South Africa Press roast West Indies (14 December 1998)

14 December 1998

South Africa Press roast West Indies

By Tony Cozier

PORT ELIZABETH - South Africa's Press yesterday hailed their team's three-day victory in the second Test here on Saturday but, at the same time, bemoaned the pitiful West Indies performance.

Woeful Windies Are Blown Away was the front page headline in the East Cape Weekend. The sports page lead story called the West Indies' second innings collapse Batting Madness.

The Sunday Times headlined their story: Windies' Suicidal Collapse. It added: Ignominious Test Defeat Raises Spectre of a Humiliating Whitewash.

"To see a West Indies side hurtling headlong to defeat in a flurry of wild slogs and reckless running between the wickets was an astonishing sight," wrote veteran Sunday Times correspondent Colin Bryden.

"Whether the tourists can come back and make something of the remaining three Test matches will tell much about their character and, in particular, the leadership qualities of their captain, Brian Lara."

Writing in The Sunday Independent, Peter Robinson also raised the prospect of a clean sweep of the series by South Africa.

"As the tour has gone on, it has become increasingly clear that this is not an all-conquering West Indian side," Robinson wrote.

"The tourists are vulnerable at the top of the order, the batting lacks depth and is over-reliant on Brian Lara, Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the back-up bowlers are simply not up to the standards set by Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh."

Robinson added: "It has been suggested that not only might the West Indies not win a Test match but that South Africa could well take the series by an astonishing 5-0. The historic nature of this tour has begun to pale against the fairly obvious evidence that the West Indies have played some very poor cricket in South Africa."

Typifying the scorn being heaped on the West Indies from all sides, the East Cape Weekend said:

"They could just as well include their famous manager Clive Lloyd in the middle order - he could do no worse than the players now wearing the famous West Indian cap."

Source :: The Barbados Nation (https://www.nationnews.com/)