The South African cricket team and West Indies cricket team have been involved in Test matches against each other since 1992. While Tests between the two sides haven’t been regularly contested, South Africa have maintained an enviable head-to-head record against the Caribbean side.

The Proteas first played against West Indies in cricket’s longest format in April 1992 at Bridgetown and the Windies won the game by 52 runs, courtesy of Curtly Ambrose’s 6/34 in the fourth innings of the match.

Overall, South Africa have won 20 and drawn seven of the 30 Test matches against West Indies. Including the victory in the maiden encounter between the two teams, West Indies have won three matches against the Proteas, the last of which was in December 2007 at Gqeberha.  

South Africa vs West Indies head-to-head in Tests

Matches

South Africa won

West Indies won

Draw

Tie

30

20

3

7

0

South Africa vs West Indies Test records

Highest team total

West Indies hold the record for the highest team total in this fixture. Thanks to Chris Gayle’s 483-ball 317 and tons from Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo, they posted a gigantic score of 747 at Antigua in May 2005. However, the match ended in a draw due to persistent weather issues. 

South Africa’s highest score against West Indies in Tests is 658/9d at Durban in December 2003. They won the match by an innings and 65 runs. The Proteas make up eight of the top 10 highest team totals in this fixture.

Lowest team total

After getting bowled out for 97 in June 2021, West Indies continue to have the lowest team total in this head-to-head. Their previous lowest of 102 in June 2010 was also on the same date as the latest one (June 10). The Proteas claimed big wins in both those matches.

South Africa, meanwhile, were bowled out for 141 at Kingston in April 2001. It is their lowest team total in Tests against the Caribbean side and gave the Winides one of their rare wins against the Proteas in Tests.

Most runs

Former Protea all-rounder Jacques Kallis has scored the most runs in South Africa vs West Indies Tests. Kallis, the third-highest run-getter in Test history, amassed 2,356 runs at a dominant average of 73.62 in 24 matches, including 12 fifties and eight centuries. He remains the only player with 2000-plus runs in this fixture.

West Indies’ Brain Lara (1715) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (1710) rank second and third, respectively, on this list.

Most wickets

South Africa’s Shaun Pollock picked up 70 wickets against West Indies in Test cricket, the most scalps by any bowler in this head-to-head. The former all-rounder maintained a shrewd economy rate of 2.40, while averaging less than 23 runs per wicket.

Kallis, who is the top run-scorer, is also the fourth-highest wicket-taker in this fixture with 52 wickets at an average of 30.05 in 24 games. Seven of the top 10 players in the most wickets list in this fixture are South Africans.

Highest individual score

In the above-mentioned match where West Indies racked up 747, Chris Gayle’s swashbuckling triple century grabbed the headlines. The 317-run knock is the highest individual score in SA vs WI Test matches. In fact, he is the only triple centurion in this fixture.

Hashim Amla, meanwhile, has the best score by a South African against West Indies in the longest format. He scored a gritty 208 off 371 balls at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in December 2014. South Africa won the match by an innings and 220 runs.

Best bowling figures

Former Protea speedster Makhaya Ntini’s spell of 7/37 at the Port of Spain in April 2005 is the best bowling figures in this fixture. While he recorded this spell in the second innings, Ntini also scalped six wickets in the first innings. It formed the backbone for an eight-wicket win for South Africa.

Ntini’s match figures of 13/132 from that game is also the best bowling figures in a Test match between the two teams.

Highest partnership

Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan registered the highest partnership in this head-to-head in the longest format. They stitched together 331 runs for the second wicket in Antigua during the above-mentioned match where the Caribbean side scored 747 runs after batting second.

On the other hand, Hashim Amla got together with AB de Villiers during the former’s double-century knock in this fixture and racked up a 308-run stand in December 2014, the best by a South African pair in Tests against West Indies.

 

Photo credits: Alamy