Windies blast back

Paul Martin.

The West Indies have proved they are by no means a spent force: in fact, they may be on the path to becoming a real force in world cricket again.

Coming out for a last half-hour seemingly with their backs to the wall, and facing Donald and Pollock, is hardly an enticing prospect. Yet Gayle (27) and Hinds (13) hammered 50 runs without loss in just 15 overs before stumps on the third day of their first Test against South Africa at Georgetown, Guyana.

I cannot recall Pollock ever having to concede 23 runs in his first three overs. Wisely, he then took himself off and the run-rate became less embarrassing.

The opening frenzy left the Windies 22 runs ahead with all ten second-innings wickets intact. They wiped off their 29-run first-innings deficit within eight overs.

Earlier, the Windies bowlers had done extremely well to prevent the South Africans consolidating on magnificent platform. The statistics speak for themselves: in recent years the South Africans have averaged well over 200 runs for the last six wickets of every first test innings. This time they lost their last six wickets for just 52 runs.

True, they were robbed by two very poor umpiring decisions. Outrageously, the former England batsman John Hampshire (who scored a Test century on debut) fingered arguably South Africa’s best batsman, Jacques Kallis, after he had built a patient 50, and was taking his team to an unassailable position alongside centurion Gary Kirsten. There was a clear double noise as ball deviated sharply off bat onto the flap of his pad. He should have been ruled not out (a) because it hit the bat first, and (b) because it would have gone over the top of the stumps. Then the potentially devastating "Zulu" Klusener was given out lbw to a ball pitching well outside the leg-stump.

Yet this does not greatly detract from a gritty West Indian comeback -- such a rarity these days from this once pre-eminent cricket nation. Mervyn Dillon got Kirsten to play a rare false stroke off a lifting ball, which he nicked to Jacobs on 150. It was his 12th Test century, and the fourth time Kirsten has made 150 or more -- his top score is a South African record-equaling 275 a few months back against Sri Lanka. You could see by his annoyance at the shot he’d played that he had mentally set himself for his third double-century in Tests.

Marc Boucher, arguably the world’s best wicketkeeper-batsman, smashed an aggressive 52, but for the rest it was pedestrian stuff. Only little cameo from Number Eleven Mkhaya Ntini, including a cheeky lofted flick for four off Dillon, gave the South African a small lead.

For the Windies the best bowling came from Mervyn Dillon (3 for 64) and from the leg-spinner Dinnath Ramnarine, whose 3 for 105 off 43 overs was most unflattering,

A satisfied West Indian former great Colin Croft remarked: "The key is youth -- the new guys have injected enthusiasm and commitment. A team takes on the character of the captain. Carl Hooper is more positive than Jimmy Adams."

The ease with which the Windies kocked off the deficit bodes well for the remaining two days. On paper it should surely favour the Windies. The wicket was already given uneven bounce for the quickies and some turn for the spinners, and this should become accentuated as the pitch gets worse. So batting last should be a severe tribulation for the Proteas.

Yet I cannot help feeling the South Africans are a classier side, much more used to winning, and therefore still the favourites to take the match. To do so, though, Pollock had better pull his socks up.

Brief scores:

West Indies 304 (Chris Gayle 81, Carl Hooper 69, Brian Lara 47, Marlon Samuels 40, Wavell Hinds 13; Allan Donald 2-43, Lance Klusener 2-56, Nicky Boje 2-56.) and 50-0 (Gayle 27no, Hinds 17 not out).

South Africa 332 (Gary Kirsten 150, Marc Boucher 52, Jacques Kallis 50, Shaun Pollock 17 not out, Nicky Boje 15, Makhaya Ntini 11; Mervyn Dillon 3-64, Dinanath Ramnarine 3-105, Courtney Walsh 2-56, Nixon McLean 2-75).

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