West Indies v South Africa, 2014-15
Wisden's review of the first Twenty20 International, West Indies v South Africa, 2014-15
15-Apr-2015
At Cape Town, January 9, 2015 (floodlit). West Indies won by four wickets. Toss: South Africa.
The addition of Gayle pulled West Indies out of their downward spiral. He had performed similar tricks for various teams around the world, and his 77 from 31 balls was enough to seal their first win of the trip. South Africa's batsmen had frittered away promising starts: Rossouw's unbeaten 51 was the closest they came to a dominant performance in a sub-par total. Gayle ran only nine of his runs, and took such exception to a bouncer from 19-year-old Kagiso Rabada - a Lions team-mate in South Africa's domestic Twenty20 - that he slapped the next five deliveries he received from him for 66464. Imran Tahir finally removed Gayle, and four wickets tumbled for 17. But Pollard, another recent arrival, completed victory with a meaty mow through midwicket.
Man of the Match: C. H. Gayle.
The addition of Gayle pulled West Indies out of their downward spiral. He had performed similar tricks for various teams around the world, and his 77 from 31 balls was enough to seal their first win of the trip. South Africa's batsmen had frittered away promising starts: Rossouw's unbeaten 51 was the closest they came to a dominant performance in a sub-par total. Gayle ran only nine of his runs, and took such exception to a bouncer from 19-year-old Kagiso Rabada - a Lions team-mate in South Africa's domestic Twenty20 - that he slapped the next five deliveries he received from him for 66464. Imran Tahir finally removed Gayle, and four wickets tumbled for 17. But Pollard, another recent arrival, completed victory with a meaty mow through midwicket.
Man of the Match: C. H. Gayle.