Easterns counter-attack against West Indies

Sunday, January 11, 2004

BENONI, South Africa (AFP): Albie Morkel defied food poisoning that hit both sides to lead an Easterns counter-attack against the West Indies on the second day of their tour cricket match at Willowmoore Park on Saturday.

Morkel, batting at number eight, hit up a career-best 132 to help Easterns recover from a precarious 81 for six to eventually be dismissed for 313.

At stumps, the West Indies had extended their initial lead of 21 to 48, ending the day on 27 without loss.

That lead would have been far more substantial had Morkel not combined with the lower order to frustrate the touring side, the SAPA news agency reported.

Morkel arrested the initial slide by putting on 56 with Jeffrey Toyana, 32 with Sean O'Connor and then a stirring ninth wicket stand of 141 with his younger brother Morne, batting at number 10.

The West Indies, perhaps feeling the effects of the food poisoning that cut a swathe through, players, umpires, scorers and the press corps, aided the brothers Morkel enormously by bowling a glut of desperately poor deliveries.

Albie Morkel hit both Dave Mohammed and Chris Gayle for huge sixes -- the blow off Gayle clearing the substantial Eastern Bank with ease.

Gayle was just one of the nine West Indies bowlers used in a frantic bid to quash the lower order revival. Only wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh and Test keeper Ridley Jacobs did not bowl.

Ravi Rampaul eventually made the breakthrough, having the 22 year old Albie Morkel caught behind.

His dismissal, closely followed by that of last man in Jacob Malao, denied Morne Morkel a half-century on debut. The teenager ended undefeated on 44.

Although he bowled ridiculously short at times, Rampaul was the most successful of the West Indies attack. 

He claimed four for 63 and was at one stage on a hat-trick having caught and bowled Daryll Cullinan for 10 and then had Pierre de Bruyn caught in the slip cordon for a duck.

Scoreboard at stumps on the second day:

West Indies 1st innings 334

Easterns 1st innings (overnight 30/2)
A. Seymore c Baugh b Collymore 34
D. Jennings c sub (Lara) b Sanford 3
G. Flusk b Sanford 4
Z. de Bruyn c Baugh b Rampaul 18
D. Cullinan c and b Rampaul 10
P. de Bruyn c Ganga b Rampaul 0
G. Toyana c Jacobs b Mohammed 22
A. Morkel c Baugh b Rampaul 132
S. O'Connor c Chanderpaul b Sarwan 22
M. Morkel not out 44
J. Malao lbw Drakes 2
Extras: (9b, 8lb, 3nb, 2w) 22
Total (all out) 313

Fall of wicket: 1/9 2/15 3/59 4/69 5/69 6/81 7/137 8/169 9/310
Bowling: Sanford 20-4-78-2(1w), Rampaul 20-3-63-4 (2nb, 1w), Collymore 11-2-36-1, Mohammed 21-4-74-1, Gayle 6-3-10-0, Sarwan 3-1-3-1, Chanderpaul 1-0-2-0, Drakes 2,4-0-11-1 (1nb), Ganga 4-0-19-0
Overs: 88.4

West Indies 2nd innings
C. Gayle not out 20
D. Ganga not out 7
Extras 0
Total (without loss) 27

Bowling: A Morkel 6-1-20-0, Z de Bruyn 3-0-5-0, Malao 3-2-2-0
Overs: 12 

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