ROB DAVIES, Johannesburg | Thursday 4.00pm.
SOUTH Africa are looking down the barrel of a gun at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth as the West Indies bowling attack fired on all cylinders to leave the South Africans reeling at 182/8 just at tea on the opening day.
The South Africans will be looking to Pat Symcox, 15, and Allan Donald, 5, to stick around for at least another fifty runs on a wicket that has pace, bounce and quite a bit of movement.
West Indies skipper Brian Lara sent the South Africans in to bat on Thursday, no doubt expecting the wicket to give his pace attack of Nixon McLean, Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh the edge.
This proved to be a correct assumption as new South African opener Herschelle Gibbs fell to Walsh–bowled for two.
Gibbs’ opening partner Gary Kirsten was the second wicket to fall when he was caught behing by keeper Ridley Jacobs after playing at a Walsh delivery on the leg-side. Kirsten made 29 runs in his innings which included five boundaries.
Jacques Kallis scored 30 runs before he was dismissed by Walsh, caught by Carl Hooper. The innings looked to be all but sunk when Daryll Cullinan had his leg stump taken by Mervyn Dillon for only four runs.
The South Africans went to lunch on 96/4 and needed a strong innings to bring some respectability to their total. They had little time to recover after the break, however, as Jonty Rhodes skied an Ambrose delivery to Hooper, giving him his second catch of the innings. Rhodes scored 17 off 14 deliveries.
Hansie Cronje, who has so often rescued the South Africans in the past, looked solid in his knock of 21, but was run out by Floyd Reifer. Next to go was allrounder Shaun Pollock who looked in good knick before holing out to Stuart Williams for 28 off 24 balls, his innings included three fours.
Mark Boucher, the South African keeper, took the fight to the tourists, but was caught by Hooper on the boundary after attempting to follow up two consecutivge fours with a maximim.
It is up to Donald and Symcox to steer South Africa past the 200 mark, and hopefully keep the partnership running to the close of play.
South Africa 1st innings
G Kirsten c Jacobs b Walsh 29 (75m 58b 5×4)
H Gibbs b Walsh 2 (14m 10b)
J Kallis c Hooper b Walsh 30 (89m 63b 3×4)
D Cullinan b Dillon 4 (27m 18b)
H Cronje run out (Reifer) 21 (82m 59b 1×4)
J Rhodes c Hooper b Ambrose 17 (20m 14b 3×4)
S Pollock c Williams b Ambrose 28 (44m 25 3×4)
M Boucher c Hooper b McLean 17 (60m 47b 2×4)
P Symcox not out 15 (52m 28b)
A Donald not out 5 (8m 7b)
Extras (4lb 10nb) 14
Total (for 8 wkts) — 182 (53 overs, tea)
Fall of wickets: 1/6 2/52 3/67 4/67 5/89 6/138 7/142 8/176 Bowling: Ambrose 17-6-28-2 (5nb), Walsh 15-0-56-3 (5nb), McLean 13-3-50-1, Dillon 8-0-44-1