West Indies 145-4 at stumps in reply to the Proteas’ 357

Keshav Maharaj claimed three wickets in a marathon spell of 28 overs to reduce the West Indies to 145-4 in their first innings replying to South Africa’s 357 at the close of the third day’s play in the first test at the Queens Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Friday.

Maharaj (28-13-45-3) bowled opener Mikyle Louis (35) with the final ball before lunch to reduce the home side to 53-1 at the interval before trapping debutant Keacy Carty lbw for 42 and finding the edge of Alick Athanaze’s bat for Aidan Markram to take the catch at slip.

West Indies captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, led a stoic ‘go-slow’ response to South Africa’s total of 357 with grim 35 from 131 balls to lead his team to just 114-2 on the stroke of tea before he was carelessly run out by a direct hit from Wiaan Mulder at the non-striker’s end.

Carty’s innings was slightly more fluent with his 42 spanning 81 deliveries with five fours compared to his captain’s two fours and one, remarkably unexpected, off-driven six against Maharaj.

Keshav Maharaj stars with the ball for the Proteas by picking up three wickets today 👏

West Indies trail South Africa by 212 runs as day three comes to an end 🏏 pic.twitter.com/kBea2Wq8Ml

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) August 9, 2024

Kavem Hodge (11*) and Jason Holder (13*) will resume on the fourth morning with their team 212 runs in arrears but, on a pitch still stubbornly offering little assistance to any of the bowlers, and further rain forecast, prospects of a positive result appear to be diminishing.

Kagiso Rabada was unlucky not to pick up a wicket in 14 overs costing just 39 runs while Lungi Ngidi (11-5-21-0) and Wiaan Mulder (9-2-25-0) were similarly curmudgeonly.

South Africa added just 13 runs for their final two wickets at the start of the day as they advanced from their overnight 344-8 to 357 inside 20 minutes of an elongated, two-and-a-half hour first session to make up for lost time on the first day.

Rabada added a brace of boundaries before edging left arm spinner Jomel Warrican to ‘keeper Joshua da Silva to depart for 21 (4x4) and Ngidi (0) was bowled by fast bowler Jayden Seales leaving Mulder unbeaten on 41 from 85 balls with four fours and a six.

Warrican was the pick of the attack with 4-69 from 22 overs while Seales finished with 3-67 from 24.4 overs. Veteran seamer Kemar Roach took his career tally to 272 wickets with 2-53 from 20 overs.

Notorious ‘blocker’ Brathwaite faced 72 balls for his 13 before lunch collecting just a single boundary while the more adventurous Louis struck five boundaries against a toiling, four-man Proteas attack.

Opener Tony de Zorzi scored a patient 78 on the second day with captain Temba Bavuma top scoring with 86 from 182 deliveries on a slow, unresponsive pitch offering little assistance to any of the bowlers.

Tristan Stubbs (20), David Bedingham (29) and Kyle Verreynne (39) all made starts but were unable to reach 50.

Just 15 overs were possible on the rain-marred first day during which the tourists reached 45 for the loss of opener Aiden Markram (9).

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Mikyle Louis, Keacy Carty, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wkt), Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican

South Africa: Aidan Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.