Centuries from Matthew Breetzke and Jiveshan Pillay led SA U19 to an emphatic 115-run win over West Indies in the third Youth ODI on Friday.
The visitors won the toss and chose to bowl first, coming off a nail-biting two-wicket victory on Wednesday.
The openers made a solid start, reaching 50-0 in the ninth over. The visitors came to rue their decision as Pillay and Breetzke found the boundary with regularity, which took the shine off the new ball.
Pillay was the first to reach fifty after a maximum off Bhaskar Yadram. The hosts reached three figures soon afterwards when Pillay took two runs off Yadram.
The batsmen continued to frustrate the bowlers and kept the scoreboard ticking. Breetzke then brought up a fifty of his own, reaching this off 55 balls in the 24th over. The bowlers were made to earn their first wicket, South Africa passing 150.
Pillay brought up his century in the same fashion as his half-century, with a six as the openers looked set to lead their side to 200. It was not to be, as Pillay fell with the score on 198 for a well-played 110 off 123 deliveries (16 fours, two sixes).
After losing his skipper, Raynard van Tonder (3), shortly after his arrival at the crease, Breetzke found a good partner in Jesse Christensen as the pair steadied the innings.
Breetzke kept his tally ticking over while giving nothing away. He reached his century at the start of the 44th over with a single off Jeavor Royal. Unfortunately for Breetzke and the hosts, he finally succumbed off the final ball of the over.
A smattering of wickets fell in the final five overs, including Christensen’s for 40. Nevertheless, South Africa posted a solid 288-6.
West Indies made a fast start in pursuit of the target, reaching 50-0 in the seventh over. The budding opening stand came to an end when Fraser Jones dismissed Yadram for 18.
Emmanuel Stewart and Keagan Simmons denied South Africa a second wicket in quick succession as they added 23 runs in five overs. Gerald Coetzee put an end to the threatening partnership, trapping Stewart lbw for nine.
Once again a recovery followed, during which time Simmons got to within a boundary of a fifty, but he was denied by Kguadisa Molefe, who ran him out for 48.
Untimely wickets became the theme of the chase, as another 30-run stand for the fifth wicket followed before Jade de Klerk took a catch off his own bowling to see off Cephas Cooper.
By the time the 150-mark was reached, six wickets had already fallen, which all but ended the tourists’ chase.
Kirstan Kallicharan played a terrific rear-guard innings, but watched on as batsmen continued to depart at the other end. When Molefe completed his second run-out of the innings, the writing was on the wall.
SA claimed the final three scalps for just 23 runs as West Indies crashed to 173 all out.
