West Indies v South Africa - Second Test

Queen's Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, EdeC Weekes, CH Lloyd, *G StA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, J Garner, CA Walsh.
SAF: BA Richards, *TL Goddard, B Mitchell, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, +JHB Waite, MJ Procter, HJ Tayfield, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: D Sang Hue & DM Archer
Toss: South Africa

The second Test in Trinidad will go down in history as one of the most brutal, attritional matches in ATG history, played as it was on a veritable minefield of a pitch at the Queen's Park Oval. The ball spat and shot off the cracked and spiteful surface from the word go, and it has to be said that West Indies' first innings total of 189 after being inserted by Trevor Goddard was a most commendable effort. Without hamstring victim Viv Richards (who was probably glad to miss the match), West Indies' innings was helped along by Greenidge and Haynes' gutsy opening stand of 60 - the highest partnership of the match - and some extraordinarily shoddy fielding from the South Africans. Five catches went down, with the woefully tentative Waite guilty of three drops behind the stumps, and two wickets from no balls only served to compound the tourists' errors.

South Africa were poised at 76-2 in reply shortly after lunch on day two, but by tea their innings was all over as Michael Holding delivered one of the most lethal spells yet seen in ATG Tests. Once the pugnacious Goddard was prised out for 51 after nicking a Holding snorter through to Dujon, the innings fell apart as Holding ripped through what remained of the line-up. 'Whispering Death' finished with figures of 7-30 off 16 overs, by far his best ever ATG return, as South Africa crumbled to 94 all out, their second consecutive first innings total of under 100. West Indies were guilty of three dropped catches themselves, but the Springboks batted in shocking fashion, seemingly lacking the spirit necessary to deal with Holding's onslaught. Extras was joint second top scorer with 10, and West Indies' lead of 95 put them well and truly in the box seat.

South Africa's bowlers struck back well in the second innings though, and with Goddard unable to bowl due to a hand injury, Messrs Procter, Donald and Adcock shared the bowling duties between them as West Indies were bundled out for 137 midway through the third afternoon. Greenidge was struck a fearful blow in the ribs from Procter's very first ball of the innings, and the tone was set as the home batsmen were made to suffer a taste of the medicine so ruthlessly administered by their own bowlers. Allan Donald was a particularly fearsome prospect, claiming 4-63 off 19 hostile overs, but two further dropped catches again hampered South Africa's cause, and a spirited last wicket stand of 27 between Garner and Walsh proved highly frustrating.

As it was, the tourists were left needing 233 to win, normally a more than reachable fourth innings target, but on this pitch it looked like a cricketing Everest. Nonetheless, South Africa began in undaunted fashion, and with Richards in vibrant form a famous victory looked possible. However, Richards went for 48, bowled by a shooter from Holding shortly before stumps on the third day, and when four wickets went down for 23 runs on the fourth morning, South Africa were on the ropes at 132-7, with Marshall doing the damage this time round. Procter and Tayfield steeled themselves though, and when Walsh floored a sitter off Sobers to give Tayfield a life, the pendulum seemed to be swinging back towards the Springboks. Procter finally went for an admirable 29, but with Donald carving 11 valuable runs, Tayfield was able to steer South Africa to 191-8, the highest total of the match and just 42 runs away from victory.

However, Donald then went lbw courtesy of a scuttler from Walsh, and in the next over Tayfield (22) was on the receiving end of a brute of a delivery from Holding, and in taking evasive action the ball lobbed off the splice to Lloyd in the covers and West Indies had won. It had been a tremendously hard fought victory, but the celebrations were muted, and both sides joined forces in their condemnation of what had been a woefully substandard wicket. Good fortune meant that there had been no serious injuries to report, and that was probably the most positive result to come from a Test that will go down in cricketing infamy. West Indies now stand 2-0 to the good in the series, and with three Tests to play any sort of comeback from the battered South Africans now seems highly unlikely.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 189 (Haynes 44)
SAF 1st Inns 94 (Goddard 51; Holding 7-30)
WI 2nd Inns 137 (Donald 4-63)
SAF 2nd Inns 193 (Richards 48; Marshall 4-51)

WEST INDIES WON BY 39 RUNS

Man of the Match: MA Holding