[www.inewsguyana.com] – West Indies were outplayed in every department by South Africa as they plunged to a heavy 257-run defeat in their fourth Group B game of the ICC Cricket World Cup at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia on Friday.
Chasing a massive 409 for victory, West Indies collapsed to 151 all out off 33.1 overs, with leg-spinner Imran Tahir picking up five for 45, to record the joint worst defeat in World Cup history.
Pacers Morne Morkel (2-23) and Kyle Abbott (2-37) finished with two wickets apiece.
Captain Jason Holder hammered 56 off 48 balls for his first maiden one-day half-century while opener Dwayne Smith got 21, but West Indies never recovered after sliding to 63 for seven in the 18th over.
Holder added 45 for the eighth wicket with wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin who struck 22 and a further 42 for the ninth wicket with Jerome Taylor, who was 15 not out, but the efforts never came close to making a dent in the run chase.
Earlier, captain AB de Villiers slammed an unbeaten 162 off just 66 balls to fire South Africa to the highest ODI total on Australian soil.
The right-hander’s 20th one-day hundred was the fastest ever 150 in one-dayers, helping to propel the Proteas to a whopping 261 runs in the last 20 overs of the game.
Opener Hashim Amla hit 65 off 88 balls, Faf du Plessis 62 off 70 balls and Rilee Rossouw, 61 off 39 deliveries in support.
Amla and de Plessis put on 127 for the second wicket after Quinton de Kock fell cheaply for 12 in the sixth over, before both perished in one over from part-time off-spinner Chris Gayle (2-21).
However, de Villiers then snatched the advantage away from the Caribbean side by inspiring a 134-run, fourth wicket stand with Roussouw.
The right-hander smashed 17 fours and eight sixes as West Indies fell to pieces after an encouraging start.
Andre Russell finished with two for 74. (Windies Cricket)
