South Africa v West Indies 1998-99

At Cape Town, January 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. South Africa won by 149 runs. Toss: South Africa.

This will long be remembered as Jacques Kallis's match. He confirmed himself as one of the leading all-rounders in world cricket when he became only the eighth player in Test history to score both a hundred and a fifty and take five wickets in an innings in the same match.

Kallis had come to the crease after the first ball of the match, which gave Ambrose his 350th Test wicket. Ambrose bowled a superb opening spell on another good batting pitch but, once he had been seen off, the South Africans took control against an attack lacking Walsh and Rose, both unfit. (Rose flew home after his success in Durban, having been at odds with Lara all tour, and Ottis Gibson had a late call-up from Griqualand West.) Gibbs fell to the last ball of the morning, but Kallis and Cullinan batted through the rest of the day, playing contrasting innings. While Kallis, in an admirable display of application, eked out a third Test century in 278 balls, Cullinan drove and pulled to telling effect. His sixth Test hundred came in 155 balls, and he went on to make 168, then his highest score in Tests. He and Kallis both batted for over seven hours, and together they added 235.

After Cronje declared at tea on the second day, West Indies lost three wickets to a fast opening spell from Donald, who pulled his hamstring in the process. But his absence was hardly felt, as the rest of the West Indies batting collapsed to seam bowling of a consistent, niggardly line and length. Hooper counter-attacked brilliantly after Donald's initial burst, and galloped to his fifty. But next morning, he managed only one four in 110 minutes before Cronje, with an excellent boundary throw, caught him ambling for a third run. West Indies just avoided the follow-on.

They got back into the match briefly with three quick wickets in the South African innings, but important contributions from Kallis and Cronje virtually settled the outcome. Kallis's obduracy, though, meant that he missed the chance to make two hundreds in the match. He had reached 88 when Cronje, mindful of his weakened attack, decided he could wait no longer before declaring.

He allowed nine hours to bowl West Indies out again and, at one point, it appeared the fifth day might not even be required. In one of their most lamentable displays of the tour, West Indies lost four wickets for 47, all to poor shots. When Lara was sixth out, having survived 36 overs for his 33, South Africa were looking to claim the extra half-hour and finish in four days. In the event, West Indies were not dismissed until more than an hour after lunch on the final day. Jacobs, McLean and Dillon all made Test-bests, and showed the top order what might have been achieved. West Indies' total of 271 proved to be their highest of the series. Kallis claimed his first five-wicket Test haul, but only just - he had been told by Cronje that the over in which he removed last man Dillon (the 15th in an unchanged spell either side of lunch) was to be his last. Kallis was on the field for all but four hours of the match, having batted for 12 hours.

Man of the Match: J. H. Kallis.

Attendance: 62,166.

Close of the play: First day, South Africa 282-2 (Kallis 102*, Cullinan 122*); Second day, West Indies 89-4 (Hooper 53*, Ganga 16*); Third day, South Africa 91-3 (Kallis 28*, Cronje 32*); Fourth day, West Indies 93-6 (Jacobs 0*, Gibson 6*).