Markrams Batting Powers South Africa to Comfortable Win

South Africa secured a comfortable nine-wicket victory over West Indies, led by an unbeaten 86 from captain Aiden Markram. With this win in the first match of the three-match T20I series, the hosts took a 1–0 lead.
Batting first, West Indies posted 173 for 7. In reply, South Africa chased down the target with ease, scoring 176 for the loss of just one wicket and sealing the win with 13 balls to spare.
Despite struggling for form in T20 cricket in recent times, Markram looked fluent from the outset. The right-hander remained unbeaten on 86, striking nine fours and three sixes—his highest score in T20 internationals. He scored 31 runs off just 15 balls in the powerplay.
South Africa took control of the match through an 83-run opening partnership between Markram and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who scored 44. After Pretorius was dismissed, Markram added an unbeaten 93-run stand with Ryan Rickelton to finish the chase. Rickelton remained not out on 40, one of his best innings in T20 internationals.
Earlier, West Indies made a promising start but failed to build a big total due to regular wickets. Brandon King scored 23 off 14 balls. Shimron Hetmyer anchored the innings with a top score of 48 and shared a 74-run sixth-wicket partnership with Rovman Powell, who made 29.
Among South Africa’s bowlers, George Linde was the most effective. The left-arm spinner picked up three wickets for 25 runs, while Keshav Maharaj and Corbin Bosch claimed two wickets each.
This victory ended South Africa’s long-standing drought of T20 wins against West Indies outside World Cups. It also signaled a return to form for captain Markram, boosting the hosts’ confidence ahead of the remaining matches in the series.