De Kock leads South Africa to series win over West Indies
Quinton de Kock celebrated his 100th Twenty20 international with a century as he powered South Africa to a seven-wicket victory over the West Indies on Thursday. De Kock hit a career-best 115 off 49 balls with a borrowed bat from Dewald Brevis. Ryan Rickelton finished the rout with a career-best 77 not out off 36.
The left-handers battered the West Indies for 162 runs in 11.5 overs. Together, they had South Africa flying at 12 runs per over. “Special to watch,” South Africa captain Aiden Markram said. “Quinny put on a great show for the crowd. Ricks flies under the radar but to get us home back to back is a good effort from him.” The West Indies made a hefty 221-4 but South Africa cruised to 225-3 with 15 balls to spare.
The target didn’t faze the Proteas. They chased down 258 against the West Indies on the same ground in 2023, led by de Kock’s 100, his only previous T20 century. After losing five straight bilateral T20 series, South Africa gave coach Shukri Conrad his first T20 series win as they clinched it 2-0 with a match to spare. That third match is on Saturday, then both teams head to the T20 World Cup starting next week in India and Sri Lanka.
De Kock was rested from the first T20, where Markram hit 86 not out in a nine-wicket win chasing 174. The captain made only 15 this time but de Kock, who was on 6, took up the mantle and launched sixes against five of the six West Indies bowlers. He brought 50 up in 21 balls and got to 100 off 43. He was going for a third consecutive six off Akeal Hosein when he miscued to mid-off and was out after smashing 10 sixes and six boundaries.
Rickelton was dropped on 17 and happy to play second fiddle to de Kock. He had just got to his fifty off 25 balls when de Kock left then finished the match in a rush. Rickelton hit nine boundaries and three sixes. The West Indies made only one change after the first T20, bringing in captain, wicketkeeper and opening batter Shai Hope. But he was out for 4 from a nick behind.
That brought in Shimron Hetmyer, who overtook opener Brandon King en route to a 30-ball fifty, two days after hitting 48 in Paarl. Their partnership of 126 ended when King was caught on the boundary on a 30-ball 49. Hetmyer was fourth out after a 42-ball 75, 50 of them from boundaries. Sherfane Rutherford then blasted 57 in an unbroken stand of 76 with Romario Shepherd, who made 17. Spinner Keshav Maharaj was the pick of the South Africa bowlers with 2-22.
