South Africa‘s recent Test series victory against the West Indies has kept their hopes alive for a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final next year, despite the challenging road ahead. The Proteas must secure victories in at least five of their upcoming six matches to have a chance of competing with top-ranked teams like India and Australia.
The 40-run triumph over the West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown on Saturday marked South Africa’s second win in six Tests during the 2023-25 cycle, propelling them to the fifth position in the standings.
However, to maintain their chances of reaching the final, they must excel in their remaining fixtures, which include two away Tests against Bangladesh in October (yet to be confirmed) and two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home later this year.
The second Test against the West Indies proved to be a closely contested battle, with the home side pursuing a target of 263 runs to secure victory. However, South Africa’s bowling attack excelled, dismissing the West Indies for 222 runs and sealing the series win.
“It was very satisfying because winning away from home is never an easy feat, and you should never take it for granted,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said.
South Africa had a full-strength Test side in the Caribbean for the first time since February when they had to send a second-string team to New Zealand because of the T20 league commitments of most of their players.
The rain-affected first match in Trinidad ended in a draw.
“Our goal was to come to the Caribbean and win the series, and we’re happy that we were able to do so. And I think along the way as well, we’ve played some good cricket,” Bavuma said.
“We were put under pressure, and we were able to have answers in those periods. I think we can obviously get better and improve, but I think for this young group of players, there’s a lot of learnings and confidence that we can take from here,” he told reporters.
The 40-run triumph over the West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown on Saturday marked South Africa’s second win in six Tests during the 2023-25 cycle, propelling them to the fifth position in the standings.
However, to maintain their chances of reaching the final, they must excel in their remaining fixtures, which include two away Tests against Bangladesh in October (yet to be confirmed) and two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home later this year.
The second Test against the West Indies proved to be a closely contested battle, with the home side pursuing a target of 263 runs to secure victory. However, South Africa’s bowling attack excelled, dismissing the West Indies for 222 runs and sealing the series win.
“It was very satisfying because winning away from home is never an easy feat, and you should never take it for granted,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said.
South Africa had a full-strength Test side in the Caribbean for the first time since February when they had to send a second-string team to New Zealand because of the T20 league commitments of most of their players.
The rain-affected first match in Trinidad ended in a draw.
“Our goal was to come to the Caribbean and win the series, and we’re happy that we were able to do so. And I think along the way as well, we’ve played some good cricket,” Bavuma said.
“We were put under pressure, and we were able to have answers in those periods. I think we can obviously get better and improve, but I think for this young group of players, there’s a lot of learnings and confidence that we can take from here,” he told reporters.
