South Africa vs. West Indies: Top Performers from Day 1 of 3rd Test
Both sides will have plenty of reasons of optimism after the first day of the third Test between South Africa and West Indies, but the hosts took a strong option on a series win, taking six wickets as the Windies managed 276 runs in 90 overs.
Leon Johnson topped all batsmen with 54 runs from 84 balls, while Test debutant Simon Harmer shone brightest for the Proteas, taking three wickets.
Here are the top performers from Friday's action.
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Simon Harmer
If the first day of the third Test against Windies is any indication, South Africa may have finally found a solution to their recent struggles with spinners. The left-handed Harmer picked up three wickets on his debut while surrendering 67 runs in 25 overs, as shared by the ICC's official Twitter feed:
The three wickets and an economy of 2.68 are encouraging signs, but far more important was Harmer's demeanor.
He displayed excellent control of the ball throughout the day and took his wickets at vital moments. Devon Smith and Johnson both looked on the verge of starting a run when they fell, while his final wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul was a thing of beauty, making the batsman lean and giving AB De Villiers an easy stumping.
The 25-year-old didn't look nervous at all, something that would have been understandable given his reaction to the news he was called up to play for his country. As you can hear in this interview, courtesy of Supersport's Derek Alberts, he burst into tears in a local supermarket when he got the call:
Even his alma mater, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, took the time to graduate its former student:
Harmer's control was critical, as that has been the Proteas' biggest weakness in their last few Tests. If he can build on this excellent first showing, South Africa may have found its spinner of the future.
Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn was the other Proteas bowler who took multiple wickets on Friday (2), and in doing so, he passed Makhaya Ntini on South Africa's list of all-time wicket-takers, per Supersport Blitz:
He now has 391 wickets in his distinguished career, as shared by Cricket South Africa:
Sure, it wasn't the best day for South Africa's pace bowlers, who didn't get much bounce from the Newlands pitch and allowed the Windies to add far too many runs early in the day.
It wasn't even a particularly great day for Steyn personally, giving up 59 total runs and giving us an early candidate for the worst delivery of the year, although he could laugh with it himself when play was over:
But you don't set landmarks like this every day, and for that reason alone, he makes the list. The 31-year-old still has some ways to go to catch up to Shaun Pollock and his 421, per ESPNCricinfo.comv, but he has plenty of reasons to celebrate on Friday, regardless.
West Indies Batsmen
Yes, I know I'm cheating, but after the debacle that was the first Test—no player scored more than 40—and an inconsistent performance in the second, at least the Windies got some contributions throughout the lineup on Friday.
Six wickets fell, Johnson's high of 54 is anything but spectacular and the 276 total runs still gives the edge to the hosts, but Friday was undoubtedly the best day West Indies have had with the bat in this entire series.
The team has struggled in the long version of cricket of late, and the team looked competent against one of the top sides in Test cricket in Cape Town. As Johnson told the media after playing, he was happy with the team's effort, per West Indies' official Twitter feed:
South Africa is like going to win this Test and wrap up the series in the process, but at least the Windies batsmen will be able to go back home with a sense of optimism. A target of 350-400 on Day 2 of the final Test should be manageable and will at least give the Proteas a serious challenge when it's their time to bat.
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