3 things South Africa can do to dominate Day 2 of 2nd Test vs West Indies

The start of the second and deciding Test of the South Africa-West Indies two-match series has been a virtual highlight reel after the drawn opening encounter. Playing at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, the two teams traded blows repeatedly on the opening day to leave the game evenly poised at stumps.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Proteas were caught off-guard by a brilliant display of pace bowling from Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales. The duo combined for eight of 10 wickets, with the former completing his third five-wicket haul in only his sixth Test, to bowl South Africa out for a paltry 160 in their first essay.

Yet, never ones to go down without a battle, the South Africans responded in style by reducing the hosts to 97/7 at the end of a thrill-a-minute opening day.

It leaves Day 2 potentially the most important and decisive day of the series, with South Africa keen on maintaining their Test series winning streak against the West Indies.

Since losing the first Test series between the sides in 1992, the South Africans have won nine consecutive while losing only two Test matches.

On that note, let us look at three things South Africa could do to dominate Day 2 and take control of the Guyana Test against the West Indies.

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#1 Finish off a more-than-capable West Indian tail quickly

As imposing and relentless as the South African bowlers have been for most of the West Indian batting innings, the hosts enjoyed a sneaky recovery period before the wicket off the final ball of the day.

West Indies were reeling at 56/6 at one stage before a 41-run partnership between all-rounder Jason Holder and spinner Gudakesh Motie. While the latter fell after his stubborn resistance, Holder is still batting on a well-paced 33 off 51 deliveries.

The former captain boasts a Test average of almost 30 with three centuries and 13 half-centuries and is more than capable of sticking around for extended periods. While the No.11 Jayden Seales can be regarded as a pure tail-ender, the next two men - Jomel Warrican and Shamar Joseph are more than handy with the willow.

Warrican scored a crucial 35* in the opening Test to drag the West Indies from 192/8 to 233, proving his ability with the bat. Meanwhile, Joseph has scored 30+ twice in his six-game Test career and averages a respectable 15.12 for a No.10 batter.

The Proteas have to guard against complacency setting in and finish the task with the ball as quickly as possible. A first-innings lead could be the difference between the outcome and conversely, if the West Indies even reach parity from 56/6, it could be a psychological dagger for the visitors.

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#2 Playing time as important as scoring runs for South Africa

While low-scoring games often make teams bat more aggressively thanks to the cliched 'any ball at any time might have your number', South Africa must be sensible to take the opposite approach for several reasons.

For starters, the Proteas rightly or wrongly decided to pick a second spinner in Dane Piedt in their playing XI in anticipation of another slow and low track. Despite Day 1 being a seamers' paradise, there is a possibility of the pitch wearing down and being conducive to spin later in the Test match.

To exploit that, the South African batters must display grit and defiance to weather the new ball storm and play out time at the cost of even scoring at a slower pace. This approach will help drag the game longer with the possibility of their spin duo bowling late on Day 3 and maybe even Day 4.

The other reason for the Proteas to play out time at the expense of quick runs, especially in the first 30-40 overs, is the evidence of the pitch easing out against the older ball.

In both the South African and West Indian first innings, even lower-order batters have found it easy to stay at the crease once the ball gets older and softer. South Africa lost their first nine wickets in 36 overs, yet, it took the hosts another 18 overs to dislodge the final pair.

Similarly, the West Indies lost their first six wickets inside 16 overs but played out the next 12+ overs without much trouble until Motie's brainfade in the final over the day against fellow left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.

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#3 Expose West Indies' lack of wicket-taking depth

Despite Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales' exhibition of swing and seam bowling in the first innings, the West Indies' potency in terms of pace-bowling depth has some question marks around it.

Following the duo is a reliable yet out-of-form Jason Holder - the only other pacer in the playing XI. While the veteran boasts impressive overall bowling numbers, he has struggled for wickets since his return to the side in the recent England series.

Holder picked up only three wickets in five innings on helpful seam-bowling conditions in the UK and bagged only the lone wicket in the drawn first Test against South Africa.

After Holder, it is the two talented yet inexperienced spinners - Warrican and Motie with a combined experience of 24 Tests. While Warrican impressed with six wickets in the first Test, Motie went wicketless in 30 overs of bowling.

The South Africans will do well to weather the Joseph-Seales storm to test the penetrative powers of Holder, Motie, and Warrican and possibly exploit a hole in the West Indian bowling ranks.