GROS ISLET, St. Lucia — In a performance that left no room for ambiguity, South Africa ‘A’ crushed West Indies ‘A’ by an innings and 88 runs on the final day of the first unofficial Test at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
The hosts, teetering overnight at 251 for six, were bowled out within the first session, managing a feeble 273 in their second innings — a mere 22-run addition that underscored a grim narrative of collapse.
Luus and Subrayen slice through the tail
The morning began with faint hope for West Indies ‘A’, needing 109 more runs to avoid an innings defeat. That hope was extinguished in a flurry of wickets. With only three runs added, medium-pacer Tristan Luus opened the day’s account by removing Khary Pierre for a 19-ball duck, setting the tone for what followed.
Off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen then stepped in with clinical precision. He dismissed Johann Layne and Oshane Thomas in quick succession, dismantling any remaining resistance before Luus returned to uproot Ronaldo Alimohamed for 40 and seal the emphatic victory.
Subrayen ended with standout figures of 5 for 82 from 30 overs, while Luus backed him with 4 for 86 — a devastating duo that accounted for nine of the 10 second-innings wickets.
Batting blues: Another disappointing outing for WI ‘A’
It was yet another underwhelming performance with the bat for West Indies ‘A’. After managing only 240 in their first innings, the Caribbean side had no answers to South Africa’s discipline and aggression. Their inability to capitalize on starts, paired with technical shortcomings, turned the contest into a lopsided affair.
This latest defeat only adds to concerns about the depth and development of the regional side at the ‘A’ level.
Ackerman’s masterclass anchors South Africa’s onslaught
The groundwork for South Africa’s dominance was laid with the bat — and led from the front by captain Marques Ackerman in spectacular fashion. His commanding 209 came off just 170 deliveries, laced with 32 boundaries and two towering sixes, a performance that not only demoralized the West Indies bowlers but also showcased the stark gap in batting class.
Ackerman’s innings was superbly supported by a string of half-centuries that compounded West Indies’ misery. Opener Jordan Hermann contributed 52, Jason Smith added 56, and wicketkeeper Rivaldo Moonsamy chipped in with a composed 68 from 104 balls. Subrayen added insult to injury with an unbeaten 64 before South Africa ‘A’ declared on a mammoth 600 for seven.
Innings defeat reflects deeper issues for regional cricket
For West Indies ‘A’, the defeat was not just numerical — it was symbolic. It reflected an all-too-familiar pattern of inconsistency, fragile batting, and ineffective response to pressure. With more fixtures in the series still to come, urgent introspection and recalibration are needed if the hosts are to avoid another mauling.
