Pollock lifts South Africa after early torment against Board XI

A calculated, counter-attacking captain's knock of 81 from Shaun Pollock saved South Africa from embarrassment on day one of their three-day match against a strong West Indies Cricket Board XI at the Kensington Oval.

Pollock, batting at number eight, turned a tide flowing alarmingly against his side when he arrived at the wicket with the score at 132 for six. South Africa were eventually dismissed for 271.

The Board XI faced just four overs before stumps which Daren Ganga and Leon Garrick negotiated confidently to close on 17 without loss.

With Neil McKenzie grafting a painstaking 50, there was more than just the captain's knock for the South Africans to enthuse about. But take nothing away from a determined and competitive Board XI, for whom Cameron Cuffy was outstanding. His three wickets were bought cheaply and may well have purchased a place in the West Indian side for the Third Test which starts here next Thursday. A pat on the back too for Colin Stuart, who was wild at times, but finished with 4/56.

While Pollock batted like a free spirit before bottom-edging a pull off Stuart on to his stumps when looking for runs at the death, McKenzie was always studied, never free-flowing. His first and only boundary - a six over mid-on off left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed - came after two hours and 72 balls. His fifty took a minute over three hours, but no one will care less about his slow progress than the batsman himself. To fall to a rare delivery which kept horribly low was rough justice indeed.

After losing four wickets in the first session, the South Africans then saw both Justin Kemp and Mark Boucher dismissed cheaply after lunch. Kemp (13) had seemed in glorious touch, swatting the first ball after the break through the covers for four, but his confidence got the better of him when he attempted to slog-sweep Mohammed and top-edged a dolly of a catch to Stuart at mid-on.

Boucher looked as though he was setting himself for a big score, eking eight runs from 33 balls until Cuffy got one to rise off a length and all the batsman could do was fend it to gulley. The delivery was a good example of the extra pace and bounce in the pitch after the slow and low experience the Caribbean has been for the tourists thus far. The Kensington Oval promises to be a different experience.

As well as Cuffy, Reon King and Stuart bowled in the morning session, all four South African batsmen to be dismissed would have had good cause to question their judgment. Gary Kirsten (16) shouldered arms to one from Cuffy that cut back to hit off stump and Boeta Dippenaar(1) did the same to a straight delivery from King the following over and was lock, stock and barrel leg-before.

Herschelle Gibbs (15) wasted a solid start with a swish across the line to be bowled by Stuart, who then picked up his second wicket just before lunch when Klusener (22) struck him straight to mid-on. An angry Klusener turned and swatted leg stump with his bat in disgust - in a higher profile game he might just have landed himself in trouble.