Pollock spurs South Africa to series success

Captain Shaun Pollock fired South Africa to an 82-run victory over West Indies in the fourth test on Tuesday, giving his team a 2-0 winning lead in the five-match series.

Brian Lara battled to keep West Indies alive on the fifth and final day, scoring a scintillating 91 with four sixes and eight fours, but it proved to be in vain.

West Indies, who were 101 for four overnight in pursuit of a victory target of 323, were bowled out for 240 half an hour before tea.

Pollock led from the front yet again in a glorious series for him personally, claiming the first three wickets to fall in the day to finish with three for 41, and left-arm spinner Nicky Boje ended with four for 118 after taking three wickets on the fourth evening.

Pollock became only the seventh captain to lead a touring team to a series victory in the Caribbean, and only the second in the last 27 years following Mark Taylor's 2-1 triumph for Australia in a four-test rubber in 1995.

West Indies started the day in defiant mood as Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan staged a recovery that saw no wickets fall until 10 minutes before lunch, following a shower that stopped play for 40 minutes after just one ball had been bowled.

But Pollock struck twice in one over to destroy local hopes when Sarwan (26) edged an outswinger to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher and Ridley Jacobs (0) misread a slower ball and drove it to mid-off just four balls later.

Pollock struck again 40 minutes after lunch when Neil McGarrell (6) edged an inswinger onto his pad only to see it rebound remarkably to short extra cover where Justin Kemp took a surprise catch.

Lara reached a patient 50 from 144 balls in almost three hours but he cut loose in spectacular style after Mervyn Dillon became the eighth wicket to fall when he edged Boje to Daryll Cullinan at slip for one.

The double world record holder tore into Boje, hitting him for three sixes over long-on and mid-wicket to bring the required total below 100 and give the touring some serious concerns.

Pollock finally took the second new ball after 96 overs and it was Jacques Kallis who ended the innings with a delivery that caught Lara by surprise with extra bounce and flew from the splice of the bat to Neil Mckenzie at extra cover. He faced 199 balls in total.

Dinanath Ramnarine (9) was also dismissed by Kallis courtesy of a catch in the gully by Gary Kirsten, and South Africa's victory was complete.

Mail Cricket Editor