1st day after South Africa choose to bat is cut short by rain

At the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago, rain spoilt most of Day 1’s play, leaving only 15 overs available for South Africa to score 45 for 1.

Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi were the first outs for the visiting team when they chose to bat first. In gloomy conditions, Kemar Roach took the new ball, and as it came in sharply at an angle, Markram was struck on the thigh pad by it.

With an edge to Roach’s third man, Markram scored his maiden boundary. The first burst by West Indies was marked by uneven line-ups and a lot of deliveries when the batsmen left the ball alone.

De Zorzi targeted spin, which Gudakesh Motie had adopted in the ninth over because he preferred the matchup. He took the left-arm spinner for two sixes, one over long-on and the other a slog sweep over mid-wicket. De Zorzi penalised any errant deliveries by putting boundaries in Seales and Motie’s consecutive overs.

With his first ball, Jason Holder struck gold, sending captain Markram back to the changing rooms. As the ball bowled outside off and came in sharply off the deck, uprooting the off stump, his stumps were castled. The ball passed through the bat-pad gate because Markram was rushing and failed to move his feet.

Also Read: First Test, Day 2 Review: Bavuma and de Zorzi strikes to cement South Africa’s lead against WI in 2024

Soon later, the rain continued without stopping, soaking the coverings with water. The weather finally had enough, and play was cancelled right before the planned tea break. Because to the rain on Day 1, play was cancelled early, so it will start 30 minutes earlier today (Day 2).