West Indies vs South Africa, 3rd ODI at Roseau, May 28 2010 - Ball by Ball Commentary

Five matches down and West Indies cannot win a game. They have several reasons to be peeved with themselves. The bowlers did all the hard work of restricting SA to 224 but the batsmen lost the game because of themselves, more than SA's efficiency in the field. Poor shots contributed to most of the dismissals and that explains why the innings didn't even cross 40 overs.

I will refer to what Ian Bishop said today on commentary about Gayle's responsibilities as a captain and opening batsman. His contributions have a huge bearing on the result and if he can minimise the risks and focus more on batting through the innings, West Indies will win more games. If he wants to lead from the front, he has to change his approach and allow others to bat around him. It's not the end of the world if Gayle cuts down on some of his shots. The scoring rate can still be healthy. This is a team game, remember?

Nevertheless, SA were the deserved winners and congratulations to them. The presentation has begun.

Gayle: "Restricting them was a good effort. We need to work on our batting. Two games to go, we need to improve. A lot of guys look up to me to give the starts but if I can't then someone else will have to put his hand up."

Smith: "We knew the wicket was two-paced, we let ourselves down in the last 20 overs. The bowlers kept the intensity and it was their win. It worked when we hit the deck hard. Some of the guys have played a lot so far so we might see who needs a break. I feel like a breakthrough innings from me is around the corner."

AB de Villiers is the Man of the Match: "I'm enjoying batting at 4, making sure I bat as many overs as possible. It's important for the team for me to keep at the moment. I kept a lot better today."

Thanks for your company today and the mails. Join us for the fourth ODI on Sunday at the same venue. It's goodbye from all of us here.