Dwayne Bravo took a career-best 4-19 and captain Kieran Pollard scored an unbeaten half-century as the West Indies levelled their five-match T20 series with South Africa at 2-2 with a 21-run victory on Thursday.

Pollard scored an unbeaten 51 as the Windies, batting first, posted 167-6. Opener Lendl Simmons also contributed 47 in what was another underwhelming West Indies performance with the bat.

West Indies enjoyed a fantastic opening over, taking 20 runs from the bowling of Aiden Markram. It was the most runs in the first over of a T20 match by a team batting first.

However, the visitors, led by George Linde’s 2-16, took six wickets in the next 15 overs and threatened to restrict the West Indies to their lowest total of the series. That was when Pollard stepped in and blasted West Indies to their winning score.

Pollard and Fabian Allen (19 not out) hit six sixes in that period, with Pollard smashing three of them in three balls off Kagiso Rabada in an over that yielded 25 runs.

The Windies skipper brought up a sixth T20 half-century and his highest score in seven innings as Lungi Ngidi’s (0-48) two death overs cost 30 runs.

Leaving South Africa to chase 168 for victory, Quinton de Kock was once again among the runs, scoring 60, his second consecutive half-century following his 72 in the third match of the series on Tuesday that South Africa won by one run.

However, no other South African batsman scored more than 20 as Bravo returned career-best figures to restrict the visitors. He took the wickets of Linde, de Kock, Tabraiz Shamsi and Ngidi in 12 balls in the closing stages of the match as South Africa slipped to 146-9. This, after the West Indies had suffered a setback when Allen hurt his shoulder while fielding and was unable to take any further part in the match.

Pollard, who was named man-of-the-match said his team battled well under trying circumstances.

“In a game like this, you have to come hard. It was a must-win game for us,” he said while explaining how a change of approach got him his all-important 50.

“I hadn’t faced enough deliveries in the last few games, so gave myself a bit of time. We speak about batting till the end, and we have power-hitters till the end. It’s not a perfect world but we got the result in the end.

“I think we did fairly well in the Power Play. For us, it’s about regrouping again and give it one more push. We knew we had to make up Allen’s overs. Having McCoy and Bravo do well and Russell bowling his four overs was great.”

South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma, said three bad overs and underwhelming batting cost his side the series-clinching victory.

“I think looking at our bowling display, majority of the innings we bowled well but in three overs we didn’t hit our straps well. But they came hard at us at the death. Our spinners came to the fore and they stopped things in the middle apart from picking up wickets,” he said.

“The conditions have suited the slower bowlers, seamers too have been resorting to cutters. The momentum was on their side but as batters, we are disappointed. Quinton was the lone ranger.”

The final match of the series is scheduled for Saturday.