West Indies are currently facing South Africa in the second and final Test of the bilateral series at Providence Stadium, Guyana. The first match witnessed both teams play out a draw, with the hosts ending finishing on 201/5 in pursuit of 298.
On the opening day of the second Test, the Caribbean side was all over the visitors with their impeccable display of fast bowling. At one point, the Proteas were stuttering at 97/9. However, the pair of Dane Piedt (38*) and Nandre Burger (23) provided valuable contributions to help the team finish on 160. Shamar Joseph shone bright with a five-wicket haul (5/33) in his first Test on home soil.
In response, the hosts also struggled to garner runs, ending the day at 97/7, with Jason Holder remaining unbeaten on 33 off 51 balls. Wiaan Mulder emerged as the pick of the bowlers with four scalps. With the match being even-stevens, either team can edge ahead on Day 2.
On that note, let's take a look at how the West Indies can dominate the proceedings against South Africa on Friday.
#1 Opting for a positive batting approach to take a 1st innings lead
The veteran all-rounder Jason Holder will play a pivotal role for the West Indies on Day 2. He will have to steer the team with a positive intent and stitch hefty partnerships with tailenders to eke out a first-innings lead.
Playing with a strike rate of around 65, Holder has struck six boundaries and is looking comfortable at the crease. He would also be looking to hit his first century since slamming 202* against England in 2019.
Moreover, Shamar Joseph, who has returned knocks of 36 & 33 against Australia and England respectively this year, can be handy lower down the order.
#2 Taking early wickets with the new ball
The Caribbean bowling unit was supreme in their efforts to create inroads into the South African batting on Day 1. Extracting purchase from the surface, Joseph (5/33) and Jayden Seales (3/45) troubled the visitors with their line and length and secured breakthroughs consistently.
The duo, along with Jason Holder, will look to continue their strong showing in the second innings as well. They would want to eliminate the threat of experienced players like Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma to put pressure on the Proteas early on.
Talented youngsters like Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne will be crucial scalps too for the Caribbean bowlers.
#3 Wrapping up South Africa's tail quickly
Even if the West Indies are able to get early breakthroughs, the biggest task for them will be to dismiss the South African lower-order. In the first innings, Dane Piedt and Nandre Burger stitched a 63-run stand for the last wicket, which hurt the Caribbean team's chances of taking a significant advantage in the first innings.
It will be interesting to see what plans the West Indies team adopt to bundle out the opposition for a low score.