Rabada five-for helps SA to innings make an impression on Windies
Kagiso Rabada completed a five-wicket haul as South Africa formalised their demolition of the West Indies by an innings and 63 runs just before the lunch interval on the third day of the first Test in St Lucia on Saturday.
Having taken just one single wicket in the first innings on day one when the house side were routed for 97 after choosing to bat first, Rabada led just how for the Proteas in the West Indies second innings with figures of five for 34.
It had been his 10th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. The Caribbean side, trailing on first innings by 225 runs and resuming from an overnight position of 82 for four, were dismissed for 162.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, with a Test-best unbeaten 141 in South Africa's only innings, was named man of the match.
Only Roston Chase, with a high score of 62, offered any meaningful resistance south African bowlers, another best effort being 14 from replacement opening batsman Kieran Powell, who came into the match on the first afternoon as a concussion replacement for middle-order batsman Nkrumah Bonner.
Ironically, along with Rabada bowled with the excellent support of Anrich Nortje, whose figures of three for 46 gave him seven wickets in the match, Chase's demise had not been to the fast bowlers but the spin of Keshav Maharaj.
Undone by a faster ball, Chase played on attempting a forcing shot.
It had been Maharaj's second wicket in quick succession after his first ball of your day accounted for Jason Holder, the former captain inexplicably offering no shot to a straight delivery.
Joshua da Silva became the 3rd West Indies batsman bowled offering no shot in the match.
Unsettled Da Silva
Struck painfully on the left elbow when he ducked into a short ball from Rabada, the wicketkeeper-batsman never looked settled thereafter and his off-stump went cartwheeling a few minutes later via an error of judgement.
West Indies were hopeful that the overnight pair of Chase and Jermaine Blackwood would have provided stern resistance but within half an hour these were separated, Blackwood mistiming a drive off Rabada to fall to a catch at mid-off for the seventh amount of time in his Test career.
Wickets fell regularly thereafter and it had been left to Nortje to place the seal on a near-perfect Test performance by the South Africans, Wiaan Mulder emphasising the wonderful work of the supporting slip cordon with another good catch.
"This was important for us after what has happened during the last couple of months and how we've slid down the rankings table," said a delighted South African captain Dean Elgar.
"We certainly won't get overly enthusiastic with this performance but it gives us a couple more days for rest and recuperation prior to the second Test."
That second and final Test starts on Friday at the same venue even though he would not venture into speculating about changes to his team for that match, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite remained insistent that his decision to bat first was the correct one.
"I know the conditions may have been problematic for batting, but I backed us to take care of it. Obviously we must come back more powerful for the second Test," said Brathwaite.
"I have to give credit to our bowlers, especially newcomer Jayden Seales. He's a particular talent and I hope he can continue to progress out of this experience."
