West Indies collapse to another defeat

Thursday, January 29, 2004

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (AFP): The West Indies produced their best bowling and fielding performance of a dismal tour but still lost the second one-day international against South Africa at St George's Park Wednesday.

Having restricted South Africa to 179 for seven on a tricky pitch, the West Indies were bowled out for 163 as South Africa won by 16 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

A last wicket stand of 37 between Ravi Rampaul and Corey Collymore enabled the tourists to get close after their top order batting failed.

Boeta Dippenaar held the South African innings together, making 81 on a slow pitch that gave help to both seam bowlers and spinners.

Then Shaun Pollock produced a devastating opening burst, taking the first three wickets for 15 runs.

West Indian hopes rested with skipper Brian Lara and vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, but both men were needlessly run out as the tourists plunged to a near-hopeless position at 74 for five.

Wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs was also run out.

Batting conditions were far from easy, with mediocre lights adding to the problems posed by the pitch but it was another disappointing batting performance by the touring batsmen.

"We threw it away by losing our wickets very carelessly," said Lara.

"Three run-outs lost us the game."

But Lara said he was encouraged by the way his players bowled and fielded.

Going into the match after suffering a record 209-run defeat in the first international in Cape Town last Sunday, the West Indians had the home side under pressure after South Africa won the toss and batted.

Collymore led a disciplined West Indian bowling performance, taking three for 26.

He and Mervyn Dillon put a clamp on the scoring rate from the start. With the floodlights on in overcast conditions, the two opening bowlers sent down seven overs each in their first spells, conceding only 26 runs and dismissing South Africa's opening batsmen, Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith.

Jacques Kallis was unable to continue a record-breaking sequence of scores in which he made centuries in five successive matches against the West Indies - four Tests and the first one-day international.

Kallis, who was included in an unchanged South African team after recovering from flu, made 16 off 44 balls before he was caught at long leg when he hooked Rampaul. 

Rampaul, 19, replaced 34-year-old veteran Vasbert Drakes in the only change in the West Indian side and bowled well to take one for 33 in nine overs.

Dippenaar played a solid innings, reaching 50 off 93 balls and accelerating towards the end of the innings.

He was caught at deep backward square leg off Collymore in the last over of the innings after facing 123 balls and hitting eight fours.

"He played really well on a tough wicket," said South African captain Smith.

Pollock (26) helped Dippenaar put on 54 off 57 balls for the sixth wicket in the only substantial partnership of the innings.

When Pollock reached eight he became the fourth player in one-day international history to achieve the double of 2000 runs and 250 wickets.

Pollock followed up by taking four for 26 to lift his career total of wickets to 292.

Pollock plunged the tourists into early trouble, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul trapped leg before by a ball which swung into the left-hander, Chris Gayle sharply caught at first slip by Dippenaar and Ricardo Powell leg before when he went back and across his stumps.

The partnership between Sarwan and Lara was always likely to be crucial and it was a major setback for the West Indies when Lara pushed Makhaya Ntini to mid-off and set off for an ill-judged run.

Jacques Rudolph ran in and was able to hit the stumps with an under-arm throw with Lara well short. 

Sarwan also fell to an unnecessary run-out when he set off for a run after an inside edge against Ntini went to the leg-side.

Wicketkeeper Boucher was quick to whip off his right glove, pick up and throw down the stumps at the bowler's end.

Jacobs became the third man to be run out without the third umpire technology being needed when he tried to steal the bowling and was easily beaten by Herschelle Gibbs' throw from mid-on to bowler Robin Peterson.

Rampaul, who bowls right-handed and bats left-handed, was dropped three times in two overs after the fall of the ninth wicket but then gave the South Africans some anxious moments before he was out for joint top score of 24 when he pushed back a slower ball to Lance Klusener.

"We've got to realise the game's not finished until the last wicket has fallen," said Smith.

Final scoreboard:

South Africa
G Smith b Collymore 9
H Gibbs c Chanderpaul b Dillon 10
J Kallis c Collymore b Rampaul 16
H Dippenaar c Sarwan b Collymore 83
J Rudolph c Rampaul b Gayle 14
M Boucher c and b Hurley 5
S Pollock b Collymore 26
L Klusener not out 7
R Peterson not out 0
Extras (lb2, nb5, w2) 9
Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 179

Falls: 1-14, 2-20, 3-57, 4-103
Bowling: Dillon 10-0-26-1, Collymore 10-2-25-3 (1nb, 1w), Smith 6-0-27-0 (1nb), Rampaul 9-0-33-1, Hurley 9-0-42-1 (3nb), Gayle 6-1-24-1 (1w).
Did not bat: R Peterson, M Ntini, A Nel.

West Indies
C Gayle c Dippenaar b Pollock 9
S Chanderpaul lbw b Pollock 2
R Powell lbw b Pollock 15
R Sarwan run out (Boucher) 12
B Lara run out (Rudolph) 9
D Smith lbw b Kallis 24
R Jacobs run out (Gibbs) 15
R Hurley b Kallis 5
M Dillon lbw b Pollock 14
R Rampaul c and b Klusener 24
C Collymore not out 12
Extras (lb13, w9) 22
Total (42.4 overs) 163

Falls: 1-4, 2-24, 3-29, 4-58, 5-74, 6-96, 7-104, 8-111, 9-126
Bowling: Pollock 10-2-26-4 (1w), Nel 7-0-36-0 (4w), Ntini 10-3-25-0 (1w), Klusener 7.4-0-35-1 (1w), Kallis 6-1-21-2 (2w), Peterson 2-0-7-0.

Result: South Africa won by 16 runs.
Man of the match: Boeta Dippenaar.
Series: South Africa lead 2-0.
Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK), Brian Jerling (RSA).
TV umpire: Ian Howell (RSA).
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI).

Remaining matches: Durban, Jan 30; Centurion, Feb 1; Johannesburg, Feb 4. 

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