Windies bow to SA bowling pressure

Paul Martin

South African captain Shaun Pollock is the son of the great Peter -- known in his Test cricket heyday as "Big Dog" because of his barking appeals. Well, Son of 'Big Dog' yelped like a happy Spaniel with huge delight as he wrapped up the second Test at Port of Spain with the first ball of his new spell.

He clean-bowled Courtney Walsh by delivering a superb in-ducker, without even needing the new ball, which had just become available, and the Windies were all out for 162.

The margin of victory was 69 runs, but it was a lot more nail-biting than that number would appear to indicate.

Until five minutes before tea on the last day, the West Indies had more than an even chance of winning. It was then that 20-year-old rising star Sarwan got out.

All then rested on captain Carl Hooper and his new partner Ridley Jacobs, who had scored an excellent 93 in the first knock. Hooper had reached his second fifty in the match when disaster struck for his team. Jacobs hesitated then took a cheeky single. Herschelle Gibbs, close in ability and speed to the absent Jonty Rhodes, swivelled and threw down the bowlers' end stumps. With Jacobs gone, the last three wickets tumbled fast and the South Africans had won with 20 overs to spare.

"It was a remarkable Test-match," said the great South African and Gloucestershire fast-bowler and all-rounder Mike Procter afterwards. "It was really just what Test cricket is all about. South Africa finally really got to grips with the game on Day 5. Before that there were too many soft dismissals. But on Day 5 they bowled very well and Pollock kept a real grip on the West Indians."

Pollock said at the presentation: "It went down to the wire. We are very proud of ourselves. The guys stuck to their task. The team has responded well and showed a lot of character. It's a big boost for us."

Hooper was, not surprisingly, more taciturn. "It's a shame about today," he said. "We played well for four days."

Indeed it could be argued that the Windies were the better side for four of the five days.

The final day had started on a knife-edge. With 201 runs need for victory and nine wickets in hand, the Windies must have been keenly anticipating a remarkable first win over South Africa in their eight Tests so far (the South Africans led 5-1 overall). The South Africans had other ideas.

Pollock says he had been going around to all the team members saying he's sure they will win.

"We knew it was not going to be easy to bat. The ball wasn't coming on and it was keeping low," said the captain.

It had all seemed over bar the shouting when the home side slumped from 32 for 1 overnight to a disastrous 51 for 5. Hooper then nursed his young batting partner Sarwan and things began to turn around. They staged a sixth wicket stand of 92, with each run being greeted with massive celebration by the home crowd.

Today the first to go was night-watchman Dinanath Ramnarine, when Jacques Kallis held an excellent catch at slip off Allan Donald. Marlon Samuels (9) edged a catch to Kallis, and then came the demise of the opener Chris Gayle.

He had become becalmed, and fell to Pollock for 23, snicking to the wicket-keeper after abandoning his normally aggressive stroke-making.

Then came the most controversial moment of the day. On his 11th ball, hometown hero Brian Lara was adjudged lbw. Replays showed the ball pitched well outside leg-stump. Other bad decisions included -- some time later -- a failure to hear or see a clear snick by Nixon McLean (who later was out for 2 anyway).

Sarwan's dismissal for 39 came when he fell into Jacques Kallis's carefully laid trap. His mistimed hook found Nicky Boje taking a back-pedaling catch.

The Windies were soon on 143-6, needing another 89 to win. The pressure bowling of the South Africans and the increasingly low bounce counted against the Windies. The outcome became inevitable, and Jacques Kallis, the pick of the bowlers with with 4 for 40, gave away virtually nothing.

Next in this five-Test series is Bridgetown, Barbados. Pollock is certain, if he wins the toss and takes Procter's advice, to bat first -- unlike the inaugural Test in 1992, when Kepler Wessels decided to bowl first and his team was skittled out on the last day, despite needing only around 70 to win with 8 wickets in hand.

On that occasion the destroyers-in-chief were Curtley Ambrose and, yes, Courtney Walsh.

Though the man-of-the-match award for this match went to Daryl Cullinan, for his two big scores, it will surely be most remembered for Walsh’s massive milestone.

Not content with getting his 500th wicket (Jacques Kallis wrongly given out lbw), the 38-year-old evergreen went on to take six wickets in that innings and a total of eight in the match. He also had the dubious honour of making yet another duck to end the match -- his 43rd failure to score in a Test-match, also a world record.

That will be a footnote in cricket history, the bowling achievement will surely be a lasting source of wonder and amazement.

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