Monday, October 26, 2009

New Zealand v West Indies - First Test


Basin Reserve, Wellington

New Zealand: GM Turner, CS Dempster, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, CL Cairns, RJ Hadlee, +IDS Smith, J Cowie, SL Boock.
West Indies: RC Fredericks, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, EdeC Weekes, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, WW Hall, CC Griffith, J Garner, CA Walsh.

Debuts: CL Cairns (NZL) & CC Griffith (WI)
Umpires: DL Orchard (SAF) & LP Rowan (AUS)
Toss: West Indies

Despite the potentially one-sided nature of this series, two debuts and a multiplicity of recalls on both sides brought an element of the unknown to the first Test in Wellington, and neither captain knew quite what to make of the pitch either; it was rock hard, which would aid the stroke players, but patches of live, green grass promised to give the bowlers some assistance too.

Sobers won the toss and elected to bat, but the innings stumbled to 45-3 before a pair of attacking fifties from Weekes and Worrell and a boundary laden 35 from Sobers himself re-established the equilibrium. Half an hour before tea the score had reached 186-4, but Sobers and Worrell then departed in consecutive overs to derail West Indies' recovery. Worrell was run out courtesy of a direct hit by Reid, and it took an extraordinarily resilient 33 from Hall at number eight to drag the innings up to a disappointing final total of 272.

Hadlee was expensive yet penetrative
in West Indies' first innings

Hadlee returned the excellent figures of 6-94, but by lunch on the second day the Blackcaps had themselves slipped to a precarious 50-3 in a repeat of the tourists' first morning struggles. Turner and Donnelly staged New Zealand's own rescue act with a stand of 131 though, and once Turner was finally out for 71 both Reid and Cairns contributed to fifty stands with Donnelly, who went on to bring up a wonderfully ebullient century. Cairns looked particularly comfortable at the crease after a wicketless debut with the ball, but in the day's last over an injudicious slog against the part-time spin of Fredericks cost him his wicket, and with Hadlee departing lbw to the very next ball a collapse had begun that would send New Zealand spiralling from 306-5 to 325 all out on the third morning. Donnelly failed to add to his overnight score of 144 but a 53 run lead had been secured nonetheless, and West Indies' top order misfired again as their second innings followed the same script as the first.

Donnelly's hundred was undoubtedly
one of his finest ever innings

Fredericks made a career-high 47, but upon his dismissal West Indies were 74-4 and in distinct trouble as Hadlee and Cowie again bowled well in tandem. However, an early collapse was once again followed by a stabilising partnership, and on this occasion Worrell and Sobers looked like they could be playing a winning hand. Both partners passed fifty as the runs accumulated, but with the score on 223-4 and the lead up to 170, Hadlee found the edge of Worrell's bat to send him on his way for a fine 82, and with the partnership broken at 149 the floodgates suddenly opened. Hadlee also removed Sobers for 67 soon after, and with the innings suddenly in disarray Cowie ran through the tail to emulate Hadlee's six wicket haul in the first innings. West Indies had been bowled out for 254 having lost their last six wickets for just 31 runs, and New Zealand now had two whole days in which to score the 202 runs that would secure them the most famous of victories.

Scores of 67 and 82 made for a profitable
return to the side for Frank Worrell

New Zealand had folded when in an almost identical position against Australia in Brisbane last season though, and it was sadly a case of deja vu for Blackcaps fans on the fourth morning here as the innings crumbled in the face of a remorseless barrage from Hall, Griffith and Garner. By lunch the score was a calamitous 62-5, and although Turner was still there the wind had been well and truly taken out of New Zealand's sails. Turner was eventually seventh out for a fighting 57, but with no-one else getting past 13 it was a sorry effort from the Kiwis, and their target was never remotely threatened. Sobers' spin ran through the tail, and Garner applied the coup de grace by bowling Cowie for 12 shortly after tea to end the innings on 134 and clinch a 67 run victory for West Indies. Just as they had done in the Caribbean last season, New Zealand had pushed their opponents to the brink only to come up short, and one is left to wonder whether the hosts' best chance of an upset in this series has been and gone already.

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 272 (Weekes 70, Worrell 67; Hadlee 6-94)
NZL 1st Inns 325 (Donnelly 144, Turner 71, Cairns 44)
WI 2nd Inns 254 (Worrell 82, Sobers 67, Fredericks 47; Cowie 6-62)
NZL 2nd Inns 134 (Turner 57; Sobers 4-32)

WEST INDIES WON BY 67 RUNS

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

Close of play

Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 259-9 (Hall 23*, Walsh 2*; 90 ov)
Day 2 - New Zealand 1st innings 306-7 (Donnelly 144*, Smith 0*; 82 ov)
Day 3 - West Indies 2nd innings 254 (75.4 ov)
Day 4 - New Zealand 2nd innings 134 (55.1 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Turner & Weekes both passed 3000 career runs

Man of the Match: MP Donnelly

Friday, October 23, 2009

New Zealand v West Indies - Tour Match

North Island v West Indians
McLean Park, Napier
3 Day Game
Umpires: FR Goodall & SJ Woodward
Toss: West Indians

North Island: BA Young, *GO Rabone, JF Reid, JM Parker, MJ Greatbatch, SA Thomson, BW Yuile, +FLH Mooney, DJ Nash, RS Cunis, GB Troup.
West Indians: RC Fredericks, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, EdeC Weekes, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, WW Hall, CC Griffith, J Garner, CEH Croft.

Both camps praised the ground staff at McLean Park for producing a good cricket wicket ahead of West Indies' tour match against Geoff Rabone's North Islanders, but bat very much dominated ball on day one as the tourists rattled up an impressive total of 361-5. Des Haynes led the way with an authoritative 105, and once he was run out by substitute fielder Jeff Crowe it was Everton Weekes that came to the fore, posting a partnership of 106 with erstwhile captain Frank Worrell on his way to a chanceless, undefeated 127.


Everton Weekes looked in great
touch ahead of the first Test

Current skipper Garry Sobers declared overnight, and runs were far harder to come by on the second day as the hosts stuttered their way to a score of 216-6 by the close. Griffith delivered an impressive opening spell to help reduce the innings to a rocky 31-3, but the middle order rallied around the stoic presence of Mark Greatbatch, who completed a hard-earned century on the third and final morning after almost six hours at the crease. His innings was not without controversy though; he appeared to have been trapped absolutely plumb in front by Garner when on 66, but umpire Woodward refused to heed the West Indians' vehement appeals, and from that point on the atmosphere out in the middle remained decidedly thorny.


Mark Greatbatch's resolute century held
West Indies at bay for over six and a half hours

Indeed, the applause from the fielders when Greatbatch finally reached his hundred was decidedly muted, and one had to feel for the stocky left-hander as his reprieve on the previous day was hardly of his own doing. North Island's innings finally closed on 289, Frank Mooney having contributed a delightful 57 in support of Greatbatch, and despite a second declaration of the match by Sobers at tea after a brief West Indian second innings, the game was destined for a draw. The tourists did manage to capture four wickets in the final session, but Young and Parker batted together for an hour and a half to blunt the pace barrage that was sent their way, and Test skipper John Reid will be hoping to see the same levels of resolve from his batsmen when the first Test gets underway in Wellington.

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 361-5 dec. (Weekes 127*, Haynes 105, Worrell 48)
NI 1st Inns 289 (Greatbatch 108, Mooney 57)
WI 2nd Inns 89-2 dec.
NI 2nd Inns 53-4

MATCH DRAWN

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

Close of Play
Day 1 - West Indians 1st innings 361-5 (Weekes 127*, Dujon 12*; 95 ov)
Day 2 -
North Island 1st innings 216-6 (Greatbatch 84*, Mooney 18*; 71 ov)
Day 3 -
North Island 2nd innings 53-4 (27.2 ov) - end of match

Sunday, October 18, 2009

New Zealand v West Indies - Series Preview


If one discounts Sri Lanka, who arrive in Aotearoa for two Tests immediately following West Indies' departure, this is the ultimate 'top vs bottom' match-up; New Zealand have never won an ATG series in fifteen attempts, emerging victorious in just five Tests out of fifty in that time, whilst West Indies have won their last six series and have sat comfortably at the top of the rankings since taking over from England at the start of the current season.

New Zealand surrendered rather meekly in their most recent series in South Africa and West Indies ran out 4-1 winners when the sides met in the Caribbean last season, but if truth be told New Zealand could, and perhaps should, have won three of those Tests, and consequently the Blackcaps will be entering into this series with positive intentions and a feeling of unfinished business. Chris Cairns should make his long awaited debut after being forced to pull out of the South Africa Tests with injury, and John Reid has been retained as skipper, at least for the first half of the New Zealand summer.

John Reid needs results in order to
hold on to the New Zealand captaincy

With this series sandwiched between a tough tour of South Africa and a full five Test engagement at home against India, a number of players have either been rested or omitted for reasons of form and fitness by the West Indies' selectors, most notably Viv Richards and Malcolm Marshall. Charlie Griffith is included in a West Indian squad for the first time, whilst recalls are given to Frank Worrell, Clyde Walcott, Sonny Ramadhin, Wes Hall, Andy Roberts and Colin Croft, with Worrell included for the first time since losing the captaincy following West Indies' 4-0 humiliation at home to Pakistan at the end of season 3.

Whether West Indies are taking their opponents too lightly remains to be seen, but even with such changes in personnel their squad is still strong, and anything other than a series victory for Garry Sobers' side would have to be seen as one of the biggest shocks in the history of ATG cricket.

Current form (most recent result first)
New Zealand DLLWL
West Indies
LWWDL


Previous series result
West Indies 4 New Zealand 1 (Season V, 5 Tests)


The three Ws have played together just
once previously in West Indies' ATG history


West Indies Squad

GStA Sobers (c), RB Kanhai (v/c), CEH Croft, PJL Dujon, RC Fredericks, J Garner, CC Griffith, WW Hall, DL Haynes, S Ramadhin, AME Roberts, CL Walcott, CA Walsh, EdeC Weekes, FMM Worrell.

Itinerary
- Tour Match v North Island (Napier)
- 1st TEST (Wellington)
- 2nd TEST (Christchurch)
- 3rd TEST (Auckland)

Saturday, October 17, 2009

India v Sri Lanka - Only Test


MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, DB Vengsarkar, VL Manjrekar, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, J Srinath, DR Doshi, BS Chandrasekhar.
Sri Lanka: RS Mahanama, UC Hathurusingha, RL Dias, PA de Silva, *A Ranatunga, HP Tillakaratne, +RS Kaluwitharana, JR Ratnayeke, HDPK Dharmasena, RJ Ratnayake, GP Wickramasinghe.

Debuts: VL Manjrekar & DR Doshi (IND)
Umpires: Mahboob Shah (PAK) & D Sang Hue (WI)
Toss: India

Sri Lanka's first Test against India was played on a flat, slow wicket in Chennai, and as admirably as the tourists' bowlers stuck to their task the Indians ground their way to a first innings total of 503 before Pataudi declared on the second evening. Engineer's 82 gave India a brisk start, but Vengsarkar looked less than impressive, and despite reaching 72 his scratchy performance will have done little to push his claim for a place on the upcoming tour of West Indies. Polly Umrigar joined debutant Vijay Manjrekar upon Vengsarkar's dismissal at 217-3, and together the pair added 181 as the hosts batted themselves into a very strong position.


Vijay Manjekar unleashes a rare attacking stroke

Umrigar posted a fluent 144, his highest ATG score, and Manjekar marked his debut with a century of his own, but it was more a feeling of relief than anything else when he finally got there, having faced 272 deliveries after five and a quarter hours at the crease. India's progress meandered somewhat once the partnership was broken, but following Pataudi's declaration Chandrasekhar removed the dangerous Mahanama before stumps, and an attritional third day saw Sri Lanka edge towards saving the follow-on, thanks in the main to Hathurusingha's maiden ATG century.

Sri Lanka were a perilous 82-4 at one stage but Hathurusingha held firm, taking 150 balls to get to 50, and after being dropped twice in consecutive overs he moved through the gears, needing just 63 more deliveries to able to raise his bat to the crowd once again. A trademark inducker from Prabhakar cleaned him up almost immediately after though, but a 69 run stand for the seventh wicket between Tillakaratne and Kaluwitharana took the score to 262-7, and by the close of play on day three the Sri Lankans were just 6 runs away from avoiding the follow-on with their last pair at the wicket.


Hathurusingha's hundred kept
Sri Lanka afloat in their first innings


A boundary from Wickramasinghe sealed the deal early on the fourth morning, but a final total of 307 still gave India a lead of 196, and with the pitch now starting to exhibit some signs of uneven bounce as the cracks began to open the hosts were still in a very dominant position. Led by a confident 64 from Gavaskar and a solid 59 from Manjrekar, India were able to build up a lead of over 400 by the time Pataudi declared for the second time in the match, but an excellent bowling performance from Ravi Ratnayeke had kept the scoring rate in check, and he fully deserved to pick up the second five wicket haul of his fledgling ATG career.

Sri Lanka were now faced with the prospect of batting for three and a half sessions to save the game, but Kapil Dev was able to nip out both openers before stumps with just 24 runs on the board, and it was not until Tillakaratne joined his skipper, Arjuna Ranatunga, at the wicket on the final morning that the tourists looked capable of offering any resistance. The pair batted together for almost two hours in adding 81 for the fifth wicket until a well disguised slower ball from Srinath sent Tillakaratne on his way for 34, and when Chandrasekhar eventually prised Ranatunga from the crease for 66, Sri Lanka's chances of avoiding defeat looked slim with the scoreboard reading 189-6 and almost three hours' play remaining.


Ranatunga's 66 spanned the best part of three hours

India's bowlers chipped away the tail, and although a brave last wicket stand between Ratnayeke and Wickramasinghe threatened to provide the game with one last twist, India's two debutants combined to wrap up the win with an hour to spare when Ratnayeke drove Doshi to Manjrekar at cover for a fighting 27. A margin of 162 runs suggested an easy victory for the Indians, but Sri Lanka put up an admirable fight, and although they have now lost each one of their five ATG Tests, they will head into their two Test tour of New Zealand hopeful of causing an upset. India meanwhile next face an arduous tour of the Caribbean, and they will have no illusions about the size of the task that awaits them there.

Score Summary
IND 1st Inns 503-7 dec. (Umrigar 144, Manjrekar 113, Engineer 82, Vengsarkar 72, Prabhakar 40*)
SL 1st Inns 307 (Hathurusingha 101, Kaluwitharana 58, Tillakaratne 40; Chandrasekhar 4-54)
IND 2nd Inns 214-8 dec. (Gavaskar 64, Manjrekar 59; Ratnayeke 5-40)
SL 2nd Inns 248 (Ranatunga 66)

INDIA WON BY 162 RUNS


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

Close of play
Day 1 - India 1st innings 310-3 (Manjrekar 72*, Umrigar 71*; 97 ov)
Day 2 - Sri Lanka 1st innings 33-1 (Hathurusingha 15*, Dharmasena 0*; 17 ov)
Day 3 - Sri Lanka 1st innings 298-9 (Ratnayake 3*; 102.5 ov)
Day 4 - Sri Lanka 2nd innings 35-2 (Dias 14*, de Silva 4*; 13 ov)
Day 5 - Sri Lanka 2nd innings 248 (96.4 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Manjekar is the second Indian and seventeenth overall to make a hundred on debut
▪ Manjrekar's hundred (272 balls) was the ninth slowest in history
▪ Gavaskar passed 5000 career runs


Man of the Match: VL Manjrekar

Sunday, October 11, 2009

South Africa v West Indies - Series Summary

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 2-1

Hansie Cronje and Garry Sobers are, statistically speaking, ATG cricket's two most successful captains, but by the end of the series their fortunes and futures could hardly be more different. Sobers enjoyed his most successful series ever with the bat and West Indies have now won six successive series under his stewardship, maintaining their position as the number one team in the world, whilst Cronje now faces a most uncertain future following his first series defeat as skipper.

Regardless of the captaincy Cronje's alarming lack of form as a batsman must put his place in the side in severe jeopardy - he has scored just 332 runs at an average of 17.47 in 11 Tests this season - and his ill-fated declaration in the second Test allowed West Indies to snatch a last day victory that had seemed out of the question over the course of the first four days. With the spoils shared on two poor wickets in the final two Tests and South Africa having had the better of a drawn first Test, West Indies' successful chase of 349 at Centurion was the pivotal point of the series, and the knives were out for Cronje in many quarters from that moment on.


Could it be the end for Hansie Cronje?

Cronje's poor form was in stark contrast to that shown by Graeme Pollock and Barry Richards, with Richards' outrageous 171 in Cape Town one of the greatest innings in ATG history. Barlow and Lindsay gave solid support, as did Dudley Nourse on recall in the final Test, and despite Cronje and Cullinan's lack of production the South African batting unit far outperformed its West Indian counterpart. Sobers' tally of 603 runs was almost double the next highest contribution from within the tourists' ranks - 308 runs from Viv Richards - and with South Africa's bowlers arguably besting the West Indians as well, the series defeat was mystifying to the majority of the home fans.

Nonetheless, the West Indian juggernaut marches on, and it travels almost immediately to New Zealand, who fought gamely in the Caribbean last season despite eventually losing the series 4-1. South Africa do not now take the field until next season, and the Proteas' selectors will consequently have plenty of time to mull over the fate of Cronje and one or two others in the South African ranks.


Series averages
(click to enlarge)


Players of the Series: BA Richards & GStA Sobers

Friday, October 9, 2009

South Africa v West Indies - Fourth Test

Kingsmead, Durban

SAF: BA Richards, EJ Barlow, B Mitchell, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, *WJ Cronje, +DT Lindsay, PM Pollock, HJ Tayfield, NBF Mann, NAT Adcock.
WI: CC Hunte, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: S Kishen (IND) & BL Aldridge (NZL)
Toss: West Indies

South Africa made four changes to the side which lost in Cape Town, Cullinan, Procter and Donald all receiving the axe, whilst West Indies recalled Gibbs and the fit again Marshall at the expense of Ambrose and Garner. Sobers elected to take first use of what looked to be a poor pitch upon winning the toss, and it took a fourth wicket partnership of 95 between Kanhai and Lloyd to steady the innings after Adcock and Peter Pollock had reduced the score to 36-3. Lloyd peppered the boundary on the way to his first fifty of the series but both he and Kanhai fell in quick succession in the afternoon, and despite yet another fifty partnership between Sobers and Dujon, their fifth of the series, the scoreboard read 203-8 shortly after tea and South Africa were very much on top. Sobers was still there though, and he now threw caution to the wind as he flayed the Proteas' attack all around Kingsmead.


Garry Sobers has been in unstoppable
form with the bat in this series


77 runs were added for the last two wickets, with Gibbs and Walsh contributing just 4 between them as Sobers audaciously butchered his way to his third century of the series. He was greeted with a standing ovation when West Indies were finally bowled out for 282, and his undefeated 129 will go down as one of the great counter-attacking innings in the ATG annals. Indeed, Sobers' efforts were put into even clearer perspective on an incredible second day that saw seventeen wickets tumble as oppressively humid conditions made batting even more difficult than it had been on day one.

South Africa did well to lose just two wickets in the morning session, but from 100-2 the innings collapsed like a house of cards in the afternoon, and by tea they had been bowled out for a sorry 158 and a first innings deficit of 124. Barry Richards made a hard earned fifty, a very different innings to the one he played in Cape Town, but there was precious little else to speak of as excessive movement both in the air and off the pitch allowed West Indies' pace attack to run riot. However, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, and in the evening session the tourists' batting completely fell apart as the ball continued to dart about alarmingly.


Eddie Barlow swung the ball prodigiously on the second evening

Hunte and Haynes began reasonably confidently, but after a half hour stoppage for rain Eddie Barlow knocked over the top four as a career best bowling performance helped reduce West Indies to 104-7 by the time stumps were drawn. With only two days played a result was now a certainty, but West Indies remained favourites despite their second innings collapse; a last wicket stand of 21 between Gibbs and Walsh helped extend the score to 144, and South Africa now needed 269 to claim a consolation victory and avoid being blanked in the series. It would be a very tough target in the context of the match, but overhead conditions were far more batsman friendly on day three, and another fifty from Barry Richards got the chase off to a good start.

Graeme Pollock also looked in good touch, but on 18 he was trapped lbw by Gibbs on the stroke of tea, and at 88-3 the innings hung in the balance. The recalled pairing of Mitchell and Nourse dug in though, and a stand of 92 gave the hosts renewed hope. Batting was now far easier than it had been on the first two days, and the target was reduced to double digits as South Africa inched their way onwards. Mitchell finally went for 53, and with the hopelessly out of form Cronje also departing before the close for just 9, South Africa entered day four on 203-5, still 66 runs short of the winning post. Nourse was looking immovable though, and with Peter Pollock contributing a very useful 22 from number eight he was able to shepherd his side to victory shortly before lunch, finishing undefeated on 91 after almost five hours at the crease. South African celebrations were muted though with the series already having gone to West Indies, and Garry Sobers' team continue to reign supreme as the number one side in the ATG world.


Hansie Cronje's poor form with the bat must
now put his place in the side in jeopardy


Score Summary

WI 1st Inns 282 (Sobers 129*, Lloyd 56, Kanhai 43)
SAF 1st Inns 158 (BA Richards 54)
WI 2nd Inns 144 (Barlow 4-37)
SAF 2nd Inns 272-7 (Nourse 91*, Mitchell 53, BA Richards 50)

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 3 WICKETS


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

Close of play

Day 1 - South Africa 1st innings 24-0 (BA Richards 12*, Barlow 12*; 10 ov)
Day 2 - West Indies 2nd innings 104-7 (Dujon 4*; 36 ov)
Day 3 - South Africa 2nd innings 203-5 (Nourse 56*, Lindsay 1*; 65 ov)
Day 4 - South Africa 2nd innings 272-7 (90.1 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Sobers made 129 of the last 151 runs of West Indies' first innings
▪ West Indies have now won six successive series


Man of the Match: AD Nourse

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

South Africa v West Indies - Third Test


Newlands, Cape Town

SAF: BA Richards, EJ Barlow, DJ Cullinan, RG Pollock, *WJ Cronje, +JHB Waite, MJ Procter, HJ Tayfield, NBF Mann, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.
WI: CC Hunte, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MA Holding, CEL Ambrose, J Garner, CA Walsh.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: S Kishen (IND) & BL Aldridge (NZL)
Toss: South Africa

Slight water damage made it difficult to read the Newlands pitch ahead of the third Test, and after a rocket start from Barry Richards had taken South Africa to a healthy looking 43-0, Holding and the recalled Garner proceeded to engineer the most catastrophic of collapses, five wickets falling for just six runs in the space of 21 deliveries to leave the hosts reeling at 49-5.

Cullinan, Pollock, Cronje and Waite (in for the injured Lindsay) all departed for ducks, but Richards held firm and continued to bat as if he were playing in an entirely different match. He raised a stunning century off exactly 100 balls, made out of a total of 132-6, and by the time he was ninth out he had blitzed his way to 171, with Procter (22) and the increasingly doughty Donald, who contributed 19 to a ninth wicket stand of 73, the only other players to make it into double figures.


Barry Richards was dominance
personified in South Africa's first innings

Rarely has one player dominated proceedings to such an extent, but the fact was that South Africa had been bowled out inside a day for a wholly inadequate 233. However, with Neil Adcock able to extract some excessive lift bowling from the Wynberg End, West Indies slumped to 68-4 early on the second morning and the game was back on an even keel. Haynes played and missed with great frequency but he hung on, and like Barry Richards on the first day he held the innings together, albeit in a completely different style.

Sobers contributed a subdued 22 before being gated by Mann, and with the spinners turning the screw in the afternoon the tourists looked like conceding a first innings lead. Haynes was eventually seventh out for a stoic five hour century, and when Holding departed for a useful 25 the scoreboard read 204-9 and West Indies still trailed by 29. Numbers ten and eleven, Garner and Walsh, were not expected to hold up proceedings for much longer, but they somehow managed to push their side into the lead, and by the time Garner became the deserving Adcock's fifth victim in the first over of day three, both had reached their highest ever ATG scores and had set a new West Indian record for the tenth wicket in the process.


Courtney Walsh starred with the bat, and later
with the ball, as West Indies took control of the Test


A total of 279 had given the tourists a lead of 46, and South African wickets fell at regular intervals during the remainder of day three as the hosts failed to establish a solid foothold. Barlow's 81 was the only innings of substance, and by the time bad light brought about an early close South Africa had stumbled their way to a score of 199-5 and a lead of 153. Runs remained hard to come by on the fourth morning, and when an outrageous burst of three wickets in four balls from Courtney Walsh closed the innings on 261, West Indies were left with a target of 216 for the win.

Hunte and Kanhai fell early, but Haynes was again proving resolute and Donald totally lost his rag as Viv Richards smeared his way to a very streaky half century. The tourists seemed set, but the spin of Tayfield and Mann gave South Africa a little more control, and the wickets of Haynes and Richards, combined with Procter's run out of Lloyd, reduced the score to 129-5 and the hosts were back in with a chance. Sobers and Dujon put up a wall though, and a partnership of 66 had taken West Indies to within 21 of victory when Tayfield finally prised out Dujon for 19 on the final morning. Holding followed soon after but Sobers remained unbowed, and it was fitting that West Indies' skipper should hit the winning runs as the tourists secured victory in what had been a truly incredible Test match. West Indies' three wicket win also handed them the series, and it would not be surprising if South Africa's selectors made some changes ahead of the final Test in Durban.


Garry Sobers has now led his side
to six successive series victories


Score Summary

SAF 1st Inns 233 (BA Richards 171; Holding 4-61)
WI 1st Inns 279 (Haynes 106, Garner 41; Adcock 5-44)
SAF 2nd Inns 261 (Barlow 81; Walsh 5-63)
WI 2nd Inns 216-7 (Sobers 64*, IVA Richards 52, Haynes 45)

WEST INDIES WON BY 3 WICKETS


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

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 67-2 (Haynes 30*, IVA Richards 4*; 27 ov)
Day 2 - West Indies 1st innings 274-9 (Garner 41*, Walsh 29*; 116 ov)
Day 3 - South Africa 2nd innings 199-5 (Waite 26*, Procter 2*; 75.4 ov)
Day 4 - West Indies 2nd innings 166-5 (Sobers 29*, Dujon 8*; 59 ov)
Day 5 - West Indies 2nd innings 216-7 (86.4 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Barry Richards scored a record 73.39% of his side's runs in the first innings
▪ Holding passed 100 career wickets
▪ Garner and Walsh's partnership of 75 is the highest tenth wicket stand for West Indies
▪ Walsh became the sixth player, and first West Indian, to take three wickets in a single over


Man of the Match: BA Richards

Friday, October 2, 2009

South Africa v West Indies - Tour Match

South African Invitation XI v West Indians
Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
3 Day Game
Umpires: FW Grey & AG Laver
Toss: West Indians

SAI XI: DJ McGlew, G Kirsten, *A Bacher, AW Nourse, RA McLean, BL Irvine, +WW Wade, CR Matthews, RO Schwarz, PHJ Trimborn, BN Schultz.
WI: CC Hunte, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MA Holding, J Garner, CEL Ambrose, CA Walsh.

Following their dramatic victory in the second Test, West Indies' tour itinerary took them to Johannesburg for a three day engagement with a South African Invitation XI, and the tourists' batsmen picked up from where they left off in Centurion, dishing out some tremendous punishment on what was another good pitch for batting.


Conrad Hunte took full advantage of
the benign conditions at The Wanderers

Conrad Hunte dominated proceedings on the first day, sharing in consecutive hundred partnerships with Haynes, Kanhai and Richards as the total approached the 400 mark with only two wickets down. Hunte eventually fell late in the day having completed a marvellous double century, and on the second morning Richards and Sobers went berserk, piling on 123 runs in the first hour and leaving Ali Bacher's bowlers with no place to hide. Sobers hit Pat Trimborn to the boundary five times in one over, and then spanked Brett Schultz for three consecutive sixes before Richards holed out later in the same over as he attempted to reach his hundred in the grand manner.

Sobers declared upon Richards' dismissal, but in the face of a 502 run mountain the South Africans responded well, with the adhesive McGlew piloting the score to 192-3 come stumps on day two, having earlier shared in an attractive 112 run stand for the second wicket with Bacher, who made 67. McGlew completed a richly deserved century on the final morning, but a burst of 3-5 in nine balls from Walsh promptly derailed the innings and the hosts lost their last seven wickets for just 39 as Garner joined in the demolition job.


Courtney Walsh sparked into life on the final morning

A total of 270 allowed Sobers to enforce the follow-on, and with McGlew departing for a second ball duck this time round the South Africans were now very much up against it. Kirsten and Bacher managed to steady the ship however, and a tea time score of 72-2 suggested that the draw was still very much on the cards. Sobers got to work with his spin in the final session though, and in the end it was left to Matthews and Schultz to see out the final over to secure a hard earned draw. West Indies' bowlers had captured an incredible sixteen wickets on the final day, and although it wasn't quite enough to secure victory in the end, the tourists will now enter the third Test with all departments of the team seemingly firing on all cylinders.

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 502-5 dec. (Hunte 236, Richards 99, Sobers 62*, Kanhai 53, Haynes 40)
SAI XI 1st Inns 270 (McGlew 116, Bacher 67, McLean 45; Walsh 5-75)
SAI XI 2nd Inns 161-9 (Kirsten 48; Sobers 4-34)

MATCH DRAWN


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

Close of Play

Day 1 - West Indians 1st innings 379-4 (Richards 38*, Sobers 0*; 89 ov)
Day 2 -
SA Invitation XI 1st innings 192-3 (McGlew 86*, McLean 22*; 60 ov)
Day 3 -
SA Invitation XI 2nd innings 161-9 (57 ov) - end of match

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