da bet nacional： The nip and tuck nature of the Test series between the West Indies and SouthAfrica continued in the fourth Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground onSaturday, as the tourists tigerishly defended a low first innings score andreduced the West Indies
Marcus Prior07-Apr-2001The nip and tuck nature of the Test series between the West Indies and SouthAfrica continued in the fourth Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground onSaturday, as the tourists tigerishly defended a low first innings score andreduced the West Indies to 130-6 at stumps – a deficit of 117 – with captainCarl Hooper 16 and Ridley Jacobs 1.It could – and perhaps should – have looked so much better for the WestIndies at the close, as two wickets fell in the last 15 minutes of theday to tip the balance back in South Africa’s favour. First the recalledShivnarine Chanderpaul was very well caught by Daryll Cullinan at first slipoff Justin Kemp for 40 and then nightwatchman Mervyn Dillon played down thewrong line and was bowled by Lance Klusener for a duck.Chanderpaul fell just as he was starting to express himself, pullingKlusener through midwicket for four and driving Kemp majestically to theextra-cover fence. But if the Guyanan was undone by a good delivery, themanner in which all of the first four West Indian wickets fell can surelyonly have infuriated coach Roger Harper as one by one the batsmen presentedtheir scalps to the South Africans on a silver salver.Chris Gayle (11) has looked a real talent throughout this series, but hehas also failed to convert several good starts into big scores. He came upshort again on Saturday as he drove loosely at Jacques Kallis, his feetrooted to the crease as the ball flew off a thick edge to Shaun Pollock inthe gully.The South African captain then struck himself as Wavell Hinds tried toforce him away off the back foot and edged a routine chance to Mark Boucherbehind the stumps. Worse was to follow as Brian Lara – after flaying MakhayaNtini over third man for six – the drove firmly but uppishly at Kempand was brilliantly caught at cover by Neil McKenzie, diving fell length tohis left.The biggest sucker punch of all was yet to come, however. It should beno surprise that the man to fall into the trap was Ramnaresh Sarwan, a boyreally at 20, but he should have known better.Kallis softened him up with a short delivery which was pulled just overthe head of Nicky Boje at square-leg, but when Sarwan tried the same shotagain two balls later he failed to keep it down and Boje took a simplecatch. The South Africans celebrated, as well they might have, enjoying a plan comingtogether so perfectly. Sarwan fell in the same way to the identicalbowler/catcher combination in the second Test in Antigua.Earlier, the West Indies fast bowlers – all two of them – wrapped up theSouth African first innings 25 minutes before lunch, Dillon polishingthings off with two wickets in successive deliveries.Resuming on 210-7, Pollock and Boje started cautiously, rotatingthe strike as they looked for ones and twos rather than the boundary ropes.Boje eventually changed the pattern with a six smashed straight over thehead of left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell.Courtney Walsh then trapped Boje leg before for 36, although the batsman will bedisappointed to be given out to a ball which television replays showed hadpitched outside leg stump.Kemp survived a confident first-ball appeal which looked even moreadjacent than Boje’s the previous delivery and then proceeded to playconfidently until Dillon squared him up with a beauty which hit off-stump.Ntini followed in identical fashion the next ball, leaving Pollockstranded on 48, the captain hitting just the one boundary in an unusuallydefensive knock, albeit one which the South African cause demanded.