Lack of big partnerships hurt West Indies in first South Africa T20I – Chase

West Indies suffered a heavy nine-wicket defeat against South Africa in the opening T20 International in Paarl, South Africa.
Stand-in Captain Roston Chase said the lack of big partnerships throughout the innings hurt West Indies, and as a result, the team only scored 173-7 in 20 overs. Apart from the 74-run partnership between Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell, the other batters had starts but did not capitalise.
“Credit to South Africa – they played very good cricket, restricted us to a below-par total, and then chased it well. We felt 170-odd was defendable, but we were really targeting something closer to 190 or 195. The lack of big partnerships hurt us – we got starts but didn’t convert them into substantial scores. In T20 cricket, it’s about taking calculated risks, but we had a few soft dismissals in the middle and missed that big 60 or 70 from one of the batters,” Chase said.
The all-rounder, Chase, also lamented the poor performances with the ball from the West Indies.
“With the ball, we started poorly in the powerplay, which allowed them to settle. The pitch wasn’t an issue for us, but we’re hoping for a quicker surface with more bounce at Centurion,” Chase explained.
Meanwhile, South Africa Captain Aiden Markram blazed an unbeaten 86 to lead his team’s dominant effort. He said his team performed well in all three departments.
“To be honest, the boys were very good in all departments, and it’s nice to start a series on a note like that. It was a proper team performance with the ball, and then with the bat, it didn’t need to be too much because the two guys who got in made it count on what turned out to be a very good wicket.”
“We actually bowled pretty well, and when you’re chasing 175, you think, ‘Sheesh, that’s a lot,’ which speaks volumes about how good the pitch was.” It played really well, and under lights, it came on even better, so it worked out nicely. I was really pleased with Ryan Rickelton – coming back into the squad and getting a second opportunity, he went about his role sensibly. Walking in outside the powerplay isn’t easy, but he handled the pressure well, backed his strengths, and it paid off. Overall, it’s great to be part of this group – we’ve got real depth, even with quality players not here, and after a few years of building, a lot of guys are putting their hands up. It’s a very good place for the national team to be,” Markram highlighted.
The second T20 between West Indies and South Africa will bowl off today, Thursday, January 29, at 12:00h local time.