Holder rearguard keeps Windies in contest as Proteas struggle to wrap up tail

At the Wanderers

West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder picked the perfect time to end his lean batting patch as his 12th Test 50 forced South Africa to bat for 20 minutes on the second evening of the second Test on Thursday.

Holder's attacking rearguard guided the West Indies to 251 all out in 79.3 overs, something that forced South Africa into three overs of batting, which the hosts negotiated to 4/0 without undue hassles.

Holder's knock meant South Africa led by just 69 runs instead of a triple-figure buffer that would've made life easier for them.

Holder hadn't scored a Test half-century in 19 knocks dating back to the first Test against Pakistan in Kingston in August 2021, but when he was needed to salvage a faltering innings, he did what was asked of him.

Holder, who came in at 157/5 after Joshua da Silva was castled by Simon Harmer, dominated the lower-order partnerships he shared with Alzarri Joseph (4), Kemar Roach (13), and Gudakesh Motie (17) to ensure the Windies were in a far better state.

With Kagiso Rabada unable to bowl in the last session, Holder took advantage of the senior pacer's absence to help raise 134 runs for the last four wickets.

It meant South Africa started and ended the day badly, even though they held sway in the middle stages of the proceedings.

When South Africa lost their last three wickets in the space of 20 minutes, the stage was set for a hi-octane day of cricket under a hot sun.

While wickets did fall, seven of them in the first session, the game didn't motor at a speed that would keep traffic cameras busy.

What the slowed-down pace of the game did do was to expose the pitch to a sun that hardly hid under the clouds.

It quickened up, something that allowed South Africa's pacers to extract