2nd Test: West Indies v South Africa at Port-of-Spain, 17-21 Mar 2001 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Test: West Indies v South Africa at Port-of-Spain, 17-21 Mar 2001
MWP

West Indies 2nd innings: Lunch - day 5, Tea - day 5,
Live Reports from previous days

HOOPER STANDS FIRM WITH TEST STILL IN THE BALANCE

Carl Hooper and Ramnaresh Sarwan batted through all but the last 10 minutes of the afternoon session to give the West Indies renewed hope of victory as they reached tea on the final day of thre second Test against South Africa on 143-6, still 89 short of their victory target of 232.

Nobody seemed to give the home side a chance when they crashed from their overnight 32-1 to 51-5 but Hooper continues to be an inspiration in the early days of his West Indian captaincy and he was the essence of calm assurance as he guided and protected his 20-year-old fellow Guyanese, Sarwan, during a sixth wicket stand of 92 that worked the ever-increasing crowd of 15 000 into an ever-increasing frenzy.

Just 10 minutes before tea, however, Sarwan fell into Jacques Kallis' leg-side trap and spliced a hook shot to backward square leg where Nicky Boje held a potentially match-winning, tumbling catch, back peddling furiously as the ball threatened to loop over his shoulder.

Sarwan made 39 from 114 balls with six boundaries while Hooper's unbeaten 46 has so far spanned 135 balls. Ridley Jacobs has yet to score but if he bats with the controlled aggression that brought him 93 not out in the first innings then West Indies have every reason to remain confident.

DONALD SPARKS WEST INDIES COLLAPSE ON FIFTH MORNING

West Indies endured a torrid, miserable morning at the start of the fifth day's play in the second Test against South Africa at the Queen's Park Oval on Wednesday when they lost four wickets before lunch to crash to 86-5 chasing 232 for victory.

An extraordinary sequence of three wickets for just a single run, including Brian Lara's dismissal, saw the home side crash from 50-2 to 51-5 before Ramnaresh Sarwan (23*) and Carl Hooper (11*) staged a mini-recovery to give a a crowd of atleast 16 000 renewed hope.

Nightwatchman Dinanath Ramnarine (11) was the first to go, slashing at a half-volley from Allan Donald which flew at frightening pace to second slip where Jacques Kallis held an excellent catch.

Marlon Samuels (9) perished to the same combination but to a far less ambitious stroke, an attempted push through the covers off the back foot that carried from the edge to Kallis at waist height.

Opener Chris Gayle finally succumbed to Shaun Pollock after abandoning his normally aggressive, stroke-making game in favour of an ultra-defensive approach in which he failed even to look for singles.

Another edge saw Gayle (23) give wicketkeeper Mark Boucher the catch while Lara's expectant home crowd were stunned to see their hero make the lonely walk back to the pavilion for an 11-ball duck, LBW to Makhaya Ntini's first ball of the innings.

Replays showed the ball to have pitched outside leg stump but by then it was too late. Local umpire Billy Doctrove, who has otherwise enjoyed an excellent Test, may have made an important error.