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The high-quality fielding and the controlled bowling the West Indies exhibited at Sabina Park last weekend were nowhere to be seen at the Antigua Recreation Ground here yesterday. The batting was also not exactly up to par for the first phase of play, but for 60 overs, at least, the West Indies remained competitive.

The rest of the afternoon, however, was one-way traffic and South Africa sped to an emphatic victory by eight wickets with 25 balls in reserve to level the Cable & Wireless series at 1-1.

Once Nixon McClean, always one to struggle with his accuracy, came into the attack with South Africa on 40 for one in search of 221 from 50 overs, he served up a handful of loose, innocuous deliveries that were predictably punished. The 25 runs he gave away from two overs simply set Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis on their way to a big, record century partnership and the intensity of West Indians on the field appeared to have been significantly reduced.

Gibbs negotiated the early tight stuff from Cameron Cuffy before unleashing a series of commanding strokes on route to his fourth 100 (103 off 141 balls) in One-Day Internationals. His Western Province teammate Kallis was just as convincing and was unbeaten on 78 when the target was reached for the loss of just two wickets.

"It was disappointing," captain Carl Hooper said after the West Indies' first defeat in five matches at the ARG.

"I don't think we batted as well as we could have. The first 25 overs were a bit too slow. Looking at the wicket, it was probably more a 250-260 wicket. The South Africans showed us it was a good track to bat on."

Hooper was also not happy with the bowling.

"We expect one of the bowlers to have a bad day, but too many guys had poor days. We've got to be a bit more consistent if we want to beat South Africa," he said.

"We definitely could have shown a lot more urgency and a lot more consistency in the field as well," coach Roger Harper added.

McLean's first ball was pulled by four by Gibbs over mid-wicket, the second slapped over point for another boundary and his fourth hooked over long-leg for another four.

The syrup he dished out virtually negated the fantastic opening spell by Cameron Cuffy. Impeccably consistent with his immaculate line and occasional awkward bounce, Cuffy gained an early breakthrough with a delivery that moved and took the inside edge of Gary Kirsten's bat before going onto the stumps.

Cuffy's control was matched by left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell, but the other West Indies bowlers were disappointing.

After the onslaught against McLean, nothing troubled Gibbs and Kallis in their second-wicket stand of 179, the highest South African partnership in the 20 One-Day Internationals between the two countries, the highest partnership on the ground and the highest South African second-wicket stand in 225 matches of this type.

West Indies' fielding could not repeat the standard it set in Jamaica. When Gibbs was on 56, he should have been run out, but Chris Gayle opted to rifle a return from point directly to the stumps when the safe hands of wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs was a better option.

And Jacobs himself, whose mistakes behind the stumps have been few this season, dropped Gibbs off Marlon Samuels' off-spin when the batsman was 76.

Even then, the West Indies were in with a faint chance with 84 runs still needed off the last 90 balls.

In a jiffy four sixes were carted out of the ground from the West Indies' spin combination of Hooper, Samuels and Chris Gayle. At the half-way stage of their innings, the West Indies were 76 for one and didn't seem likely to get their eventual total.

It was a start-stop process for the most part, and they required lusty hitting from Shivnarine Chanderpaul and an almost equally destructive Carl Hooper to boost their fortunes in a fifth-wicket stand of 85 in 13 overs.

Chanderpaul, included only because of Ricardo Powell's right thigh strain, finally showed the form that has eluded him all season in an innings of 60 off 54 balls.

While the more distinguished hitters like Brian Lara and Gayle were outfoxed in trying to despatch Lance Klusener over the top, Chanderpaul made it look simple. In successive overs, Klusener was clobbered onto the sightscreen and lifted over mid-wicket for sixes.

When Allan Donald, an impressive first-spell performer, was recalled, he too was carted over mid-wicket for Chanderpaul's third six that triggered wild scenes among a crowd of about 9 000.

But just when he was in full flow and seemingly about to provide a final flurry in the last seven overs, he was run out in attempting a non-existent second run to square-leg that gained no response from Hooper.

The West Indies captain duly took it the cue with a few meaty blows, including a straight six off Jacques Kallis and a couple of lofted off-side drives.

Hooper's dismissal for 48 off 46 balls virtually ended the West Indies' flow of runs. He was the first of four wickets that fell in the last 20 balls that brought only 10 runs.

Gayle provided the early impetus with an even half-century, but while he was flowing, his fellow Jamaican Leon Garrick and Lara took up too many dot balls.

Garrick, who suggested he would be run out anytime, eventually fell that way after struggling to 16 off 61 balls, while Lara could not deliver something special on his 32nd birthday and needed 38 balls for his 13. The pair were especially contained by Donald and Kallis.

© The Barbados Nation