too short, Amla back and cuts hard out through the covers, finding the gap, the skipper brings his side home
South Africa vs West Indies, 3rd Test at Cape Town, Jan 02 2015 - Ball by Ball Commentary
RESULT
3rd Test, Cape Town, January 02 - 06, 2015, West Indies tour of South Africa
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SA 2nd Innings
Full commentary
Amla picks up the Sir Vivian Richards trophy and also collects the Test Championship mace and the cheque for finishing top of the tree - wasn't really expecting that now! But there we are, the world's best Test side crowned again. Comfortably victory and now they can take their success into the one-day cricket coming up, starting with three T20s against West Indies, the first one also here in Cape Town. Stick around for the best reaction to this Test and we'll be back on Friday for the first T20, 4pm GMT start, see you then...
Time to hear from the captains. Denesh Ramdin is reflecting on another defeat: "It was always going to be tough but we didn't do the good things for a long period of time we did it in short spurts. When you get starts you need to go on, South Africa did, we just made 50s and 60s. They're world class bowlers but we got starts so we did well but we need to go on. South Africa deserve to be No. 1 in the world and showed that here. Our one-day boys are here so hopefully we can get it a good go in the one-day series."
The Man of the Match is AB de Villiers : "The batting unit played really well, we stuck it out and waited for the right time to attack. You have to be patient in this game and wait to attack, I enjoy it when I get going but I like working hard for my runs. I've changed by technique on the front foot, it's important for me to feel confident but I can change my gameplan. But my mindset at the moment is perhaps the biggest change of all. I'm very happy for Simon Harmer, he took wickets in the second innings when perhaps he felt pressure to take wickets but all the bowlers as a whole did really well."
Man of the Series goes to the South African captain Hashim Amla: "We've got quite a few weathermen in our team but once we got out there I was really happy with the bowlers yesterday. Dale is a wonderful asset to have in the team, that spell yesterday was exceptional, working with Simon at the other end, they worked very well in tandem. We know the team is going to go through a period of change and the guys that have come into the team have done really well. The continuity of performances has been excellent."
Presentation coming up. Dean Elgar probably won't get much of a mention but he's played really well today. Calm and collected, did not panic when the pressure was on with those maidens first thing before gaining his fluency to take his side home with easy. Well done Deano, may have confirmed his place at the top of the order for a while.
For South Africa, it's a nice success for Hashim Amla who wins his first home Test series as captain. They have confirmed their World No. 1-ranking for April 1 and retain the Test Championship mace. He's been able to call on his bowlers who have delivered once again - that spell by Dale Steyn yesterday was outstanding - and also may have found a future spin option in Simon Harmer who enjoyed an excellent debut here with seven wickets.
This game was another case of if only for the West Indies really. In a good place in their first innings - so many starts for their batsman - they fell short of a score to create real scoreboard pressure. They then failed to bowl well enough for long enough and South Africa again built a handy lead via another AB de Villiers century. Yet again West Indies had a chance yesterday to give themselves a great chance in this match but Marlon Samuels chucked away his 74 and the floodgates opened. it was too much to ask for a fourth-innings fire.
No dramas for South Africa this morning, they have finished it off very comfortably to win by eight wickets completing a 2-0 series win. The gap between the sides properly displayed in the series scoreline, West Indies couldn't compete for long enough periods to put their hosts under enough pressure and a batting collapse was never far away, none more so than yesterday afternoon when they lost 6 for 13 to dash any real hopes of making South Africa sweat today.
37.4
4
Samuels to Amla, FOUR runs
37.3
1
Samuels to Elgar, 1 run
full just outside off, tapped to mid-on and they take the fielder on, almost a run out to ruin Elgar's morning but he was in even with a direct hit
37.2
1
Samuels to Amla, 1 run
this clip is closer to the deep fielder and they just get a single
37.1
2
Samuels to Amla, 2 runs
full on the leg stump, flicked through square leg and they run hard for two, good running
end of over 379 runs
SA: 116/2CRR: 3.13
Dean Elgar59 (102b 7x4 1x6)
Hashim Amla31 (46b 5x4)
Jerome Taylor 7-3-20-0
Marlon Samuels 3-0-16-0
The debate begins about who gets to score the winning runs. Elgar deserves it...
36.6
•
Taylor to Elgar, no run
fuller length just outside off, pressed firmly to extra-cover
Target now in single figures...
36.5
4
Taylor to Elgar, FOUR runs
short and pulled handsomely through midwicket, great timing
36.4
•
Taylor to Elgar, no run
around the wicket, full length a foot outside off, pleasantly driven straight to cover
36.3
1
Taylor to Amla, 1 run
short, pulled out to the same long leg and he gets an ironic cheer for bothering to pick this one up
36.2
4
Taylor to Amla, FOUR runs
too straight, my mother could have clipped that away, wide of long leg and the fielding says it all here - laboured chase, half-hearted attempted to get down with a left hand and missed
36.1
•
Taylor to Amla, no run
length ball on a straight line, clipped straight to midwicket
Jerome Taylor on now, can West Indies at least take another batsman with them...
end of over 367 runs
SA: 107/2CRR: 2.97
Hashim Amla26 (43b 4x4)
Dean Elgar55 (99b 6x4 1x6)
Marlon Samuels 3-0-16-0
Sulieman Benn 17-8-24-2
35.6
1
Samuels to Amla, 1 run
full on middle and leg. whipped out to deep square
35.5
1
Samuels to Elgar, 1 run
wide line and cut out to the deep over
35.4
1
Samuels to Amla, 1 run
similar ball, this time a better connection on the sweep but only gets a single for this out to backward square
35.3
4
Samuels to Amla, FOUR runs
leg side line, Amla sweeps and gets a tickle on it, it runs very fine and the fifty stand comes up
35.2
•
Samuels to Amla, no run
tries to create room for the cut again but just finds cover
35.1
•
Samuels to Amla, no run
around the wicket, off stump line, played from the crease back to the bowler
end of over 352 runs
SA: 100/2CRR: 2.85
Hashim Amla20 (38b 3x4)
Dean Elgar54 (98b 6x4 1x6)
Sulieman Benn 17-8-24-2
Marlon Samuels 2-0-9-0
100 up and South Africa are now cantering to a handsome victory...
34.6
1
Benn to Amla, 1 run
wide line, cut away but there's now a sweeper back
34.5
•
Benn to Amla, no run
touch full, a clip back to the bowler
34.4
•
Benn to Amla, no run
fuller ball, driven to mid-on but too close to the fielder for a single
34.3
•
Benn to Amla, no run
wider angle but a touch full and a solid forward defence back to the bowler
34.2
•
Benn to Amla, no run
forward blocking right back up the wicket
34.1
1
Benn to Elgar, 1 run
touch short and clipped out into the deep square on the leg side
We're easily going to be done before lunch now...
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