Anrich Nortje takes five as South Africa hold slight edge over West Indies in first Test
- Nasri Alexander
- 1 March 2023
Anrich Nortje took five wickets as South Africa bowled West Indies out for 212 on the second day of the first Test in Centurion on Wednesday.
The visitors' total was in reply to the home team's first innings score of 342 but the Caribbean outfit fought back late on to reduce the Proteas to 49-4 at stumps and an overall lead of 179.
Nortje took the plaudits for the hosts as he finished with figures of 5-35 in 16 overs for his fourth five-wicket haul in his 19th Test match.
The Windies were looking solid on 122-1 thanks to a half-century from Raymon Reifer (62) but suffered a monumental collapse after the tea interval.
The visitors lost their last seven wickets for just 43 runs as the Proteas fast bowling quartet of Nortje, Kagiso Rabada (2-44), Marco Jansen (1-64) and debutant Gerald Coetzee (2-45) did the damage.
Jansen started the carnage and broke the game open when had Reifer caught behind before Rabada dismissed Roston Chase (22) off the the very next ball.
Nortje then came in and cleaned up the lower order Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph in quick succession.
Having taken a lead of 130 on the first innings, the Proteas had close to 40 minutes until stumps to survive but lost four wickets.
Dean Elgar (1) was caught at third man for the second time in the game off seamer Joseph while Tony de Zorzi and captain Temba Bavuma both fell for ducks.
Jason Holder then trapped Keegan Petersen (7) with what turned out to be the last ball of the day as the Windies will look to take momentum into the third day.
First innings centurion Aiden Markram will resume on Thursday on 35 and will be joined at the crease by Heinrich Klaasen.
