Walsh the 500 man

It was yet another occasion to celebrate the class, commitment and astonishing longevity of one of the game's most revered players.

The emotional scenes that greeted Courtney Walsh's unprecedented 500th Test wicket at 2:20 p.m. on the third day of the second Cable & Wireless Test -yesterday mirrored those at Sabina -Park almost exactly a year ago.

Then the remarkable Courtney surpassed India's Kapil Dev as Test cricket's highest wicket-taker in the second -Test against Zimbabwe and in front of his joyful fellow Jamaicans at Kingston's Sabina Park.

The emotion and acclaim that followed his dismissal of Jacques Kallis as his 500th victim yesterday was no less -passionate and heartfelt for Walsh's appeal knows no insular barriers. He is a West Indian as much as he is a Jamaican and the governments of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana have recently honoured him as such.

Perhaps, in all the tumult, there were those who recognised that not only had Walsh reached the peak of a cricketing Everest. His dispatch of Gary Kirsten and Kallis within three balls of each other in his seventh over of South -Africa's second innings had seized the -initiative for the West Indies for the -first time in the match.

The foundation had been built over the first two hours and 20 minutes of another hot and sunny day by Ridley Jacobs, in his fashion as dedicated and reliable a warrior in the West Indies cause.

He and Merv Dillon, the fast bowler who has finally recognised value as a No. 10 batsman with a solid basic defence, added a record 71 for the ninth wicket after which Jacobs made all 21 of the runs with Walsh for the last wicket.

The upshot was that the West Indies moved from 250 for seven overnight to 342 all out, a first innings lead of 56 as important psychologically as statistically.

When Walsh found the edge of the left-handed Kirsten's bat with the fourth ball of his seventh over and the ever dependable Jacobs pounced to his left to snare a sharp catch and Kallis followed two balls later, South Africa were 37 for two.

They were still 19 in arrears as Kallis, understandably brooding at another shocking decision by the uncertain Australian umpire Darryl Hair, headed back to the pavilion as Walsh was engulfed in a ruck of jubilant teammates.

Television replays clearly showed the ball diverted from Kallis' inside edge before hitting the pad. He had been given out the same way by English umpire John Hampshire in the first Test at Bourda, but he is only one of several batsmen and bowlers on both sides already in this series who have been deprived by poor umpiring.

It is a problem the International Cricket Council must tackle urgently. The mistakes have not yet led to the bad blood the umpiring caused in Sri Lanka's recent series against England but the potential is there for trouble. Heaven knows what would have happened on Sunday had Hair's wrong caught-behind decision against Wavell Hinds been against Brian Lara instead.

Whichever way Kallis went, it was immaterial to either Walsh, his teammates or those jumping, shouting and waving flags around the ground.

Yet the celebrations could have been a distraction for the West Indies. In spite of their favourable position, their cricket lacked purpose for the rest of the afternoon and they failed to press their advantage as Herschelle Gibbs and Daryll Cullinan carried the total to 130 before close.

They had their anxious moments. Gibbs was 22 out of his 57 when his hard, low drive eluded Ramnaresh -Sarwan's two hands at extra-cover. It was a catch that should have been taken at the highest level.

Cullinan, the first innings century-maker, was still not entirely comfortable against Dinanath Ramnarine's leg-spin. He was finally out in the first innings top-edging a sweep and he was 25 of his 41 when he advanced down the pitch and avoided another embarrassing dismissal by just getting the toe of the bat onto the ball.

But they return this morning ready to build South Africa's advantage to a level that can challenge the West Indies on the final day. Their cricket earlier in the day was even more listless than the West Indies' in the final session.

They seemed certain to gain a useful lead when Dinanath Ramnarine was bowled sixth ball of the day by Shaun Pollock, but Jacobs and Dillon then -shared a record ninth-wicket partnership of 71 that frustrated the South Africans for an hour and 55 minutes.

They were separated in the last over to lunch by Makaya Ntini, the last of the six bowlers summoned by captain Pollock. The fast bowler beat Dillon with a ball that kept low and hit the off-stump, ending his innings of 21.

The partnership was the highest for the wicket in the eight Tests between the teams, surpassing the 66 put on by South Africa's Pat Symcox and Alan Donald at Port Elizabeth in 1998, and revealed the new resolve in the West Indies lower order.

Jacobs has enough experience of Walsh's batting to realise that an extension of the lead was entirely his responsibility on resumption. He added four boundaries to those he hit before lunch, three from pulls off Ntini and a stinging straight-drive off Alan Donald that almost decapitated umpire Billy Doctrove.

He had reached 93 when he and Walsh got their wires crossed over a run that would have kept Jacobs on strike. It was the second time Jacobs had been left short of his maiden Test hundred and each time Walsh was the last man out. He was 96 against Australia in Perth last December when Walsh was caught behind off Jason Gillespie for one.

But he had done his job and more. Now he left the stage for Walsh.