Rovman Powell's whirlwind knock helped West Indies stun South Africa in rain-affected thrilling first T20I at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Saturday (March 25). In 11-over-a-side contest, South Africa rode on David Miller's blistering 48 off 22 to post a challenging total of 131/8 in their stipulated overs. In reply, after early jolts, Powell, who was acquired by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.8 crore for IPL 2023, ran riot with the willow (43 off 18) to script West Indies' stunning victory with three balls to spare.
In the first T20I of the three-match series Rovman Powell won the toss and elected to bowl first. In the meantime, rain threatened to play spoilsport, after which the game was curtailed to 11 overs per side. South Africa’s opening batsman Quinton de Kock was dismissed on the first ball, putting pressure on the hosts. However, Reeza Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw provided a good start and were followed by Aiden Markram, who scored 14 off 9 balls. David Miller played a brilliant innings of 48 runs off 22 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes. South Africa managed to post a total of 131/8 in 11 overs.
For West Indies, Sheldon Cottrell and Odean Smith took two wickets each, and Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd and Alzarri Joseph grabbed one scalp apiece.
West Indies started their chase aggressively, with Brandon King and Kyle Mayers hitting early boundaries. However, both were dismissed early, but Johnson Charles and Nicholas Pooran continued to score quickly. Powell played a match-winning innings of 43 off 18 balls with 1 four and 5 sixes, helping West Indies win the match by 3 wickets with 9 balls to spare.
For South Africa, Sisanda Magala took three wickets, while Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi bagged one scalp apiece.
Powell was declared the ‘Player of the Match’ for his brilliant knock, which led West Indies to a comfortable victory.
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