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DURBAN (South Africa), Feb 2: A.B. de Villiers struck a confident 77 while Shaun Pollock bid an emotional home town farewell as South Africa beat the West Indies by five wickets at Kingsmead on Friday to maintain a perfect record in the one-day series (also partially reported in Saturday’s edition).
Pollock, playing in his last match on his home ground before retiring after Sunday’s final match in Johannesburg, delighted a capacity crowd by hitting the winning runs to seal South Africa’s win with 13 balls to spare in the fourth One-day International.
Durban-born Pollock, 34, gave the crowd what it was baying for when he slashed medium pacer Dwayne Bravo to the backward point boundary.
Smith was wary of the match being overshadowed by the sentiment surrounding Pollock’s retirement.
“It will be a very emotional game and the big thing for us is how we deal with that emotion,” Smith said.
After he hit the winning runs, Pollock, still wearing his pads, spent several minutes acknowledging the capacity crowd’s standing ovation.
South Africa faced a bigger than expected target after an unbeaten last wicket stand of 57 between Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards lifted the West Indies to a competitive total of 263 for nine.
But Smith got South Africa off to a fast start, hammering 50 off 37 balls and dominating an opening stand of 77 with Herschelle Gibbs.
There was a brief wobble as Smith was caught at midwicket immediately after reaching his half-century and Jacques Kallis went for a single in the next over.
Gibbs followed for 39 with the total on 118 but de Villiers and J.P. Duminy put South Africa firmly on the way to victory with a fourth wicket stand of 99 before Duminy was caught at wide long-on for 44.
De Villiers fell with 34 still needed but veterans Pollock and Mark Boucher steered South Africa home.
West Indian captain Dwayne Bravo, back in action as a bowler after suffering a side strain during the second Test four weeks ago, showed up the waywardness of some of his other bowlers by taking the wickets of Gibbs and Duminy for 31 runs in 8.5 overs.
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES:
B.A. Parchment lbw b Nel 48
S. Chattergoon c Boucher b Pollock 48
S. Chanderpaul c Smith b Botha 28
M.N. Samuels c Gibbs b Nel 4
D.J. Bravo run out 18
P.A. Browne c and b Morkel 34
D.J.G. Sammy c Boucher b Ntini 2
R.N. Lewis b Morkel 15
J.E. Taylor not out 43
D.B.L. Powell run out 0
F.H. Edwards not out 12
EXTRAS (LB-8, W-1, NB-2) 11
TOTAL (for nine wkts, 50 overs) 263
FALL OF WKTS: 1-97, 2-100, 3-108, 4-150, 5-155, 6-167, 7-200, 8-205, 9-206.
BOWLING: Pollock 10-3-38-1; Ntini 9-1-80-1; Nel 10-1-44-2; Morkel 10-0-60-2 (1nb, 1w); Botha 10-0-32-1; Kallis 1-0-1-0.
SOUTH AFRICA:
G.C. Smith c Chanderpaul b Sammy 50
H.H. Gibbs b Bravo 39
J.H. Kallis c Sammy b Edwards 1
A.B. de Villiers c Bravo b Powell 77
J.P. Duminy c Taylor b Bravo 44
S.M. Pollock not out 21
M.V. Boucher not out 21
EXTRAS (LB-6, W-6, NB-1) 13
TOTAL (for five wkts, 47.5 overs) 266
FALL OF WKTS: 1-77, 2-78, 3-119, 4-218, 5-228.
DID NOT BAT: J. Botha, M. Morkel, A. Nel, M Ntini.
BOWLING: Taylor 9-0-48-0 (4w); Powell 10-1-49-1 (1w); Sammy 10-0-58-1; Edwards 5-0-39-1; Bravo 8.5-0-31-2 (1w); Lewis 5-0-35-0 (1nb).
RESULT: South Africa won by five wickets.
Umpires: I.L. Howell (South Africa) and D.J. Harper (Australia).
TV UMPIRE: B.G. Jerling (South Africa).
MATCH REFEREE: J. Srinath (India).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: A.B. de Villiers.
—Agencies
