South Africa take series lead over West Indies with one-run victory

Scorecard

After setting the West Indies 168 for victory, South Africa held their nerve, thanks largely to a miserly spell of 2/13 from wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi and crucial death overs from Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada.

De Kock took ten deliveries to score his first boundary, a trademark pull shot over the square leg fence, which clicked the gloveman into gear as he scored nine runs off his next three deliveries. He claimed his seventh T20I fifty from 34 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes.

At the other end, De Kock's teammates struggled to find a rhythm while setting a target, as Dwayne Bravo (3/25) and fellow paceman Obed McCoy varied their pace to keep their opposition at bay. McCoy (4/22) claimed Reeza Hendricks and Temba Bavuma in the Powerplay, plus Rassie van der Dussen and George Linde in the 19th over as he honed in with a fuller line and length.

Van der Dussen joined de Kock in the tenth over and made the most of a leg-side gift from Bravo, glancing away and beating a diving Evin Lewis for a first-ball boundary. The pair combined in a partnership of 60 from 45 balls, before de Kock fell in the 18th over to Dwayne Bravo. Van der Dussen finished with 32 off 24 balls, though struggled to keep the strike in the backend of the innings, only facing four of the eleven balls before his departure. Jason Holder conceded just six off the final over, keeping to a clear plan of bowling full and wide of the off-stump.

South Africa opted with spin at both ends in a quest to defend their total, and after conceding 20 runs in the first two overs, their plan looked to have backfired. Making 48/0 in the Powerplay even after South Africa's pace trio of Nortje, Rabada and Lungi Ngidi entered proceedings, the hosts looked to have the upper hand. George Linde hit back in the seventh over, claiming Lendl Simmons for 22 after being taken for 10 off his first over. Not to be kept out of the game, de Kock removed the opposing opener with an excellent grab.

Spin was the order in the middle overs, and despite conceding 30 runs in overs nine and ten, South Africa were able to tighten the screws through premier spinner Shamsi. Claiming Evin Lewis for 27 and Shimron Hetmyer for 17, the left-armer did not concede a boundary in his spell, stringing 11 dot balls across his four overs.

With the hosts needing 44 off the last four overs following the end of Shamsi's spell, Andre Russell waited for his moment against the quicks, and looked to have stolen the match with two sixes to begin the 17th over of Nortje. Despite a dropped catch from skipper Temba Bavuma two balls later, Nortje had the final say in the duel as Russell picked out Aiden Markram in the deep.

Nicholas Pooran and Fabian Allen mustered nine off the the 18th over, though it was Nortje and Rabada who kept their cool in the 19th and 20th overs respectively.

Needing 19 from the final 12 balls, the West Indies were outfoxed by Nortje's nouse, as Rabada secured victory in the game's penultimate ball, tying Allen up with a yorker. Allen hit the last ball for six, though it was academic with his side needing eight off it for victory.