PORT OF SPAIN (Trinidad), April 11: West Indies, trailing by 51 runs on the first innings, suffered an early setback and were 26 for one in their second innings at lunch on the penultimate day of the second cricket Test against South Africa on Monday.
At the interval, Wavell Hinds was not out on eight and Ramnaresh Sarwan was not out on nine, after South Africa were dismissed for 398, replying to West Indies’ first innings total of 347.
With batting becoming a lottery on the unpredictable Queen’s Park Oval pitch, fast bowler Makhaya Ntini ruined West Indies’ plans of a confident start when he had left-handed opening batsman Chris Gayle caught at gully for one.
For the remainder of the period, it took all the skill and restraint from Hinds and Sarwan to resist the South African bowlers.
Fortune smiled on Sarwan when he was on four. On the back-foot, the former West Indies vice-captain was looking to execute a hook, but chose not to play the stroke. The ball took the face of the bat, and ballooned over the head of short-leg fielder Jacques Rudolph, who was ducking in self-preservation.
Earlier, West Indies needed less than 45 minutes and only 9.5 overs to complete the demolition of the South Africa first innings, after the visitors continued from their overnight position of 370 for six and looking to establish a match-winning position.
Chris Gayle, bowling his uncomplicated off-spin darts, ruined their plans when he snared all of the wickets to end with four for 50 from 37.5 overs.
Gayle struck twice in the second over of the morning when he removed the two South Africa overnight batsmen Mark Boucher and left-hander Ashwell Prince.
First, Gayle caught and bowled Boucher for 28 when the batsman essayed an on-drive, but the ball took the leading edge, and three balls later, Prince was caught low at short extra cover for 45 from a chipped drive.
In the fourth over of the morning, Gayle bowled Makhaya Ntini for four when the batsman played back and down the wrong line to a ball that did not turn much.
Gayle completed the job when he beat Andre Nel with a flat, fast delivery and bowled him for six.
For the West Indies, left-arm fast-medium bowler Pedro Collins finished with two for 78 from 29 overs, and all-rounder Dwayne Bravo took two for 98 from 37 overs.
On Sunday, Graeme Smith hit a gritty 148 to help South Africa grind their way to 370 for six when stumps were drawn on the third day.
West Indies let themselves with insipid bowling and a dropped catch.
On 24, Prince pulled a short delivery from Reon King and mid-wicket fielder Donovon Pagon, playing his second Test, muffed a straightforward chance.
It was a costly miss for West Indies, as Prince and Boucher batted another 1-1/2 hours to take the visitors through to the close.
But it was the left-handed Smith that exemplified South Africa’s determined batting on the unpredictable pitch.
He hit 15 fours from 313 balls in an innings lasting a little over 7-1/2 hours that took him past the 3,000-run mark in Tests.
The visitors suffered a major setback about an hour after lunch when Smith was adjudged lbw playing across the steady medium-pace of Hinds bowling his first over.
After tea, Gibbs was just beginning to get into the swing of things when he was bowled by Collins for 34 for the final success West Indies had for the day.
WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 347 (B.C. Lara 196; M. Ntini 6-95).
Scoreboard
for
SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings, overnight 370-6):
G.C. Smith lbw b Hinds 148
A.B. de Villiers c Chanderpaul b King 33
J.A. Rudolph c Browne b Bravo 8
J.H. Kallis lbw b Bravo 39
M. Zondeki b Collins 14
H.H. Gibbs b Collins 34
A.G. Prince c Chanderpaul b Gayle 45
M.V. Boucher c and b Gayle 28
N. Boje not out 13
M. Ntini b Gayle 4
A. Nel b Gayle 6
EXTRAS (B-2, LB-2, W-2, NB-20) 26
TOTAL (all out, 166.5 overs) 398
FALL OF WKTS: 1-70, 2-86, 3-181, 4-222, 5-274, 6-303, 7-374, 8-375, 9-384.
