TAROUBA: West Indies cruised to an eight-wicket victory over South Africa in a rain-disrupted match to complete a 3-0 T20 International series sweep on Tuesday. West Indies opener Shai Hope blasted an unbeaten 42 off 24 balls while Nicholas Pooran clubbed 35 off just 13 deliveries to lay the foundation for the hosts’ victory at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.

After South Africa scored 108-4 off 13 overs, West Indies were left with a victory target of 116 under the Duckworth Lewis method.

The Caribbean side reached that total at a canter, finishing on 116-2 with 22 balls remaining. A whopping 82 runs from the West Indies total came from boundaries, with nine sixes and seven fours. Romario Shepherd was the man-of-the-match for West Indies after a tidy bowling spell that saw him finish with figures of 2-14 off two overs as South Africa’s innings stalled.

The victory was sweet for a West Indies squad who were eliminated from the T20 World Cup by the South Africans in June. “To come and clean sweep the team which knocked us out of the World Cup was great,” Shepherd said. West Indies skipper Roston Chase added: “We wanted to win the series 3-0. In a shortened game we want guys to go and play their natural game. The guys came out and played brilliantly.”

South Africa captain Aiden Markram, who chipped in with 20 off 12 balls in the Proteas’ total, said his team had room for improvement. “Tough one today,” Markram said. “Probably got the tougher of the conditions. That being said, we can improve as a team. It’s going to take a little bit of time; there’s a bit we can take from it but it’s never great to lose.” – AFP