After registering a victory in the first T20I of the five-match series against South Africa, West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard praised left-handed batsman Evin Lewis for playing a game-changing inning.
An electric batting display by the West Indies saw them take a 1-0 lead in the opener of the five-match T20 series against South Africa at the National Cricket Stadium on Saturday (local time) here at the National Cricket Stadium.
"We spoke about trying to hit the first punch. South Africa got off to a pretty good start. Credit to the bowlers how they came back in the middle overs and in the back end using the variations and using the dimensions of the ground. 160, I think that is on par. The way we went out and chased it with that sort of attitude, guys playing to their strengths, it was well done. Talented cricketer, we'd love to see more from Evin on a consistent basis. We hope that the consistency can continue," said Pollard after the end of the first T20I.
"For us, it is not about one individual but the entire team. Winning the game with overs to spare and wickets in hand is a start for us. We have a young team from a Test cricket point of view. These guys would not have faced the likes of Rabada and Nortje. For us, we are a little bit familiar. We cannot get too much ahead of ourselves. We will try to get better," he added.
It was the batting prowess of Evin Lewis that got the hosts the quick-fire start that they were looking for. He smashed seven sixes and four boundaries on his way to 71 from 35 balls in their reply to South Africa's under-par 160/6 after being put in to bat first. Lewis shared a partnership of 85 runs with Andre Fletcher to get their side off to a start which the visitors never recovered from.
Gayle and Russell contributed with unbeaten scores of 32 (24) and 23 (12) respectively, as their side cantered to an easy win. The only breakthroughs came by way of a direct hit by Lungi Ngidi (0/46) to remove Fletcher at the end of the 7th over and Tabraiz Shamsi (1/27), who finally ended Lewis' reign in the 12th.
The second match takes place later today at the same venue, which does not give the tourists much time to work on what needs turning around, but they are still confident that they can do so.
( With inputs from ANI )
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