CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

Courtney Walsh could dare we say should have his wish after all. If his batsmen allow it, the great fast bowler can even have the chance to spearhead the victory he cherishes in his farewell Test match before his ardent countrymen at Sabina Park.

It will mean nothing to the series, already secured by South Africa, but it would end the depressing sequence of 11 winless Tests and give the West Indies' most admired cricketer a fitting send-off.

Walsh has already played a significant role in compensating for the first day failings of the batting.

With the telling support from his fast bowling accomplices, Merv Dillon and Cameron Cuffy, that he has often lacked, the West Indies bowled South Africa out for 141 in 61.1 overs on the second day of the fifth and final Test.

It was their lowest total in 11 Tests between the teams and secured a lead of 87 for the West Indies. Only a second innings capitulation will allow this opportunity to slip and, while there have been enough of those of late to temper optimism, the way Leon Garrick and Chris Gayle confidently batted through the last 17 overs to add 24 yesterday was encouraging.

The situation is that the West Indies are 118 to the good on an essentially true pitch, offering some bounce and movement to the faster bowlers but nothing extravagant.

The only West Indian century-maker in the 11 Tests against South Africa is Ridley Jacobs. It is time others add their name to the list and there is no more appropriate time.

Even though Walsh delighted the small gathering in the morning with a delicate flick for three of Alan Donald and he and Dinanath Ramnarine added a further 11 to the total before Walsh spooned a catch to midon for Shaun Pollock's fifth wicket, 225 seemed wholly inadequate.

For once, Cuffy and Dillon followed Walsh's example of unwavering persistency and reaped the rewards.

The South Africans could not recover from a shaky start in which they lost their first four wickets for 51.

The only threatening partnership of the innings was 40 for the seventh wicket between the solid topscorer Neil McKenzie and captain Shaun Pollock. But once Pollock was the second of Dillon's four victims, fending an edge to the keeper, the last four wickets tumbled for four runs off 21 balls. The West Indies were doing unto South Africa what others so often do to them.

Clearly enjoying himself for the last time, Walsh started South Africa's problems in the seventh over when left-handed opener Gary Kirsten deflected a catch to third slip from a forcing backfoot shot for his third 0 of the series.

Kirsten began the series with 150 in the first innings of the first Test. In eight innings since, he has managed 86.

The giant Cuffy supported Walsh with an accurate opening spell that yielded six from six overs. He and Dillon took up the attack after lunch and inflicted the telling blows to the heart of the South African batting.

Cuffy dispatched Herschelle Gibbs with a leaping outswinger that would have done justice to Walsh himself. It was too good for Gibbs, a quality batsman in good form. Jacobs lept to haul in an overhead catch.

Soon the overconfident Daryll Cullinan, the leading scorer in the series, flashed a cut at Cuffy and Brian Lara snaffled the catch low down at first slip.

Quarter-hour later, Jacques Kallis got such a thick inside edge into his pad that Dillon had time to veer to his right on follow-through and accept the return catch.

Cornered at 51 for four, McKenzie and the out-of-touch Lance Klusener set about to rebuild the innings so carefully that they eeked out nine runs from nine overs, seven maiden.

At 13, McKenzie edged Cuffy a yard in front of Carl Hooper at second slip for the first of his four fours but he and Pollock were the only ones who seemed likely to baulk the West Indies.

Klusener has had a horrid series with the bat and the only evidence of his hard-hitting reputation was a six over longon off Ramnarine's leg- break. He was in for an hour and 42 balls for 15 when Walsh plucked out his middle stump minutes prior to a break for rain and an early tea.

Twenty runs on resumption, Walsh claimed his third wicket through Garrick's spectacular tumble at square-leg that intercepted Mark Boucher's pull shot.

South Africa were 97 for six but they had been there before and recovered.

As McKenzie and Pollock built their stand, Pollock pulling Cuffy for six in an over that cost 14, West Indian fears surfaced again. They evaporated in a jiffy.

Pollock touched a good one from Dillon to Jacobs, McKenzie was lbw sweeping at a straight ball from Ramnarine, Justin Kemp spooned a catch to midon from Dillon who then finished it off through Hooper's 100th Test catch, low down at second slip off Paul Adams.

It left Garrick and Gayle 17 overs to see out the day. Given Garrick's first ball, first innings experience on debut, they were worrying times.

But Garrick showed spunk in taking the first ball again. He let it go, drove the second for three and, apart from some verbal jousts with the opposition and a couple of injudicious hooks, had few problems. Neither did Gayle. It is up to them and the other batsmen to put the match beyond South Africa.

© The Barbados Nation