South Africa took control after the second day of play

EraSouth Africa leads West Indies by 239 runs on the second day of the second Test match in Georgetown, Guyana on Friday. With three days left in the match, the visitors are ready to go for a win that will clinch them the two-match series.

The tourists finished at 223 for 5, helped by brilliant half-centuries from Aiden Markram and Kyle Verreynne, and they looked set to build up a strong advantage after a low-scoring first two innings.

The home team resumed the match on Friday morning at 97-7 and scored another 47. Jason Holder remained unbeaten on 54 as West Indies were all out for 144, 16 runs behind.

Jomell Warrican was out after pitching 5 innings. Jayden Seales was out after pitching 7 innings, but also scoreless. The two faced a total of 23 pitches.

Sharma Joseph was a staunch partner to Holder. The duo posted a partnership of 104-9, with Joseph scoring 25 runs off 27 balls, including four fours and a six. The 40-run partnership was the second-highest in the home team’s innings, behind the 41-run partnership between Holder and Gurdakesh Moti late on the first day.

Holder hit a six and achieved a personal milestone as he scored 54 off 88 balls. He hit six fours and a maximum. His 54 was his 14th half-century in Test cricket, which took his scores to 3,073 runs at an average of 30.12.

According to ESPNcricinfo, in eight matches against South Africa, the 32-year-old Holder scored 299 runs at 27.18. He hit his second fifty against South Africa. Meanwhile, in 35 home matches, Holder scored 1,853 runs at 39.42 (50s: 9, 100s: 2).

Wiaan Mulder led South Africa’s bowling attack with figures of 4-32. Nandre Burger contributed with figures of 3-49 while Keshav Maharaj took 2-8 in 5.4 innings and Kagiso Rabada took 1-40 in 16 overs.

On the first day, the Providence pitch was full of energy and helpful to the fast bowlers, but on the second day, the West Indies bowling attack seemed to have little effect. On a sweltering day in Providence, they bent over in vain.

Markram and Tony De Zorzi scored 79 in the first innings before De Zorzi was dismissed by Jayden Sears for 39. Sears also scored 24 for Tristan Stubbs and kept David Bedingham out. He finished as the top bowler for West Indies with figures of 3-52.

Between Sears’ two overs, Moti also scored two more. The wily spinner bowled Markram with the score at 120-2. He bowled Temba Bavuma for just four runs, with Bavuma on 134-3, and it was Stubbs who came up next.

After Bedingham were bowled out at 136-5, Vereen and Mulder steadied the ship with an unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership of 84 runs, the biggest score of the series. They would continue their run on Saturday morning, with Vereen scoring 50 and Mulder 34. (Task Force)