In a battle of attrition that saw neither team able to gain a significant advantage for prolonged periods, South Africa found themselves at 342 for 8 against the West Indies. The day’s play was described as “traditional” by South Africa’s red-ball coach Shukri Conrad, who predicted an attritional contest in Trinidad.
Tony de Zorzi, South Africa’s opening batter who made 78 runs before being dismissed, was seen sitting on the change-room balcony with a copy of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.” Despite the leisurely reading material, the Cricket on display was far removed from a dystopian reality and more akin to the expected grind of Test cricket.
The South African batters managed to get starts, with two players, de Zorzi and captain Temba Bavuma, scoring half-centuries. However, no one was able to reach the milestone of a hundred runs. The West Indies bowlers were disciplined for the most part, with left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie being the only frontline bowler to concede more than 3.5 runs per over. The pitch seemed docile and lacking in bounce or pace, requiring patience and grit from the batters.
The opening exchanges saw Kemar Roach and Jason Holder keep the South African batters in check with good lengths, only to be punished when they erred in line or length. De Zorzi was the first to score a boundary, followed by Tristan Stubbs displaying confidence in driving the ball through covers.
De Zorzi reached his half-century before getting dismissed, while Bavuma, playing cautiously, brought up his 3000th Test run with a well-timed shot over the bowler’s head. De Zorzi, eyeing a century, fell to a mistimed shot just before lunch, leaving Bavuma to anchor the innings in the post-lunch session.
David Bedingham provided support to Bavuma, showing his aggressive intent with some fine strokeplay. However, it was Bedingham who eventually perished to a mistimed pull shot, giving Seales his first Test wicket at his home ground. Ryan Rickelton started positively but was dismissed by Roach after a few promising shots.
As the day concluded, South Africa found themselves in a solid position, albeit with the loss of eight wickets. The West Indies bowlers toiled hard on a surface that demanded patience and discipline. With the Test finely poised, both teams will look to assert their dominance in the upcoming days of play.
