West Indies v South Africa - Series Summary

With both sides having beaten Australia in recent series, the expectation was for a close fought contest here, but in reversing their 3-1 defeat when the teams last met in South Africa, West Indies enjoyed an unexpected dominance over their Springbok visitors. The tone was set by South Africa's dismissal for 80 on the first day of the series, and West Indies' bowlers remained on top, culminating in the routing of the tourists for just 30 in Antigua, a performance that is unlikely to be repeated at any time in the future.

Indeed, South Africa were dismissed for under 100 three times over the course of the series, a statistic that further underlines West Indies' dominance with the ball. Malcolm Marshall was consistency personified, and with Holding, Walsh and Garner all providing incisive support, there was simply nowhere to hide for the South African batsmen. This was never more true than in the second Test in Trinidad, where an atrocious wicket made batting a lottery, and South Africa's defeat there all but sealed their defeat in the series.

West Indies' pace attack apart, the other dominant figure over the course of the series was Viv Richards who, in the four Tests in which he played, struck three centuries at a strike rate of over 80 and simply looked a class above any other batsman. Over the course of ATG Season 4, Richards has scored 1731 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 86.55, and his seven centuries during this period have now brought him level with Don Bradman on 18 career tons, a statistic that illustrates his influence on a resurgent West Indies team.

For South Africa, Graeme Pollock was his usual consistent self, albeit with a lower batting average than normal, and Dudley Nourse showed good form in the latter half of the series, but those two apart, the Springboks' batting performances were fitful at best. Mike Procter's lack of form with both bat and ball saw him dropped for the final Test, and whilst Tayfield, Donald and Adcock all returned decent figures, there was never the persistent threat that was posed by the home attack, a fact that was compounded by a decidedly lacklustre performance in the field for much of the series.

West Indies Batting
IVA Richards 476 runs @ 95.20, GStA Sobers 255 @ 42.50, CH Lloyd 287 @ 41.00, GA Headley 283 @ 35.38, CG Greenidge 279 @ 34.88

West Indies Bowling
MD Marshall 26 wkts @ 18.88, CA Walsh 20 @ 20.30, MA Holding 25 @ 22.32, J Garner 15 @ 26.40

South Africa Batting
AD Nourse 348 runs @ 49.71, DT Lindsay 192 @ 48.00, RG Pollock 468 @ 46.80, BA Richards 353 @ 35.30, DJ Cullinan 140 @ 23.33

South Africa Bowling
HJ Tayfield 15 wkts @ 28.33, AA Donald 17 @ 28.41, NAT Adcock 12 @ 33.50, TL Goddard 11 @ 40.09, MJ Procter 7 @ 49.86

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 3-1

Players of the Series: MD Marshall & RG Pollock

West Indies v South Africa - Fifth Test

Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, IVA Richards, 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, +DT Lindsay, PM Pollock, HJ Tayfield, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: RG Gosein & HBD Jordan
Toss: South Africa

With the series result decided, reputations and pride were the commodities on the line in Jamaica, and South Africa dropped a bombshell before play began by dropping Mike Procter for the first time in his ATG career, although if truth be told Procter's lack of recent form made this a sound cricketing decision.

Another seemingly sound decision was Trevor Goddard's insertion of West Indies upon winning his fourth toss out of five, for within four overs the home side had lost both openers for ducks and were reeling at 1-2. Headley's dismissal for 13 then made the score 37-3, and South Africa's seamers were making full use of a pitch that retained a greenish hue despite the day's increasingly blistering heat.

Clive Lloyd should have been given out lbw for 11 by umpire Gosein shortly after lunch, but Donald's raucous appeal fell on deaf ears, and rather than stumbling to what would have been a calamitous 64-4, West Indies launched a counter-assault that brought the South Africans to their collective knees. Lloyd went on the rampage after his reprieve, and with Richards he helped construct a record breaking fourth wicket stand. Both batsmen powered their way to centuries on an ever-flattening wicket - Lloyd off 127 balls and Richards off 132 balls -and when Richards fell lbw to Peter Pollock shortly before the close, the pair had put on an astonishing 314 in little over four hours, West Indies' third highest stand for any wicket. Richards share was 176, an innings that brought him level with Don Bradman on 18 ATG hundreds, and stumps were drawn with West Indies sitting pretty on 358-4 off 82 overs, a remarkable comeback from 1-2.

Lloyd eventually went for a career best 170 as West Indies continued their onslaught on day two, but a commendable effort from Trevor Goddard eventually limited the hosts' final total to 496, with South Africa's skipper claiming the last five wickets to fall as the Springboks clawed back a modicum of respectability. Neil Adcock (2-66 off 28 overs) apart though, South Africa had simply not bowled well enough, and the tourists' problems were compounded as West Indies struck at regular intervals to reduce their reply to 147-6 midway through the third afternoon.

However, with the follow on now looking inevitable, Denis Lindsay set about playing one of the most audacious innings yet seen in ATG cricket, and over the course of the next three hours he blitzed his way to a stunning maiden century that dragged South Africa back into the game. He eventually played on against Garner having made 104, an innings studded with ten fours and four huge sixes, and although the last pair of Donald and Adcock couldn't nudge the Springboks past the follow on target, a statement of defiance had been made.

South Africa's total of 283 saw them asked to follow on 204 behind, but rather than fold as they had done in Antigua, Lindsay's example led to a stirring fight back over the course of the final two days. Richards and Goddard set the tone with a sprightly stand of 87 for the first wicket, and with the hosts' attack at last looking human, all of South Africa's top order made runs as the prospect of a fourth defeat in the series became ever more distant. Fifties from Richards and Pollock were trumped by Nourse's first hundred in ten Tests, and when Nourse's dismissal offered West Indies the possibility of an opening, Cullinan and Lindsay slammed the door shut with an unbroken stand of 106 for the seventh wicket, a Springbok record.

With the scoreboard reading 440-6, Goddard eventually called a close at tea on the final day, and with West Indies requiring an impossible 228 for victory the game meandered to a draw, a result that would be of far greater value to South Africa than it would to West Indies. Denis Lindsay was named man of the match for his rousing first innings century, but the dominance of West Indies' bowlers over the course of the first four Tests had already ensured a deserved series victory for the home side, and West Indies now move up to fourth and just two points behind South Africa in the ranking table, as season four of ATG cricket comes to a close.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 496 (IVA Richards 176, Lloyd 170, Sobers 43*; Goddard 5-111)
SAF 1st Inns 283 (Lindsay 104, Mitchell 65, BA Richards 43)
SAF 2nd Inns 440-6 dec. (Nourse 100, RG Pollock 77, Cullinan 61*, BA Richards 57, Lindsay 50*)
WI 2nd Inns 57-2

MATCH DRAWN

Man of the Match: DT Lindsay

West Indies v South Africa - Fourth Test

Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's

WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, IVA Richards, 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, JN Rhodes, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, HJ Tayfield, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: DM Archer & LH Barker
Toss: West Indies

With South Africa's professional performance in Barbados having breathed new life into the series, the teams reconvened in Antigua with all to play for, and expectations were high for some entertaining, competitive cricket. However, no-one was prepared for the events that unfolded in St John's, and the game's history-making denouement will be talked about for as long as Test cricket continues to be played.

Proceedings began in typical Antiguan fashion though; Garry Sobers won his first toss of the series, and West Indies spent the first two days racking up an imposing total on a flat and true ARG wicket. Greenidge's aggressive 69 got the innings off to a rocket start, then Headley and Richards set about constructing an enormous third wicket stand that, at its conclusion, just about put South Africa out of the game.

To label Viv Richards' form of late as 'awesome' would be a gross understatement, and on his home ground he pummelled the tourists' attack to the tune of 146 runs, made off 193 balls in a little under five hours of glorious strokeplay. This was Richards' 17th ATG hundred, and the fact that he now lies just one century behind Bradman only goes to further illustrate the level of his prowess. George Headley was very much the sleeping partner in what was eventually a 243 run partnership, but once Allan Donald had ended Richards' innings with a well-judged boundary catch off Tayfield, he took over and guided West Indies into an impregnable position.

From a score of 396-3 upon Richards' departure, Headley's stewardship allowed the total to swell to 549 when his own dismissal prompted the declaration early on the third morning; Headley's share after nine and a half hours at the crease was 197, and after chalking up just 40 runs in his previous five innings in the series, it was a welcome return to form for the Jamaican. South Africa's bowlers had all been made to toil - 549 is the largest total conceded by the Springboks in ATG cricket - and their batsmen would now have to knuckle down in order to prevent a defeat that would give West Indies the series.

Their cause was helped when Marshall hobbled off the field at the end of just his seventh over, and a commanding stand of 138 for the fourth wicket between Pollock and Nourse took the tourists to a healthy 242-3 shortly before stumps on day three. Nourse fell to Garner for 69 before the close though, and despite Pollock powering on to his century on a rain-shortened fourth morning, South Africa's innings was now on the slide as Holding, Walsh and Garner all bowled well on a pitch that was now offering up some uneven bounce. A late flurry from Tayfield (28) and Donald (20*) almost saved the follow-on, but when Adcock fell first ball to a smart catch from Sobers off Holding, South Africa were all out for 332, and a deficit of 217 runs saw them invited to bat again with half an hour remaining before tea.

Excellent catches from Sobers and Lloyd removed both Richards and Goddard before the break to leave the Springboks a shaky 6-2 when the teams left the field, and when play resumed it was West Indies all the way as the tourists capitulated in truly spectacular fashion. It was 6-3 when Pollock was run out for just 1 by a brilliant piece of reaction fielding from the irreproachable Sobers, and once Mitchell and Rhodes had both departed for ducks, South Africa were incredibly 9-5 and it was panic stations in the visitors' dressing room.

Despite such scenes, the consensus around the ground was that the Springboks' lengthy batting line-up would surely allow for some sort of recovery, but just as in the first two Tests the tourists did not seem up for a fight, and with Marshall now recovered and restored to the attack there was simply nowhere to hide. Jeffrey Dujon was given catching practice as a supine lower order prodded and poked in a wretched attempt at defence, and the increasingly delirious home crowd could barely believe what they were seeing. 9-5 became 13-6, then 16-7, then 21-8, then 29-9, and when Hugh Tayfield compliantly edged Joel Garner into the hands of Garry Sobers the innings was all over, and South Africa were a shocking 30 all out, the lowest total ever recorded in ATG history.

Whilst the pitch was most certainly wearing, it was still a belter compared to the minefield we had in Trinidad, and it has to be said that the majority of the South African batsmen simply didn't appear to have the technique to deal with the barrage of unremitting pace. The South Africans had lost an incredible 17 wickets for just 120 runs since tea on the third day and their failure to avoid the follow-on had ultimately cost them the game.West Indies had won by the massive margin of an innings and 187 runs with a day to spare and at 3-1 the series was now secure with one Test still to play. South Africa's victory in Barbados had proved to be a false dawn, and there will only be pride at stake when the teams meet for the final Test in Jamaica next week.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 549-8 dec. (Headley 197, Richards 146, Greenidge 69, Haynes 46)
SAF 1st Inns 332 (Pollock 121, Nourse 69; Holding 4-75)
SAF 2nd Inns 30

WEST INDIES WON BY AN INNINGS & 187 RUNS

Man of the Match: IVA Richards

West Indies v South Africa - Third Test

Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, IVA Richards, 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, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, HJ Tayfield, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: DM Archer & LH Barker
Toss: South Africa

After the pummelling given them in Trinidad, the batsmen on both sides would have welcomed the flatter, more trustworthy track that had been prepared at the Kensington Oval, and with Trevor Goddard winning his third consecutive toss it was South Africa who would get first use of the facilities.

Richards and Goddard began in nervy fashion, but once Richards departed for a streaky 27, consistent batting from Goddard and the middle order gave the tourists a first innings platform for the first time in the series. Goddard batted watchfully for over five hours for 71, his third fifty in three Tests, Pollock stroked thirteen boundaries in a confident 77, severely punishing the wayward Holding before edging behind to give Holding his revenge, whilst Nourse made a brave, undefeated 58, having been forced to retire partway through his innings after being struck a painful blow in the ribcage by Walsh. Indeed, it was Walsh who was the pick of the home attack, ripping out the tail to finish with ATG best figures of 6-39 off 23.2 overs, but South Africa's total of 346 at last gave them a foothold in the game.

Greenidge and the fit-again Viv Richards counter-attacked with venom when West Indies came to bat, but Donald's dismissal of Richards, well caught by Mitchell in the slip cordon for a 44 ball 46, was a huge wicket, and when Adcock removed Lloyd (19) and Greenidge (84) in successive overs, West Indies were 185-5 and struggling. Sobers (36), Dujon (20) and Holding (22*) rallied briefly, but Tayfield and Donald combined to clean up the tail, and with West Indies closing on 276, South Africa held a lead of 70.

Slow over rates and unseasonal rain meant that the match was by now into its fourth day though, so the Springboks needed quick runs if they were going to be able to apply some last day pressure on their hosts. Goddard, Mitchell and, crucially, Pollock, all fell cheaply to leave South Africa 61-3, but Barry Richards looked more confident than on the first morning, and in Nourse he found a partner who was willing and able to match his stroke-laden assault on the West Indies' pacemen. With the wicket still sluggish the pair added 111 for the fourth wicket in 25 overs, Richards passing 3000 career runs in the process, and for once the home attack looked powerless to stop them. Richards eventually reached his sixth ATG century off 132 balls, and with Nourse striking his second fifty of the match the tourists ended day four on 230-5, a lead of exactly 300. With his side already 2-0 down in the series, Goddard, normally a conservative captain, declared overnight, and now looked to bowl out a West Indian team which would undoubtedly go for the runs on the final day.

West Indies looked to go on the offensive from the first ball, but a pumped up Allan Donald led a Springbok attack that reduced their hosts to 58-4 shortly after lunch, with Viv Richards again falling to a Bruce Mitchell catch off Donald, this time for a third ball duck. Stroke play was now not so easy on a wicket whose bounce was starting to become uneven, and Des Haynes' anchor role was now of crucial importance. Sobers threatened briefly with a run-a-ball 40, but Tayfield was now beginning to weave a web with his off spin, and the middle and late order, including both Sobers and Haynes (60), were ensnared for the second time in the match as Tayfield claimed a deserved five-for.

From 143-7, Dujon and Holding gamely tried to hit their way out of trouble, but it couldn't last, and it was left to the final pair of Garner and Walsh to try to survive the last 20 overs with all thoughts of victory gone. Somehow they lasted for ten of those overs, but Walsh was eventually trapped in front by Procter and South Africa had pulled off a highly commendable 71 run victory. After the events of the first two Tests, the Springboks had shown great resilience to come back with a win here, and with two Tests to play the series is suddenly alive again as we head for Antigua.

Scores
SAF 1st Inns 346 (Pollock 77, Goddard 71, Nourse 58*; Walsh 6-39)
WI 1st Inns 276 (Greenidge 84, IVA Richards 46; Donald 4-56)
SAF 2nd Inns 230-5 dec. (BA Richards 102, Nourse 74)
WI 2nd Inns 229 (Haynes 60, Sobers 40; Tayfield 5-65)

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 71 RUNS

Man of the Match: BA Richards

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

West Indies v South Africa - First Test

Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana

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

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: D Sang Hue & RG Gosein
Toss: South Africa

South Africa took the field in good spirits on the first morning of this series; their batsmen had shown good form in the warm-up match, Curtley Ambrose was ruled out of this match and possibly the whole series for West Indies with a hamstring injury, and to cap it all Trevor Goddard won the toss and was able to bat on a decent looking Bourda strip. However, by tea time on day one South Africa's stock had plummeted dramatically: it was West Indies who were now batting, the Springboks having been blown away for just 80 in a dramatic start to the series.

Malcolm Marshall had been the main destroyer, taking full advantage of what little live grass there was in the pitch, and he claimed 4-12 as South Africa's innings was reduced to 32-5 after a calamitous first 90 minutes for the tourists. Only Richards (21), Waite (22) and Tayfield (13) reached double figures, and with Marshall resting, Holding (3-29) and Walsh (3-24) took care of the tail in an innings that had lasted just 34.1 overs.

It was now down to West Indies' batsmen to hammer home their advantage, and led by Viv Richards' sixteenth ATG century, Garry Sobers' team set about constructing a lead approaching 300 over the course of the next day and a half. At 62-3 the innings wobbled briefly, but Richards hammered a brutal 108 from just 133 balls, dominating a 151 run fourth wicket partnership with Clive Lloyd (50) as South Africa's bowlers were put to the sword. Both Procter and Donald received particularly harsh treatment, and the Springboks' fielding was ragged, with John Waite looking alarmingly unsure behind the stumps. Fifties from Dujon and Holding - his first at this level - bolstered the latter part of West Indies' innings, and a final total of 378 gave the hosts a lead of 298 after only two days' play.

South Africa needed to make a better fist of things second time around - they could hardly do any worse - and Graeme Pollock was at the forefront of the counter-attack, striking a sublime 113 that more than matched Richards' effort for the West Indies. The Springboks were handily placed at 158-2 shortly before tea on day three, but Goddard's contentious lbw dismissal by Garner for 52 precipitated a slide from which there was no escape. Marshall returned to remove Pollock via the outside edge - one of seven victims for Dujon in the match - but aside from a gutsy last wicket stand of over an hour between Donald and Adcock, there was little further resistance as the hosts' four-pronged pace attack found life in a wicket that had rendered South Africa's bowlers impotent.

An innings defeat at any time is a harsh blow to take, but in the first match of a series it is a particularly crushing setback. South Africa need to bounce back quickly in the second Test, and they may be without Mike Procter in Trinidad, the Springboks' all-rounder having been felled by a Joel Garner bouncer towards the end of South Africa's second innings here. Whatever Procter's fate though, one cannot help but wonder whether South Africa have already been dealt a knockout blow in the series.

Scores
SAF 1st Inns 80 (Marshall 4-12)
WI 1st Inns 378 (Richards 108, Dujon 54, Holding 53, Lloyd 50, Greenidge 43)
SAF 2nd Inns 280 (RG Pollock 113, Goddard 52)

WEST INDIES WON BY AN INNINGS & 18 RUNS

Man of the Match: MD Marshall

West Indies v South Africa - Tour Match

West Indies Board XI v South African XI
Beausejour Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St Lucia
4 Day Game
Umpires: HBD Jordan & FCP Kippins

WIB XI: AF Rae, *JB Stollmeyer, RB Richardson, AI Kallicharran, SM Nurse, CL Hooper, +JL Hendricks, IR Bishop, CC Griffith, AL Valentine, BP Patterson.
SAF XI: BA Richards, *TL Goddard, B Mitchell, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, JN Rhodes, +JHB Waite, PM Pollock, HJ Tayfield, PS Heine, NAT Adcock.

South Africa's first ATG tour of the Caribbean got under way in St Lucia, and a perfect strip at the picturesque Beausejour Cricket Ground gave the tourists' batsmen, if not their bowlers, the opportunity for a profitable work out ahead of the first Test in Georgetown.

The South Africans took their time amassing a total of 371-5 before Goddard declared on the second afternoon, an innings centered around Bruce Mitchell's 462 minute, unbeaten, 155. It was an innings of two halves, full of confident strokes on the first day but stolid on the second, and it was almost outshone by Daryl Cullinan's confident 79 off 101 balls, an innings that threatens to rob the out of touch Jonty Rhodes of his place for the first Test.

Jeffrey Stollmeyer's West Indian team responded in kind though, and the Springboks' bowling attack - minus the rested Procter and Donald - lacked penetration as the hosts passed South Africa's total with only four wickets down. Richie Richardson led the way with a clinical innings of 162 from just 186 deliveries, and his second wicket partnership of 220 with the obdurate Rae (65) lasted most of the third day. Rae was dropped twice before he had scored though, and the South Africans were unusually lacklustre in the field for most of the Board XI's innings. Adcock and Heine both bowled commendably, Peter Pollock and Tayfield did little to enhance their Test claims, and Stollmeyer was able to declare at lunch on the final day 44 runs to the good at 415-4.

Although the game was now consigned to a draw, Barry Richards put on a solo masterclass over the course of the final two sessions, bludgeoning a hundred off 95 deliveries after being dropped first ball by Stollmeyer off Patterson. Richards eventually scythed his way to 142 (144 balls; 22 x 4, 2 x 6), and the fact that the scoreboard read 182-2 upon his dismissal showed just how dominant he had been. South Africa thus appear to be in confident mood with the bat ahead of the first Test, especially with Graeme Pollock to add to the mix, but Trevor Goddard will want to see better form from his bowlers in what promises to be an enthralling series.

Scores
SAF XI 1st Inns 371-5 dec. (Mitchell 155*, Cullinan 79, Goddard 49)
WIB XI 1st Inns 415-4 dec. (Richardson 162, Kallicharran 78*, Rae 65, Hooper 60*)
SAF XI 2nd Inns 203-2 (Richards 142)

MATCH DRAWN

West Indies v South Africa - Series Preview

There has been great anticipation in the Caribbean leading up to the visit of the Springboks, and this battle between two true cricketing heavyweights has the potential to produce some great entertainment over the course of the five Tests. Both sides enter this series with recent victories over Australia under their belts, and South Africa have the possibility of taking over at the top of the ATG rankings with a comprehensive series win here.

West Indies seem to be settling down under Garry Sobers' captaincy, and they will have two scores to settle in the upcoming weeks: their last home series was the 4-0 drubbing inflicted by Pakistan, and on the previous occasion that these two sides met, the Springboks ran out comfortable 3-1 winners in South Africa. West Indies will be looking to exorcise both these ghosts, and they look to be running into the necessary form to be able to do just that.

South Africa are led once again by Trevor Goddard, captain in all of the Springboks' 44 ATG Tests to date, and their squad contains no surprises. The likes of Procter, Donald, Peter Pollock, Adcock and Heine should relish bowling in the Caribbean, although Graeme Pollock and co. should receive a stern test from the home bowling attack. All in all it should be a highly competitive series, and one where it is not easy to pick a winner ahead of time.

South Africa squad
TL Goddard (c), AD Nourse (v/c), NAT Adcock, DJ Cullinan, AA Donald, PS Heine, DT Lindsay, NBF Mann, B Mitchell, PM Pollock, RG Pollock, MJ Procter, JN Rhodes, BA Richards, HJ Tayfield, JHB Waite.