WI survive mishap during hot chase

WI survive mishap during hot chase
Agence France Presse

Bridgetown, April 3 : The West Indies suffered a dramatic collapse before holding on for a draw in the third Test against South Africa at Kensington Oval yesterday. West Indies lost seven wickets for 48 runs after being set what seemed a straight-forward task of batting out the last session. They finished on 88 for seven.

Earlier, it had been South Africa who had been under pressure. They lost three wickets in the first hour before Daryll Cullinan batted them to safety with an innings of 82. South Africa declared soon after Cullinan’s dismissal at 197 for nine, leaving West Indies an impossible target of 265 to win in a minimum of 28 overs. In the end they had to face 38.4 overs.

After a solid start, in which Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds put on 34, left-arm spinner Nicky Boje started a slide when he had Hinds caught at slip. Marlon Samuels went the same way before Gayle, who slammed 48 off 35 balls with 11 fours, went for another extravagant shot and was caught behind off Jacques Kallis.

Wickets then tumbled and there were eight men crowded around the bat as Mervyn Dillon blocked out an over from Boje, with the crowd cheering every ball safely defended. Then Dinanath Ramnarine was warned by the umpires for time-wasting as he held up play, claiming cramp with the minimum overs already completed inside the last 15 minutes. He had treatment on the field before he and Dillon secured the draw.

Ramnarine earlier had career-best figures of five for 78, with South Africa’s declaration robbing him of an opportunity to take a hat-trick after he sent back Cullinan and Allan Donald with successive deliveries. Cullinan extended a rich vein of form. He made 103 and 73 in the second Test in Port of Spain and 134 in the first innings in Bridgetown.

Cullinan was on course to become the fourth South African to score centuries in both innings of a Test match until he went for a big hit against Ramnarine and edged a catch to Brian Lara at slip.

Although runs came easily towards the end, most of Cullinan’s innings was played under pressure as the Windies spin bowlers reduced South Africa to 97 for six, an overall lead of 164 with more than 70 overs left. It was only during his partnership with Pollock, who made 40, that South Africa moved out of danger.Cullinan batted for 269 minutes, faced 246 balls and hit two sixes and eight fours. Ramnarine and West Indian captain Carl Hooper dominated the bowling. Ramnarine made the ball turn sharply at times.

Scoreboard
South Africa: (Ist innings) 454
West Indies: (Ist innings) 387
South Africa: (2nd innings)
H Gibbs c Sarwan b Hooper 19
G Kirsten c Samuels b Cuffy 0
McKenzie c Jacobs b Ramnarine 12
D Cullinan c Lara b Ramnarine 82
J Kallis c Sarwan b Hooper 20
L Klusener c Cuffy b Ramnarine 4
M Boucher c Jacobs b Ramnarine 0
S Pollock c Hooper b Walsh 40
N Boje not out 9
A Donald lbw Ramnarine 0
Extras: (lb3, nb8) 11
Total (9 wkts dec, 95.5 overs) 197
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 3-31, 3-36, 4-80, 5-95, 6-97, 7-167, 8-197, 9-167.
Bowling: Walsh 14-3-28-1, Cuffy 10-4-28-1 (1nb), Hooper 34-12-49-2 (2nb), Dillon 4-2-7-0 (2nb), Ramnarine 31.5-10-78-5 (3nb), Samuels 2-1-4-0.
West Indies: (2nd innings)
C Gayle c Boucher b Kallis 48
W Hinds c Cullinan b Boje 8
M Samuels c Cullinan b Boje 3
B Lara b Klusener 8
R Sarwan b Kallis 0
C Hooper c Boucher b Boje 5
R Jacobs c McKenzie b Boje 1
M Dillon not out 2
D Ramnarine not out 0
Extras (b8, lb1, nb4) 13
Total (7 wkts, 38.3 overs) 88
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-59, 3-64, 4-64, 5-72, 6-82, 7-82
Bowling: Pollock 5-0-24-0 (3nb), Kallis 8-1-34-2 (1nb), Boje 16.4-8-18-4, Klusener 9-7-3-1.
Result: Match drawn.
Series: South Africa lead 1-0.