Proteas crushed again as Windies sweep T20 series

The West Indies received a full boost of confidence on Sunday night, earning a crushing victory over South Africa to sweep their three-match T20 International series on the eve of the T20 World Cup.

Looking for a consolation win in Kingston, the Proteas were thumped by eight wickets with 37 balls to spare as their hosts wrapped up a 3-0 series triumph.

After choosing to bat, the second-string Proteas were carried by stand-in captain Rassie van der Dussen, who hit 51 runs off 31 balls as they compiled 163/7.

The West Indies bowlers were on form, however, led by Obed McCoy’s 3/39, and the Proteas total ultimately fell well short.

West Indies innings

Chasing 164 to win, the West Indies charged to 165/2 in the 14th over of their innings.

They were anchored by opening batters Johnson Charles (69 off 26) and Brandon King (44 off 28), who shared 92 runs to lay a solid foundation.

Van der Dussen admitted the tourists had struggled in challenging conditions, with a few uncapped players in the national squad.

‘Taught a lesson’

“We just couldn’t adapt early enough. We had a long week in terms of layovers in Miami and so forth, and I think we saw that in the first match, but you can’t keep making the same mistakes. It’s no excuse,” the skipper said.

“I think we just got taught a lesson on how to play in Caribbean conditions, especially on the bowling front. They were difficult wickets to bat on and I think they just upskilled us, especially with the ball.”

Half the Proteas squad will now return home, while the other half will link up with the rest of the T20 World Cup group in the United States, in preparation for their first match of the global showpiece against Sri Lanka next week.