Providence….
South Africa will be entering today’s game at Providence full of confidence despite a drawn outcome last game.
Kaieteur Sports – Test cricket returns to the Guyana National Stadium Providence after more than a decade, with the West Indies looking to secure a victory against the visiting South Africans, following their competitive, drawn first match played in Trinidad & Tobago.
International cricket once again graces the Providence Stadium after more than a decade of absence at the venue. The Windies young core of batsmen gained tons of confidence after pulling off an empathic draw in the last game, with a shift to the more spin-friendly Providence venue likely to host another competitive battle.
Both teams put in some work yesterday at Providence, with the Windies utilizing the morning session to do some outfield simulations and training, while the South Africans engaged in similar activities during the afternoon sessions.
With relatively young sides doing battle, West Indies have a slight edge when compared to having a few more seasoned players at their disposal. During the last game, it was Alick Athanaze’s second innings 92 which inspired the draw, while Keacy Carty, Mikyle Louis and Kaveem Hodge showed glimpses of form during the first innings.
West Indies had a good last game with the ball, as their wickets were shared between both spinners and pacers, led by spinner Jomel Warrican who finished with 6 wickets overall. However, with veteran fast-bowlers Kemar Roach and Jason Holder getting a few scalps under their belts, today’s second encounter could see the seasoned duo leading from the front.
On the South African side, Captain Temba Bavuma will be keen on picking up where he left off with his 86 steadying his team in the last game. Outside of Bavuma, South Africa will rely heavily on opener Aiden Markram, hard-hitting Tristan Stubbs and opener Tony De Zorzi, who cracked 78 and 45 in the Queen’s Park Oval game.
The young in-form Windies core of batsmen will be key for the remainder of the series.
All-rounder Wiaan Mulder, new glove-man Kyle Verreynne and David Bedingham all looked good as they continue to build on their international Test careers heading into today’s match. Bowling-wise, both teams will fancy themselves especially with a few seniors in the mix, with Holder, Roach and Jayden Seales leading the Windies seamers.
Warrican and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who will be playing on his home ground, will be tasked with carrying the West Indies spin assignments. South African world-class pacer Kagiso Rabada is three wickets away from 300 Test victims, while veteran spinner Keshav Maharaj will be on a mission to continue bagging wickets with medium-pacer Lungi Ngidi gaining confidence from his wickets in the previous outing.
Other moves could see West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph being brought into the XI for his first Test at home. Prior to this match, Providence hosted just 2 Test matches with the last being almost 13 years ago. West Indies’ record at the venue is currently 1-1 after losing to Sri Lanka by 121 runs in 2008, before beating Pakistan by 40 runs in 2011.
Action bowls off at 10:00hrs.
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