Twice in two games now, South Africa have thumped West Indies. For a team that, before today, had only won one T20I series since the last World Cup, this is exactly what they needed to get in the groove for the marquee tournament that begins in less than 10 days from now.
For West Indies, there are plenty of questions to be answered. Their bowling has looked toothless and the fielding has left a bit to be desired. Will the two-time former World Champions be able to turn it around in the final match of this series? We will find out together.
Do join us for the 3rd T20I on Saturday, January 31, when South Africa will be dressed in pink. For now, this is Darpan Tikiya signing off on the behalf of Ajay Pal Singh, Raju Khariya and Aman. Sayonara!
Biggest Wins for a full-member in T20Is (By Ball Remaining) (Target More than 220+):
15 balls by South Africa vs West Indies, Centurion, 2026*
7 balls by Australia vs New Zealand, Auckland, 2018
7 balls by South Africa vs West Indies, Centurion, 2023
6 balls by West Indies vs England, Gros Islet, 2024
Most Player of the Match Award as WK in T20Is
11 - Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
9 - Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan)
8 - Jos Buttler (England), Quinton de Kock (South Africa)*
Most 100s as designated wicketkeepers in T20s
8 - Quinton de Kock*
5 - Ishan Kishan
5 - Kamran Akmal
4 - Sanju Samson
Aiden Markram (South Africa Captain): "[On the batting performance] Quinny does what Quinny does. Puts on a great show for the crowd and for everyone watching at home. Ricks to slide under the radar and get us over the line in back-to-back games is a really good effort. Really happy with the batting performance.
[Batting order for WC] Yeah, we have a really good idea of how it looks. Still missing a couple of guys that aren't here. Hopefully, they get ready and just pop straight in. I guess we good idea of how top 7 looks.
[On his form] Yeah, good. Pity to miss out on a really good wicket. But Ricks and Quinny took care of us. Was important to have good 10 overs. Feeling good, hoping to contribute more and more now and hopefully, the wave can last a long time.
[On middle overs with the ball] Yeah, huge. 4 overs for 20 odd on this surface against their hitters is a serious effort. He needs a lot of credit for that. That phase of the game goes very long way. You chase 240-250 number, you almost need the perfect game. In that phase where Keshav bowled for us sort of bought us a slight margin for error with the bat. Special from him, very tough night for bowlers, you feel for them. With that comes, some nice lessons, some good stuff you can take home.
[On Joburg] Hoping for a good wicket and building on what we have done in the first two games. Bowling and fielding still have room for improvement. When we board that flight to India, really left no stones unturned and go there with a clear mindset."
Shai Hope (West Indies captain): "It was pretty decent (effort with the bat). The way the guys showed intent from the start was good. But it was clearly under par. I still feel guys played well. Good to see Hetty (Hetmyer) back in form and Rutherford carried on from where he left in SA20.
We have to look at the positives heading into the WC. That is what this series is about. The guys played well in the powerplay. It is about building on it.
It is always tough for the bowlers. The ball always flies at here at Centurion. If you don't execute your plans, you'll find yourself playing catch-up. Having two lefties changes the plans a little bit. We tried bringing in Roston (Chase) to counter them, but it did not work out. Good to see Akeal (Hosein) coming back to bowl decently.
(On the next game) We want to win every game. It is about trying to do that and fine-tuning things along the way."
Quinton de Kock (POTM): "[On his knock] Yeah, it was fun, I guess. Nice to be back in Proteas colours again and back in Centurion. Yeah, I do, was an old home ground for me so quite familiar with the wicket, played a lot of international cricket here as well. Pretty much used to it.
[Chat at the halfway mark] Honestly, there was no chat. We have been in this position before at this venue. We just padded up and then just walked out to bat and carried on with the game. Wasn't much to it, to be honest, was just a matter of getting the job done.
[How important was the start in powerplay] Yeah, obviously. Chasing big totals, it is always important to get starts no matter how better the wicket is. After losing Aiden, Ricks came in and batted really well.
[On Ryan Rickelton] Yeah, he batted really well. He is getting used to batting at 3 for the Proteas. Hopefully, it helps with his confidence going forward ahead of the World Cup.
[On playing with someone else's bat]Yeah, I just made a mistake and left my bats at home. I just had to borrow the young Brevis' bat. He told me before the game, it is a good bat, I gave you a left-hander's bat. Whatever the hell that means, it worked out well."
Player of the Match: Quinton de Kock
Super Sixes of the Match: Quinton de Kock (98m maximum)