Walsh at centre stage as Sabina Park Test draws to intriguing conclusion
As the curtain is gradually drawn on the great career of Courtney Walsh, a compelling Test match is also drawing to an intriguing close at Sabina Park
Marcus Prior
22-Apr-2001
As the curtain is gradually drawn on the great career of Courtney Walsh, a
compelling Test match is also drawing to an intriguing close at Sabina Park.
It should surely be beyond South Africa to win this match, as they chase 386
to win - what would be the third highest fourth innings score to win in Test
history.
By the close of a day on which 72 minutes were lost to rain on a damp
Kingston carnival Sunday, South Africa had knocked off 140 of the runs for
the loss of three wickets - still requiring another 246 for victory - with
the not out batsmen Neil McKenzie on 40, and Jacques Kallis 5. It will take
something very special indeed on the final day.
Walsh made sure the big Sunday crowd could let their hair down in style,
with the prized wicket of Daryll Cullinan (18), the batsman adjudged
leg-before to an in-swinger. First impressions from television replays were
that Cullinan hit the ball, but magnification by the producers confirmed
that umpire Steve Bucknor was absolutely spot on.
Walsh was not so happy shortly before the close when a huge appeal for
leg-before against McKenzie (40 at the time) was turned down by Bucknor.
McKenzie earlier survived an equally concerted appeal also for lbw to Carl
Hooper.
Gary Kirsten (14) has had a desperate run since scoring 150 in his first
innings of the series in Guyana, and despite a compact, tidy start was
undone by a delivery from first-change Mervyn Dillon. Looking to leave it
well alone, Kirsten saw the ball leap off a length and brush his inside edge
as he held the bat horizontal to the ground.
The departure of his opening partner was the cue for Herschelle Gibbs
(51) to demonstrate the kind of strokeplay which sees him averaging over 50
for the series. He was particularly murderous on Dillon, smashing him
for two consecutive boundaries through the on-side, but a square cut off
Walsh was the kind of cavalier extravagance normally associated with West
Indian opponents of yesteryear.
It was not to last though, as shortly after reaching his half-century,
Gibbs aimed a slog-sweep at Hooper, missed and was bowled. He faced 120
balls and struck five fours.
Earlier, Walsh made an emotional final walk to the wicket in Test
cricket as the West Indies built on their mountainous second innings lead.
Coming in at
his customary number 11, Walsh received a standing ovation from his home
fans and a guard of honour from the South African players as he approached
the middle.
Every ball he kept out was rapturously received by a partisan crowd,
enjoying every moment in the middle from the only man ever to take 500 test
wickets.
When Walsh fell slogging at Paul Adams for three, the West Indies were
all out for 301 on the stroke of lunch, Cameron Cuffy remaining unbeaten on
13.
Ridley Jacobs did more than anyone to make sure the South Africans have
only the faintest glimmer of a chance of winning the match and the series
3-0. Jacobs rotated the strike intelligently in the morning session to
move to 85 off 191 balls, including seven boundaries, before he mis-timed
his favourite hook shot and was comfortably taken by McKenzie in the deep.
Dinanath Ramnarine lasted just three balls after the resumption,
although his departure was cause for controversy over what constitutes a
'fair catch'. Ramnarine clearly edged Pollock to Cullinan at first
slip, who took a clean catch, but then threw the ball in the air as he
staggered backwards and groped at and fumbled the ball as it came back down.
Ramnarine stood his ground, waiting for a decision from umpire Srinivas
Venkataraghavan, who duly sent him on his way. Law 32.3 states that a catch
shall be considered fairly made if 'the fielder obtains complete control
both over the ball and (crucially, in this instance) over his own movement'.
In other words, the catch was only half completed.