OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Sunday 9.00pm.
South Africa gained a crushing 178-run over the West Indies when the tourists collapsed to 141 all out in their second innings on the third day of the second Test at St George’s Park on Saturday.
South Africa lead 2-0 in the five-match series.
West Indies were set to make 320 to win on a lively pitch and were never in contention for victory in a match in which they were thoroughly outplayed.
Fast bowler Allan Donald did the main damage in the second innings, taking 5-49, but the man of the match for the second time in succession was allrounder Shaun Pollock, who had match figures of 7-89 and scored a valuable 42 in the second innings.
Brian Lara, the West Indian captain and star batsman, dropped himself down the batting order to number five but the switch failed when the two men most likely to play long innings with him, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Carl Hooper, were both dismissed before Lara scored a run.
With the cause hopeless, Lara played some dazzling strokes in an innings of 39 when he had only the tailenders for support. He hit Donald for three fours in one over and then pulled him for six before mistiming another pull shot and being caught at mid-on.
West Indian paceman Curtly Ambrose briefly ignited his team’s hopes when he ripped through the South African lower order, taking 6-21 as the home side were all out for 195 in their second innings.
On a lively pitch, West Indies lost their first wicket in the third over of their innings when Clayton Lambert top-edged a hook off Donald and was caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
The tourists reshuffled their batting order putting in Chanderpaul as an emergency opener because Stuart Williams had an upset stomach.
Chanderpaul put on 37 with new number three Ridley Jacobs before the collapse started in earnest when Jacobs went back on his stumps and was leg before to Jacques Kallis.
Hooper was run out in a mix-up with Chanderpaul who failed to respond when Hooper went for a second run and was stranded when South African captain Hansie Cronje threw to the bowler’s end from deep cover.
Before Lara had scored his first run, Chanderpaul had been superbly caught by a diving Kallis at second slip off Pollock.
Floyd Reifer was caught at first slip off Donald and the innings was plunged into total disarray when Nixon McLean was run out going for a second run off the first ball he faced, with Cronje again the fielder.
Williams, batting at number eight, survived a chance to Symcox at gully off Donald but was leg before next ball.
Lara and Ambrose hit out in an eighth wicket stand of 55 before South Africa wrapped up their victory to the delight of the crowd.
Earlier, Ambrose and Courtney Walsh bowled unchanged for 18.5 overs as South Africa lost their last five second-innings wickets for 52 runs to be all out for 195.
It was the 21st five-wicket haul in Tests for Ambrose, 35, who took his career total of Test wickets to 349.
South Africa’s slide started in the second over of the morning when Shaun Pollock pulled Ambrose to mid-on. Jonty Rhodes took his overnight score of 50 to 64 before being bowled when he swung across the line against Ambrose.– AFP
Scoreboard
South Africa first innings 245 (CA Walsh 4-87).
West Indies first innings 121 (SM Pollock 5-43, DJ Terbrugge 3-27).
Overnight: South Africa second innings 143-5 (J.N. Rhodes 50 not out, S.M. Pollock 40 not out)
South Africa second innings
G. Kirsten c Jacobs b Walsh 2
H.H. Gibbs c Lambert b Ambrose 4
J.H. Kallis c Jacobs b Ambrose 3
D.J. Cullinan c Lambert b Walsh 10
W.J. Cronje run out (Chanderpaul) 24
J.N. Rhodes b Ambrose 64
S.M. Pollock c Dillon b Ambrose 42
M.V. Boucher c Hooper b Ambrose 1
P.L. Symcox c Lambert b Ambrose 16
A.A. Donald b Walsh 11
D.J. Terbrugge not out 3
Extras (b1, lb5, nb9) 15
Total ( 63.5 overs) 195
Fall of wkts: 1-5, 2-9, 3-11, 4-47, 5-53, 6-145, 7-151, 8-173, 9-183.
Bowling: Ambrose 19-4-51-6 (4nb), Walsh 23.5-5-58-3 (5nb), Dillon 9-2-26-0, Hooper 7-0-35-0, McLean 5-0-19-0.
West Indies second innings
C.B. Lambert c Boucher b Donald 2
S. Chanderpaul c Kallis b Pollock 16
R.D. Jacobs lbw b Kallis 22
C.L. Hooper run out (Cronje) 8
B.C. Lara c Kirsten b Donald 39
F.L. Reifer c Cullinan b Donald 9
N.A.M. McLean run out (Cronje) 1
S.C. Williams lbw b Donald 8
C.E.L. Ambrose c Pollock b Donald 16
M.V. Dillon b Pollock 9
C.A. Walsh not out 0
Extras (lb2, nb9) 11
Total (38.3 overs) 141
Fall of wkts: 1-3, 2-40, 3-54, 4-57, 5-68, 6-69, 7-77, 8-132, 9-141.
Bowling: Donald 14.2-4-49-5, Pollock 13-1-46-2 (7nb), Kallis 6-2-17-1 (2nb), Terbrugge 5-1-27-0.
Result: South Africa won by 178 runs.
Man of the match: Shaun Pollock.
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THEY SAID IT
“Not when you have bowlers like Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh pumping away at you. “It made life particularly difficult for new guys like Herschelle Gibbs, who was under tremendous pressure anyway.” — South African cricket skipper Hansie Cronje on the difficulties faced by batsmen on the St George’s Park wicket in the second Test.