Bavuma stars as South Africa grind out day two of West Indies test

Captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi were the picks for South Africa as the hosts patiently ground out 344-8 after day two of their Test against West Indies.

After a heavily interrupted first day that saw just 15 overs played, both sides took a slower approach at Queens Park Oval on Thursday.

De Zorzi, who started the day on 32, was up to 78 by lunch as the Proteas steadily added to their figures before he was dismissed by Jomel Warrican (3-66).

Tristan Stubbs (20) and Ryan Rickelton (19) were both left frustrated by Kemar Roach (2-53), though Bavuma managed to add some gloss, hitting 86 off 182 balls, including seven fours, before Jaylen Seales took him (2-57).

Despite a slow start, West Indies conceded only 20 runs in 12 overs against Kyle Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder before the former was taken by Jomel Warrican, who also got Keshav Maharaj for a duck.

South Africa managed to avoid a shaky end to the day, with Mulder's 37 not out helping them edge towards the 350 mark ahead of the third day.

Day 2 | STUMPS A brilliant 86 from Bavuma and 78 from de Zorzi were the highlight of the days play. South Africa end the day on 344/8#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt#SAvWI pic.twitter.com/0zRPM3JVDX

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 8, 2024

Data Debrief: Proteas show patience

De Zorzi scored just his second half-century for Proteas, getting it against the same opponents as his first when he scored his career-best 85 at Centurion in January.

West Indies struggled with the ball for large parts, something they will want to improve on day three, though Roach's two wickets took him to 272 in Test cricket.