5th Test: West Indies v South Africa at Jamaica, 19-23 Apr 2001 CricInfo Live Report

5th Test: West Indies v South Africa at Jamaica, 19-23 Apr 2001
Marcus Prior

West Indies 1st innings: Day 1 - Lunch, Day 1 - Tea,
Pre-game: Day 1 - Toss,

LARA FIGHTS LONE BATTLE IN JAMAICA

As Brian Lara stands defiant, the West Indies continue to melt around him as South Africa claimed three more wickets after lunch to take control of the fifth Test at Sabina Park. At tea , the home side were 135-6, with Lara a pulsating 62 not out and the dead bat of Marvyn Dillon ( yet to score) providing at least temporary resistance at the other end.

After taking lunch at 53-3, the West Indies misery continued in the first over after the interval, as the recalled Marlon Samuels (3) nicked Allan Donald to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher. It was a good delivery from Donald, fast and straightening just enough on the 20-year-old right-hander to take the edge.

With the departure of Samuels, Lara was joined at the wicket by captain Carl Hooper and for a little over an hour the pair breathed hope into the West Indian effort. Lara won his little tussle with Donald and Hooper played himself in patiently.

But when the captain fell, it was to the most sucker of punches. Pollock set the trap with two men on the boundary behind square on the leg-side, bowled the bouncer, Hooper hooked and Gary Kirsten pocketed a simple chance. Hooper gone for 25, caught hooking on the largest outfield in the Caribbean. If there are really fines to be handed out to the West Indies team for sloppy cricket, then the captain will be a poorer man this evening.

Ridley Jacobs did not last long, facing just six balls before edging Pollock to Boucher to depart for a duck. Boucher then turned villain as he put down a relatively straightforward chance offered by new batsman Dillon, again off Pollock.

As the wickets fell, Lara moved to his fifty off 111 balls in 169 minutes with eight fours. He then celebrated with two boundaries off left-arm spinner Paul Adams, the first chopped delicately down to third man, the second thumped gloriously through extra-cover.

WEST INDIES UNDER THE WHIP AGAIN AS SOUTH AFRICA STRIKE EARLY

South Africa proved as good as their word and maintained the determined efficiency which has already won them the series, as they restricted the West Indies to 53-3 at lunch on day one of the fifth and final Test at Sabina Park.

After captain Carl Hooper won the toss and decided to bat on a sultry Kingston day, it has been an uphill struggle from the first delivery of the match bowled by Allan Donald.

It was faced by debutant opening batsman Leon Garrick, called into the side at the eleventh hour after his 174 not out against the South Africans in a meaningless two-day warm-up game in Montego Bay at the weekend. The ball from Donald was just short of a length and rising on the diminutive Garrick, the batsmen cutting it straight to Shaun Pollock in the gulley.

Garrick's preparations for the Test were hardly ideal, but he now knows the difference between a two-day knockabout and Test cricket. It was an injudicious shot from a skittishly nervous batsman, who stood for several seconds at the crease in horror and disbelief at the way he had thrown his wicket away.

He joins a man who previously ran a club all of his own, for Test batsmen dismissed for a duck on debut off the first ball of a test match. The other is South Africa's Jimmy Cook, dismissed by Kapil Dev of Indian in Durban in 1992-1993.

Runs were hard to come by as change bowlers Jacques Kallis and Justin Kemp maintained the tight line of Donald and Pollock. Kallis struck in just his second over, angling one across Shivnarine Chanderpaul (7) who got a faint nick through to Mark Boucher behind the stumps.

Pollock then brought Donald back shortly before lunch and struck almost immediately, Chris Gayle (25) slashing firmly but too close to Kemp in the gulley who took a good, sharp catch. It was a great pity for Gayle, who had batted with uncharacteristic patience up until that point.

At lunch Brian Lara was not out on 7 and the recalled Marlon Samuels had 3.

GARRICK OUT FIRST BALL AS WEST INDIES ELECT TO BAT IN FIFTH TEST

West Indian debutant Leon Garrick made the worst possible start to his Test career when he was out to the first ball of the fifth Test match against South Africa which started at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on Thursday.

Garrick cut his first delivery from Allan Donald into the hands of Shaun Pollock in the gully to be out for a Royal duck after West Indian captain Carl Hooper had won the toss and elected to bat.

Shortly before the match, Courtney Walsh, the only bowler to have taken 500 Test wickets, confirmed that the match would be his last before retiring from international cricket.

Garrick was one of three changes to the West Indian side that lost the fourth Test in Antigua. Garrick replaced Wavell Hinds while the West Indies also brought Marlon Samuels back into the side for Ramnaresh Sarwan with fast bowler Cameron Cuffy coming in for Neil McGarrell.

In the South Africa side, Donald returneed after injury with Makhaya Ntini dropping out while left-arm spinner Paul Adams got his first Test match of the tour in place of the injured Nicky Boje.

Teams

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Leon Garrick, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brian Lara, Marlon Samuels, Carl Hooper (capt), Ridley Jacobs, Merv Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Dinanath Ramnarine, Courtney Walsh.

South Africa: Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Daryll Cullinan, Neil McKenzie, Mark Boucher, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock (capt), Justin Kemp, Paul Adams, Allan Donald.