South Africa v West Indies - First Test

St George's Park, Port Elizabeth

SAF: BA Richards, EJ Barlow, DJ Cullinan, RG Pollock, *WJ Cronje, JN Rhodes, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.
WI: CC Hunte, DL Haynes, IVA Richards, EdeC Weekes, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: CJ Egar (AUS) & HD Bird (ENG)
Toss: West Indies

South Africa have never lost an ATG Test in Port Elizabeth, winning four and drawing one of the five previous matches staged at St George's Park, and West Indies' struggle to 187-4 on the first day did little to threaten the Proteas' unbeaten record. The tourists had been forced to rejig their batting order at the last minute when a back spasm forced Rohan Kanhai to withdraw from the side, and with stroke play very difficult on a slow, low wicket, frustration got the better of most of the top order. Viv Richards was one such victim, caught for 48 by a tumbling Donald on the boundary as he miscued a hook off Adcock, who bowled an excellent line to claim the first three wickets to fall.

Mann showed just why he has been keeping
Hugh Tayfield out of the South African side

Sobers inspired a lower order revival of sorts, compiling a disciplined 80 and adding 96 for the sixth wicket with Dujon, but the spin of Tufty Mann kept West Indies' scoring firmly in check and the innings ground to a halt on the second afternoon, Mann going on to claim figures of 5-53 off 35 overs, his best ever figures in ATG cricket. The tourists' total of 323 was at least respectable, but after a watchful period on the second evening South Africa's batsmen proceeded to cut it down to size over the course of the third day.

Graeme Pollock joined Barry Richards at the crease on the third morning with the scoreboard reading 67-2, and the pair would not be parted until well after tea as the runs came with more ease on a pitch that had hardened significantly after three days baking under a cloudless sky. Richards dominated the partnership, bringing up his first century in eleven Tests, and when he was finally out for 160 he had added 191 with Pollock and had taken his team to within 100 runs of West Indies' total. Cronje's poor season continued when Sobers cleaned him up for just 7, but a skittish innings from Rhodes gave Pollock further support, and a 55 run stand for the ninth wicket with Donald allowed Pollock to complete his fourth ATG double century, a nine hour effort that had enabled his team to compile a formidable total of 501.

Richards and Pollock batted superbly

Marshall managed to pick up five wickets to give West Indies some joy, but a deficit of 178 now put the tourists firmly behind the eight ball. Runs came quickly as the tourists began their second innings, but by stumps on day four they had stuttered somewhat to 157-4, and when Lloyd was trapped lbw by Procter early on a humid final morning, West Indies were still 21 behind with only five wickets in hand. Sobers was still at the wicket though, and with a captain's innings the order of the day he was in no mood to disappoint.

Successive fifty partnerships with Dujon (22) and Marshall (24) took West Indies into the lead and beyond, and whilst South Africa's bowlers, Adcock apart, were admittedly not bowling all that well, Sobers' performance under pressure was one of the best. He brought up his hundred with three successive boundaries off Barlow, and a stand of 91 with Gibbs (25) for the ninth wicket took West Indies to safety. Sobers was last out for a career best 170, and whilst both sides will probably be content with the draw, South Africa were undeniably in a winning position on the final morning. Cronje's failure to bowl Mann until after tea on the final day resulted in criticism in the press and this, coupled with his own lack of form, presents South Africa's skipper with the first crisis of his captaincy career going into the second Test.

Garry Sobers played the ultimate
captain's innings on the final day

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 323 (Sobers 80, IVA Richards 48, Hunte 46, Lloyd 41; Mann 5-53)
SAF 1st Inns 501 (Pollock 207, BA Richards 160, Rhodes 43; Marshall 5-120)
WI 2nd Inns 408 (Sobers 170, Weekes 57, Haynes 41)
SAF 2nd Inns 8-0

MATCH DRAWN

1st & 2nd innings scorecards (click to enlarge)

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 187-4 (Lloyd 41*, Sobers 13*; 90 ov)
Day 2 - South Africa 1st innings 55-1 (BA Richards 31*, Cullinan 24*; 30 ov)
Day 3 - South Africa 1st innings 349-4 (Pollock 109*, Rhodes 39*; 120 ov)
Day 4 - West Indies 2nd innings 157-4 (Lloyd 18*, Sobers 8*; 47 ov)
Day 5 - South Africa 2nd innings 8-0 (2 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Pollock's innings (545 minutes) is the longest in South Africa's history and the highest for South Africa against West Indies
▪ Richards and Pollock's stand of 191 is the highest third wicket partnership made against West Indies
▪ Alan Donald has now been involved in three consecutive fifty run stands for South Africa's ninth wicket

Man of the Match: GStA Sobers