Victory in sight
The West Indies have learnt by recent bitter experience not to count their chickens before they hatch
Tony Cozier
23-Apr-2001
The West Indies have learnt by recent bitter experience not to count
their chickens before they hatch.
The way things have been these past few years, they have to be out of
their shells and chirping loudly before any celebrations can begin.
Yet, the fifth and final Test has incubated nicely over the first four
days and their first victory since last June 13 matches ago is ready
for hatching.
All that is needed now to finish it off is the discipline and patience
that have got the situation to its promising stage.
Throughout the West Indies have shown the resilience that has been so
markedly absent from their cricket for so many years and have been
unquestionably the better team.
The upshot has been their strongest position since they blew a first
innings lead of 143 over England at Lord's with an all-out 54 in their
second innings ten months and 14 Tests ago.
Mainly through their toughest character, Ridley Jacobs, they recovered
from the insecurity of 126 for five in their second innings on the
fourth day to total 301.
It left South Africa with a colossal task to keep their unbeaten
sequence of 12 Tests intact and extend their lead in the series to
3-0.
The challenge was 386 over the last five sessions of the match. No
South African team, before or since apartheid, has ever got near that
to win a Test and, even though eight of their 11 have Test hundreds to
their name, it is a distant goal.
By the close of the day, extended by an hour because of three rain
breaks, the West Indies had got rid of three of them for 140,
including Herschelle Gibbs and Daryll Cullinan, their two leading
scorers in the series with over 400 runs each.
South Africa start the last day needing another 246 off the minimum
requirement of 90 overs and the West Indies need another seven
wickets.
It is a victory that would not only be an appropriate parting gift for
Courtney Walsh in his farewell Test but a stimulating result for West
Indies cricket that has suffered such pain for so long.
They made the necessary inroads into the South African innings through
the same commitment that has marked their game throughout.
In a lively, accurate spell before tea, Merv Dillon removed the lefthanded Gary Kirsten, caught off the under edge as he belatedly pulled
his bat out of the path of a lifter over off-stump, delivered from
round the wicket.
The West Indies were realistic enough to know not to expect another
South African collapse as in their first innings 141. Gibbs, as
adventurous as always, and Neil McKenzie, promoted to No. 3 for the
third time in the series, made them work for an hour and 40 minutes
while adding 65.
Finally, Gibbs' patience was exhausted as Dinanath Ramnarine and
Hooper contained him after an after-tea flourish in which he punished
Dillon's looseness that brought 29 runs from four overs.
Heaving an ugly sweep at Hooper, Gibbs was bowled, an embarrasing end
to a fruitful series for the opener.
Cullinan, South Africa's most prolific batsman with hundreds at
Queen's Park and Kensington already in the series, replaced Gibbs.
He played with few problems before Hooper recalled Walsh for a second
spell.
The man of the moment had been off the field receiving attention and a
soothing injection after a painful blow to the ankle while batting
earlier in the day. The Sabina crowd greeted his return with the
understandable reception and almost brought the house down when his
third ball beat Cullinan coming forward for umpire Steve Bucknor's lbw
decision.
Another three-quarters of an hour remained and McKenzie and Jacques
Kallis only survived it with a few alarms.
Kallis edged Ramnarine a foot short of Chris Gayle at slip. McKenzie
just managed to scramble back into his ground before Jacobs broke the
stumps after one from Ramnarine that deflected from the pads. McKenzie
again got the benefit of Bucknor's little doubt on an lbw claim from
Walsh.
The West Indies' position was already strong when the day started on a
humid morning with clouds hovering low over the Blue Mountains. The
lead was already 339 but captain Hooper called for another 30.
He got more, even after Ramnarine was dubiously caught at first slip
by Cullinan off Shaun Pollock's third ball of the day.
Tossing the ball in the air as he fell backwards and diving forward to
try to gather it in again, Cullinan did not seem to have control of
the ball but umpire Srinivas Ventararaghavan raised his finger all the
same.
It made no significant difference. In between a break for one of the
day's three showers, Jacobs and Cameron Cuffy raised a further 32
before Jacobs swung his hook off Lance Klusener to deep square-leg.
His 85, occupying just over four hours all told, was made while 161
were scored, an invaluable contribution from an invaluable player.
As Walsh walked to the wicket for the last time in Test cricket, the
South Africans formed a guard of honour as the Englishmen did at the
Oval last August and the Australians did at the SCG last January. It
was another touching tribute to a greatly admired sportsman.
Walsh at least avoided adding to his record 43 Test ducks before he
skewed a catch to cover. Soon he was back, striving for the result he
is desperate to achieve.