Super Over win for West Indies after spinners help tie fifth ODI; South Africa take series 4-1

West Indies held on to the match and won the first-ever Super Over contest in women's ODIs even as Mignon du Preez almost led South Africa to a whitewash in the five-match series against the hosts at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday (September 19). The fifty-over contest ended in a tie after du Preez was given run out in the final delivery of their innings with the scores level on 192.



The full-time contest eventually came down to South Africa needing 19 off the last three overs, Sinalo Jafta and du Preez took seven runs with some hard running in the 48^th over. In the penultimate over bowled by Shakera Selman, another six runs was added to the total reducing the equation to run-a-ball in the final over. They ran five singles in the first five deliveries and du Preez played the last delivery to square-leg and took off, but Selman threw the ball to the bowler Deandra Dottin – West Indies' stand-in captain in the absence of Anisa Mohammed – as the South Africa batter found herself short of the crease. That paved way to the first-ever Super Over game in line with the rule changes that came into effect last year.



Dottin chose the responsibility of bowling the Super Over and South African duo of Lizelle Lee and Dane van Niekerk couldn't find any boundaries with the medium pacer varying her pace and bowling full without giving them any room. The visitors could score only six runs from their over.



Needing seven to win, Dottin opened the batting but was run out in the first ball going for a second run. Chedean Nation took a couple in the second ball and two more singles later, repeated the feat in the fifth ball to help West Indies win the one-over eliminator.



Earlier, chasing 193 to win, Lizelle Lee started cautiously with only two runs coming from the first three overs. Tazmin Brits looked to break the deadlock smashing Chinelle Henry for three boundaries in the fourth over. Despite that over, South Africa were in no hurry and scored only 30 runs from the first nine overs.



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Having batted out 26 balls to score only nine runs, Lee finally decided to open up. She guided Henry through fine-leg to pick up her first boundary before hoisting the pacer over mid-off for a six. At the other end, Brits added two more fours in the next over bowled by Qiana Joseph as the duo brought up their fifty-run partnership.



Despite a few tight overs from West Indies, South African openers were at ease at the crease and Lee went after Cherry-Ann Fraser to score a couple of boundaries and another four off Dottin through cover got the burly right-hander her 23^rd ODI fifty – to go with three centuries – from 64 balls.



Just as the duo looked good for more, Lee top-edged a sweep off Joseph to be caught on short fine-leg for 61 in the 27^th over to give West Indies the much-needed breakthrough. Dismissal of Lee seemed to have lifted the hosts’ spirits and the left-arm spinner stuck again to remove Lara Goodall for a duck. When Sheneta Grimmond sent Brits back for 48, South Africa went from 111 for no loss to 114 for three in 29.3 overs.



The experienced duo of du Preez and van Niekerk managed to hold the West Indies spinners at bay for a while and added 23 runs for the fourth wicket. Du Preez started off confidently with two boundaries in the first four balls she faced. Van Niekerk also hit a four off Grimmond as Dottin chose to bowl out Joseph by the 33^rd over.



However, it was time for Grimmond to take over as the South Africa batters struggled against the off-spinner. She first accounted for van Niekerk before castling Chloe Tryon for one. Nadine de Klerk became Grimmond's fourth wicket when the allrounder was stumped by Reniece Boyce with South Africa still needing 50 runs to win.



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From 143 for six, once again it was down to du Preez and she had Sinalo Jafta, who partnered her in an unbeaten 63-run stand in the fourth ODI, for company. Just like in the last game, they ran hard between the wickets – with occasional miscommunication – as boundaries were hard to come by to score 30 runs from next 46 deliveries. Only one boundary came in this phase with du Preez driving Matthews through mid-on.



Earlier, opting to bat first, West Indies had a steady start with openers Boyce and Williams looking solid without threatening to attack. The pair added 33 runs in eight overs hitting only three boundaries in the process. De Klerk struck for South Africa with the final ball of the eighth over when she bowled Boyce for 14.



Playing in her fifth ODI, Williams continued to look impressive as she picked up a boundary against Tumi Sekhukhune through mid-on in the next over. Dane van Niekerk accounted for Chedean Nation in the 14^th over when she had the right-hander caught by Sekhukhune with the West Indies score reading 56.



South Africa bowled some frugal overs in this phase and didn’t let Williams or Dottin to hit any boundaries. The pressure eventually got to Dottin and the big-hitter nicked one to the wicket-keeper Sinalo Jafta for seven off 19 balls when she tried to manufacture a shot off Tryon.



From 76 for three, it was slow going for Williams and Matthews too as they tried to resurrect the West Indies innings. It took them another 15 overs and five balls to hit a boundary and it came from Williams when she hit Nondumiso Shangase through fine-leg for four. In the 39^th over, the duo eventually got to their fifty partnership from 104 balls.



However, Matthews took on Tryon in the next over hitting the left-arm spinner for two boundaries through covers as 15 runs came from the over. The pair tried to up the ante with Matthews hitting two more fours – one each off Masabata Klaas and de Klerk – and Williams getting one boundary through fine-leg. South Africa eventually got the breakthrough when de Klerk removed Matthews for 48 to end the 97-run stand.



Williams stayed solid to bat through the innings to help West Indies post 192 for five from the stipulated 50 overs. For South Africa, de Klerk finished with figures of three for 33 from her ten overs.



Brief Scores: West Indies 192/5 in 50 overs (Rashada Williams 78*, Hayley Matthews 48; Nadine de Klerk 3/33) tied with South Africa (Lizelle Lee 61, Tazmin Brits 48, Mignon du Preez 46 ; Sheneta Grimmond 4/33, Qiana Joseph 2/29). West Indies won the Super Over.