5 big takeaways from South Africa-West Indies Test series
South Africa picked up their 10th Test series on the bounce with their victory against the West Indies in the second Test to bolster their standing in the 2023-25 World Test Championship.
Keshav Maharaj was the star of the match as he became South Africa's most successful spinner, taking his tally to 171 Test wickets, including the five wickets in this match. Such was his impact that he overshadowed West Indies' resilience, which was headlined by an outstanding performance by Jayden Seales.
The West Indies were very much in with a chance, but Dane Piedt and Wiaan Mulder chipped in with a couple of wickets as the hosts were knocked over 222 in a thrilling finish.
Five big takeaways from South Africa-West Indies Test series
#5 Tristan Stubbs can be a good number 3
This was a new role for Tristan Stubbs who had made a mark as an attacking lower-order batter in the shortest format.
He looked at ease in both matches and showed his adaptability to different conditions. He played an attacking innings in the second innings of the first Test - 68 off 50 - to give South Africa a shot at victory.
In the second match, he looked solid in testing conditions and chipped in with scores of 26 and 24 in both the innings. The South African management wants to give Stubbs a long rope in the format, so his performances will certainly enthuse them.
#4 Jayden Seales finds his groove
Jayden Seales showed why he's rated very highly by former players. He was the standout pacer in the second Test at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. After picking up three wickets in the first innings, he continued his fine form with remarkable figures of 6-61 in the second innings.
He now holds the joint second-best figures by a West Indies bowler at home against South Africa. Curtly Ambrose tops the list with 6-34 in Bridgetown (1992), while Courtney Walsh had recorded 6-61 in Port of Spain (2001).
This is some elite company Seales finds himself in, so the management will hope that the young pacer goes from strength to strength.
#3 Gudakesh Motie coud be a bowling all-rounder
The left-arm spinner showed his class during the England tour and continued to impress in home conditions. He picked up three wickets in the second Test but showed good promise with the bat.
After Jayden Seales ensured West Indies could realistically go after the classic, Motie combined with Joshua Da Silva to put on 77 for the seventh wicket and pulled West Indies out of the hole when they were struggling at 104-6.
There could be improvements made to his bowling and batting, but Motie showed the temperament to stand tall and make his presence felt.
#2 Kyle Verreynne establishes himself as a proper wicketkeeper batter
Kyle Verreynne has established himself as a proper wicketkeeper batter in the South African batting order. In a series where bowlers were dominant, Verreynne was very neat behind the stumps and always chipped in with handy runs lower down the order.
In the second Test, South Africa got off to a solid start, as the openers put on 79 for the first wicket. However, the middle order couldn't continue the momentum.
It needed half-centuries from Aiden Markram and Kyle Verreynne followed by an unbeaten 84-run sixth-wicket partnership between Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder to put South Africa on top.
Verreynne is a 'traditional' Test match player and has a First Class average of 48. This series should hold him in a great stead for the rest of his career, and South Africa might have got their wicketkeeper batter to stand tall in crunch situations.
#1 Keshav Maharaj takes off
It was a record-breaking series for Keshav Maharaj, as he became the highest wicket-taking spinner in thei Test history.
Maharaj was also named the player of the series for picking up 13 wickets at an average of 16. In the second match, Maharaj took six wickets to power the Proteas to a hard-fought 40-run victory. He ended the match with a wicket with his final delivery.
He had already picked up a couple of wickets in the first innings to hasten the West Indies' collapse. He has surpassed Hugh Tayfield’s record of 170 wickets to become South Africa’s leading wicket-taking spinner.