West Indies need a miracle
Another late order collapse, staggering even by their own recent standards, has once more left the West Indies playing for time in the fourth Test at the Antigua Recreational Ground
Tony Cozier
09-Apr-2001
Another late order collapse, staggering even by their own recent
standards, has once more left the West Indies playing for time in the
fourth Test at the Antigua Recreational Ground.
Dinanath Ramnarine was again the central character in the campaign but
his tactics this time were completely above board and skilfully
executed. They have at least earned the West Indies a stay of
execution.
After they were bowled out for 140 within the first hour of the third
day to concede a lead of 107 and South Africa galloped to 50 for one
off 15 overs by lunch, Carl Hooper switched to a policy of pure
containment.
The failure of the batsmen meant the West Indies had little chance of
getting back into contention on a bare, dry pitch responding to spin
and of increasingly variable bounce.
Their last four wickets could only squeeze out another 10 runs off
13.1 overs in the morning to add to the precarious overnight 130 for
six. Of those, four were from Courtney Walsh's delicate leg-glance off
Shaun Pollock.
It meant the last six wickets had contributed a measly 14 from 15.5
overs and Hooper, like every changed captain in the past five years,
was left with few options in a desperate situation.
They were to try to bowl South Africa out cheaply to open the
possibility of an unlikely victory or to make them stretch their
second innings so far into the fourth day there would still be the
chance, slim as it would be, to hang on for a draw.
He chose the latter course, especially after he lost one of his two
fast bowlers, Merv Dillon, who gave up after three balls because of a
strained right thumb.
It worked to such an extent that the game came to a virtual
standstill.
South Africa laboured to 122 for three off 76 overs by close and,
although they remain strongly placed to extend their 1-0 lead in the
series and clinch the Sir Viv Richards Trophy, the match has not
progressed as quickly as they would have hoped.
They were pinned down mainly by Ramnarine in a lengthy spell from the
Factory Road end in which he pitched his leg-breaks from round the
wicket into the rough outside the right-handers leg-stump.
Only Daryll Cullinan, late in the day, was inclined to counter-attack.
Before he pulled and cut three long-hops for fours in consecutive
overs when Ramnarine was tiring, the leg-spinner sent down 23
consecutive overs, conceding only six runs from the bat, three from a
wide that eluded the keeper and a no-ball.
He never looked for a wicket but got one all the same, a sharp,
bouncing leg-break that seemed to lob to slip off Herschelle Gibbs'
shoulder, rather than glove.
That such a naturally aggressive batsmen took 195 balls to score 45
revealed the South Africans' reluctance to be lured into any trap.
In a second-wicket partnership of 78, occupying 47overs and three
hours, 20 minutes, Gibbs and Neil McKenzie countered far more with pad
than bat.
McKenzie, promoted to No 3 which Jaques Kallis usually occupies,
remained unbeaten on 44 at close after more than four-and-a-half hours
of diligent defence.
The two came together when the tireless Walsh rolled back the years to
dispatch the left-handed Gary Kirsten with a snarling lifter that he
could only parry to the diving Ramnaresh Sarwan at short-leg.
Only the occasional leg-cutter from Walsh beat the bat after that but
the two made no attempt to get after Ramnarine, prepared to bide their
time because they knew it was on their side.
When Gibbs fell, South Africa did make an attempt to up the tempo,
sending the left-handed Nicky Boje to join the right-handed McKenzie.
The ploy lasted two balls, Boje edging his drive at Hooper's off-spin
to slip.
The two wickets lifted the spirits of a good Sunday crowd but made
little difference to the overall picture. Whatever happens today, the
West Indies know they have to bat as they have seldom batted of late
to save the match, far less win it.
Their reckless batting of the third day had put them in a bind and
they could not escape.
Their remaining four wickets capitulated meekly against the accurate,
contrasting bowling of Shaun Pollock's pace and Lance Klusener's slowmedium off-cutters.
Hopes of a recovery rested on Hooper and Ridley Jacobs, their leading
scorers in the series. But once Hooper was caught at short-leg off
bat-and-pad off Klusener after adding only one from 18 balls, the
resistance ended.
While the usually aggressive Jacobs spent 37 balls adding two to his
overnight single, the last three wickets fell at the opposite end.
Neil McGarrell was lbw to Klusener for a debut duck.
Ramnarine was run out on McKenzie's direct throw as Jacobs tried to
keep the strike and Walsh was lbw after his pretty boundary.
Only England, 127 all out three years ago, had been bowled out cheaper
in an Antigua Test. They lost and the West Indies are likely to lose
as well.