Clinical West Indies seal T20I series

Romario Shepherd (left) of the West Indies celebrates a dismissal  

The West Indies smashed 13 sixes in its innings to beat South Africa by 30 runs at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy and secured the Twenty20 international series with a game to spare.  
The West Indies scored 179 for six after being asked to bat first in the second T20, accelerating from 111 for four after 14 overs.  
Shai Hope hit a 22-ball 41 with two fours and four sixes. Captain Rovman Powell contributed 35 runs also in 22 balls, with three sixes.  
South Africa were all out for 149 with two balls remaining despite a strong start of 57 for no loss after just four overs. But the chase faltered and at 138 for six, South Africa needed 42 runs off the last four overs.  
Opener Reeza Hendricks top-scored with an 18-ball 44 which included two of his team’s six sixes before he was bowled by Romario Shepherd, who took three for 15 in four overs. Shamar Joseph returned three for 31.  
The West Indies were unchanged from the team that won the opening T20 by seven wickets at the same ground last Friday.  
South Africa replaced fast medium left-armer Nandre Burger with Lizaad Williams, who took three for 36.  
The series-concluding T20 is today, also at Tarouba.  
South Africa prevailed in the preceding two-match Test series against the West Indies, winning the second Test at Providence, Guyana, after a rain-hit drawn opener at Port of Spain, Trinidad.  
Hendricks set the tone for the chase as he collected four boundaries in the first two overs, including three in an over off Matthew Forde. Ryan Rickelton struck a six off Hosein, followed by a big over for South Africa as Hendricks hit two sixes and two fours off Chase in a 23-run fourth over to help the team past 50.  
But an excellent comeback with the ball from the West Indies in the second half of the innings saw South Africa experience a major slide.  
Gudakesh Motie and Shepherd bowled a couple of tight overs before Tristan Stubbs hit a six off the spinner to bring the equation down to 55 off 42 balls.  
But regular wickets after that meant South Africa couldn’t come close to the target. Stubbs sliced a catch to long off to give Hosein his first wicket. Donovan Ferreira was stumped off Motie and Rassie van der Dussen fell to Hosein after a scratchy 17 off 24. Joseph and Shepherd cleaned up the lower order as South Africa lost seven wickets for just 20 runs to suffer a series loss.  
Chief scores:  
West Indies: 179/6 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 41, Rovman Powell 35, Lizaad Williams 3/36, Patrick Kruger 2/29)  
South Africa: 149 in 19.4 overs (Reeza Hendricks 44, Tristan Stubbs 28, Romario Shepherd 3/15, Shamar Joseph 3/31). Agencies