Keshav Maharaj took a hat-trick in his five-wicket -36 runs spell to lead South Africa to a 158 runs win over West Indies in the second Test and a 2-0 series whitewash on Monday. He becomes the second South African and first in more than 60 years to take a Test hat-trick when he dismissed Kieran Powell, Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva, in the second to last over before lunch on the fourth day.
West Indies had already suffered pressure after pacer Kagiso Rabada took three wickets at the top of the order. But Keshav hurried the home team’s demise in St. Lucia as it got all out for 165 before tea on the fourth day well off the target of 324 set by South Africa. Maharaj’s three wickets in three balls started with a key breakthrough when Powell holed out at square leg for 51. He added the wickets of Holder and Da Silva with Wiaan Mulders low one-handed catch down to his right at leg slip sealing the hat-trick.
The only previous South African to take a hat-trick in tests was Geoff Griffin against England at Lords in 1960. From 90 runs with the loss of two wickets, West Indies fell to 109 runs with six wickets down in the seven overs leading up to lunch West Indies didn’t make 200 in any of its four innings of the series. After March 2017, South Africa clinched its first series win away from home.
