WI vs SA: South Africa win keeps up hopes of World Test Championship final berth

South Africa’s Test series success over West Indies keeps up its outside chance of a place in next year’s World Test Championship final even if it must win at least five of its next six matches.

The 40-run win over West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown on Saturday was its second success in six Tests in the 2023-25 cycle and moved it up to fifth in the standings.

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But if it is to stand any chance of challenging the likes of log leader India and second-placed Australia for a berth in next year’s one-off final, it must win at least five of its next remaining six Tests – two away against Bangladesh in October, which are yet to be confirmed, followed by two home to Sri Lanka and Pakistan each at the end of the year.

Reaching the final of the championship is a goal for South Africa, which kept up its long-standing dominance over the West Indies with its weekend win in Guyana.

It proved a see-saw battle in the second Test as the home side chased a target of 263 run to win but fell short when South Africa bowled it out for 222.

“It was very satisfying because winning away from home is never an easy feat, and you should never take it for granted,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said.

South Africa was in its first Test outing since February when the Twenty20 commitments of most of its players saw it send a second-string side to New Zealand and be easily beaten.

It is back to full strength for its brief Caribbean tour, where it drew the first rain-affected Test in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Our goal was to come to the Caribbean and win the series, and we’re happy that we were able to do so. And I think along the way as well, we’ve played some good cricket,” Bavuma said.

“We were put under pressure, and we were able to have answers in those periods. I think we can obviously get better and improve, but I think for this young group of players, there’s a lot of learnings and confidence that we can take from here,” he told reporters.