POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, CMC – Matthew Patrick held his nerve to anchor a nervy West Indies run chase as they beat South Africa by four wickets in the playoff semi-final of the CC Under-19 World Cup here yesterday.
In pursuit of a modest 148 for victory at JB Marks Oval, West Indies found themselves tottering on 66 for four in the 18th over before Patrick struck a patient unbeaten 25 from 61 balls to see his side to victory in the 42nd over.
Importantly, he put on 47 for the fifth wicket with Antonio Morris who made 25, and another 20 for the sixth wicket with all-rounder Nyeem Young (10) to ensure there were no hiccups towards the end.
Patrick had earlier snatched two for 12 with his off-spin to join left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd (2-18) and fast bowler Joshua James (2-25) with two wickets apiece as the hosts were dismissed for 143 in the 39th over after choosing to bat.
They were in good shape at 120 for four in the 29th over but suffered a sudden collapse to lose their last six wickets for just 23 runs in the space of 54 balls.
Opener Levert Manje top-scored with a polished 43 from 63 deliveries, with three fours and two sixes, while Khanya Cotani chipped in with 27 from 40 balls but no other specialist batsman passed 13.
It was Manje who held the top order together after Jonathan Bird (13) and Bryce Parsons (7) fell cheaply to leave South Africa on 39 for two in the seventh over.
He put on 25 for the third wicket with Luke Beaufort (9) before adding a further 34 for the fourth wicket with Cotani, who counted two fours.
However, once Manje was run out in the 22nd over, the innings declined quickly.
West Indies had a shock start to their run chase when left-hander Leonardo Julien fell to the fourth ball of the innings without scoring and Kevlon Anderson (1) perished in the fourth over with 11 runs on the board.
Captain Kimani Melius struck a breezy 29 from 30 balls with five fours to repair the damage, adding 38 for the third wicket with Kirk McKenzie who scored 19. South Africa hit back when both Melius and McKenzie perished in quick succession but Patrick stepped up to steady the innings and put the Caribbean side back on course for victory.
