SOUTH AFRICA THRASH WEST INDIES 2-0 (and a run-glut draw)
Chanderpaul did what he does best – but he doesn’t inspire
Where was the “Test” in this “Test Match” series?
West Indies expected to get a thrashing from the South Africans – and they got it. Apart from the run-glut at Basseterre, where even the high West Indian innings was built around one massive stand, the home team were outplayed in every department. The soul went out of West Indies cricket some long time again, and captain Gayle’s acceptive mien did nothing to inspire any hope that it would be kindled again in our life-time (if at all). Admittedly the South Africans were very good, but West Indies failed to challenge them in any aspect of the game.
Basseterre, as we have said, apart, the batting was blown away by the hostile, incisive and very good fast bowling of Dayle Steyn and Morne Morkel. It is difficult to think of any batting side of today, and few from the past, who could have withstood their assault at Port of Spain and Bridgetown. Yet others would have taken the attack to the them with at least a pretence of panache. West Indies just did not have any batsman willing or capable of taking on the South African fast bowlers.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul did what he does best – and well. He patted, pushed and accumulated runs but he doesn’t inspire. It was not his fault that there was nobody capable of taking the initiative at the other end. Brendan Nash, a fellow southpaw, with whom Chanderpaul put on 220 runs for the fourth-wicket at Warner Park, is cast in the same mould. They frustrated but did not take on their opponents. Gayle and Dwayne Bravo could have done so, but the former was out of sorts and the latter fell to injudicious shots. Too often home supporters waited for tail-ender Sulieman Benn, the one success of the series, and his lower-order colleagues to put some spice into the proceedings.
With his left-arm spin Benn kept the South Africans guessing and he was never mastered. West Indies’ attack looked to be of international standing only when he and debutant off-spinner Shane Shillingford bowled in tandem. The Dominican performed with promise and effect in Trinidad but was sacrificed for no apparent purpose in St Kitts. Apart from Kemar Roach’s three wickets as the South Africans cantered home in the last innings of the series, the West Indian new-ball bowling – the term “attack” would not be appropriate – from whom two or three key members were missing, made no impression on the tourists’ batting battery.
Gayle’s captaincy must be at an end. His demeanour on losing the toss was in keeping with the (dis)content of some of his quoted observations on the position. He did not inspire and, unusually, did not lead by example. The absence of a reliable second opening batsman exposed the vulnerability of the innings from the opening exchanges. Spectators watching the West Indies A team struggle in the simultaneous tour of England observed that they were the reserves of the reserves as the “real A team” was taking on the South Africans. If that was so .... where were the true front-line players? And will they ever come again?
Thanks to spinners Benn and Shillingford the West Indians had their visitors at 107-5 in the first innings of the series, but with strength throughout the middle- and lower-order they bounced back to score 352 and bundle their hosts out for 102. West Indies were never to come as close again to even terms. Where was the “test” in this “Test Match” series ?
Scorelines:
South Africa 352 (M.V. Boucher 69, A.B. de Villiers 68, A.G. Prince 57, S.J. Benn 5-120, S. Shillingford 3-96) & 206-4 dec (G.C. Smith 90, S.J. Benn 3-74) beat West Indies 102 (D.W. Steyn 5-29, M. Morkel 4-19) & 293 (C.H. Gayle 73, D.W. Steyn 3-65) by 163 runs at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Trinidad
South Africa 543-6 dec (A.B. de Villiers 135 n.o., G.C. Smith 132, J.H. Kallis 110, A.N. Petersen 52, S. Shillingford 3-193) & 235-3 dec (J.H. Kallis 62 n.o.) drew with West Indies 546 (S. Chanderpaul 166, B.P. Nash 114, N. Deonarine 65, D.J. Bravo 53, C.H. Gayle 50, M. Morkel 4-116) at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts
West Indies 231 (D.J. Bravo 61, J. Botha 4-56, D.W. Steyn 3-37) & 161 (S. Chanderpaul 71 n.o., M. Morkel 3-33, D.W. Steyn 3-36) lost to South Africa 346 (A.G. Prince 78 n.o., A.B. de Villiers 73, G.C. Smith 70, S.J. Benn 6-81) & 40-3 (K.A.J. Roach 3-22) by 7 wickets at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
