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Coetzee, Rabada, Harmer seal 2-0 series win for SA

Coetzee, Rabada, Harmer seal 2-0 series win for SA
Cricket

Coetzee, Rabada, Harmer seal 2-0 series win for SA

RSA 320 & 321

WI 251 & 106

South Africa won by 284 runs

South Africa completed their home summer and World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with a massive win over West Indies that saw them move to third on the points table. Whether they will remain there will depend on the outcome of the Sri Lanka- New Zealand series. For now, it's four spots higher than where they finished in their first WTC.

Asked to chase a record target of 391 at Wanderers, West Indies were blown away by the lunch break. They were 34 for 6 inside 19 overs and were eventually dismissed for 106. Kagiso Rabada, who recovered from a third-day back spasm to lead the attack, made the early inroads before South Africa's two specialist spinners, Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj, took advantage of the turn on offer to share five wickets between them. Gerald Coetzee mopped up the lower order with three wickets post-lunch.

Rabada bowled an extended new-ball spell of seven overs and did the early damage. He removed West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite for the fourth time in four innings in the series - this time lbw with a ball that straightened and beat the outside edge - and strangled Raymon Reifer down the leg side.

Wiaan Mulder was not available to share the new ball, as he did in the first innings, because he was sent for a scan on his right index finger after being hit while batting on the third day. The scan revealed no fracture and Mulder was cleared to play but did not bowl.

Aiden Markram | Player of the Series: It is satisfying. We are all chasing series win at the end of the day. The lesser said the batter (about the shot when he was on 96) and learning from it hopefully. At the end of the day you still want to make it big and not get satisified with the 100, it is all part of the learning and next time when the opportunity comes I'll try to correct that. You look at his (Bavuma) knock in this game, he went onto make 170, that's what all players are trying to do and buy into it. It's been a satisfying series for us as a team and it is what matters at the end of the day.

Temba Bavuma | Player of the match and South African captain: It's a nice sound to hear, good to see that people came out here on a Saturday to see us take the trophy. Very satisfied, I've been in situations where the team needs me to rebuild and I was able to do that yesterday. Hopefully I can do it more often, convert those situations into big runs. (On playing 2 spinners) It was massive, we thought it was a great decision. We hoped that the conditions would end up playing this way. The guys came out and played their roles so quite pleasing. (On Test cricket) Big conversation, I've said my part, we're a team that's building something of substance to give the fans something to enjoy. Unfortunately we'll only be donning the whites in December this year so hopefully the people in power can do something about that.

Kraigg Brathwaite | West Indies skipper: Looking back, the bowlers took 40 wickets. Questionable first sessions, we gave them too many runs. We just didn't bat well enough, simple as that. I still think we took some good steps, in the first Test we were in some good positions. Bowling wise, 40 wickets in the series was good. At crucial times we were too expensive but a serious improvement from Australia. Batting wise, we weren't good enough. Next step will be in July against India at home. Away from home we haven't got runs. We can work on the technical flaws but the mind has to be in the right place. It'll never be easy facing fast bowling so the belief has to be there. I can say and the coach can say but it won't make a difference. We've done it before so we can do it again. We have to show that we are top batsmen against good bowlers. Extremely disappointed. Especially today, it was feeling good. Very disappointed, as a leader you have to lead from the front and it didn't happen in this series.

Rabada bowled an extended new-ball spell of seven overs and did the early damage. He removed West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite for the fourth time in four innings in the series - this time lbw with a ball that straightened and beat the outside edge - and strangled Raymon Reifer down the leg side.

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