South Africa thrash Windies, send them crashing out
Apr 11, 2007 - 9:16:35 AM
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By Kevin Pile,
[RxPG] St George's -, April 11 - West Indies virtually kissed their cricket World Cup hopes goodbye Tuesday when they crashed to a humbling 67-run loss to South Africa in a second-round match here.
Not even a brave 92 off 75 balls from vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan could save the hosts as they faltered for 289 for nine off 50 overs at the National Stadium in pursuit of South Africa's mammoth 356 for four, masterminded by A.B. de Villiers' maiden century.
Though backed by a sizeable, vocal crowd at the scenic venue on the country's south west coast, West Indies could not muster enough energy and spirit and plummeted to their fourth successive loss in the Super Eight round.
Capitalising on Brian Lara's decision to send them in, South Africa were propelled by de Villiers' stunning 146 and half-centuries from Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs and Mark Boucher, as they rattled up the highest-ever total at the ground.
De Villiers stroked his runs from 130 balls while Kallis hammered 81 from 85 balls in a 170-run partnership for the second wicket as South Africa rebounded after the early loss of captain Graeme Smith - in the seventh over of the morning.
When de Villiers and Kallis departed after setting the foundation for a huge total, Gibbs and Boucher provided the finishing touches with a glorious display of power hitting.
Gibbs smashed four fours and three sixes in a 41-ball, unbeaten 61 while Boucher matched him stroke for stroke, counting two fours and five sixes in plundering 52 from a mere 23 balls, the third fastest half-century in World Cup history.
No West Indies bowler was spared the Proteas' wrath and only seamer Corey Collymore with two for 41 from his 10 showed containment.
Faced with an asking rate of 7.14 runs per over, West Indies were in trouble from as early as the third over when Shiv Chanderpaul - drove Shaun Pollock to Graeme Smith at mid off, with the score on just five.
Hometown boy Devon Smith, included for his first match of the tournament, then set about adding 60 from 53 balls for the second wicket with Chris Gayle in a busy partnership that revived the West Indies innings.
Smith scored an attractive 33 from 27 balls with four fours but just as he was getting into top gear, he was caught by de Villiers low down at point, attempting to force a ball square in the 11th over off fast bowler Andre Nel.
The left-handed Gayle, hardly his fluent self in scoring 32 from 35 balls, continued his miserable form in the tournament. He hesitated over a sharp single with Lara and was run out by Ashwell Prince's direct throw from mid-wicket, as the Windies lost two wickets in four balls for the addition of four runs.
Lara looked ominous in 21 from 26 balls in posting 50 with Sarwan and the two temporarily lifted the hopes of Caribbean fans by scoring freely against Nel and medium pacer Andrew Hall.
They raised the 100-run mark in the 17th over and seemed poised to launch an assault when Lara dragged a wide delivery from Hall onto his stumps as he essayed a drive in the 20th over.
West Indies then lost three wickets for 39 runs in the space of 46 balls as Dwayne Bravo -, debutant Kieron Pollard - and Denesh Ramdin - fell cheaply to leave the hosts virtually without hope at 181 for seven.
Sarwan, striking the ball cleanly throughout, had earlier raised his half-century in the 26th over off 46 balls. He then begun to accelerate, striking the ball sweetly, especially through the offside off the front foot.
In the 34th over, sent down by Smith, Sarwan smashed the gentle off-breaks for three fours in an over that cost 15, having struck the same bowler for a straight six in his previous over.
Just when he seemed set for a century, he lofted a gentle catch to Pollock at mid off, after striking 10 fours and one six.
Daren Powell then delayed the inevitable with a flamboyant 48 from 36 balls, inclusive of two fours and three sixes, which kept the crowd entertained to the end.
Pollock, Smith and Jacques Kallis all finished with two wickets apiece.
Earlier, the right-handed de Villiers emerged from a somewhat slow start to strike nine fours and five sixes but Kallis was unusually savage from the outset, plundering five fours and one six.
De Villiers, short on confidence after scores of 0, 0 and 15 in his three innings in this round, showed no signs of his waning form as he indulged himself in a run feast.
Quiet in the early overs as South Africa managed just 36 from the first 10 overs, he blossomed nicely along with Kallis to gather 77 runs from the next 10 overs and propelled his side to 113 for one.
Kallis, who crossed the 400-run mark for the tournament Tuesday, was particularly severe on medium-pacer Dwayne Bravo in his opening over. In an over that cost 18, Kallis smashed Bravo's second ball over cover for four, calmly deposited the fourth over wide mid off for six before taking further boundaries from the final balls of the over.
The savage assault, which took Kallis to 37 from just 22 balls, raised the 50-run partnership between the two batsmen from just 40 balls and asserted South Africa's dominance during that period of play.
Kallis, too, had his shared of luck. When 40, he was dropped by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin as he attempted to steer Dwayne Bravo square on the off side, with South Africa 87 for one in the 16th over.
De Villiers, who needed a runner due to cramps and heat exhaustion later in his innings, brought up his 50 with a four to backward point and a swatted six over long on off Bravo and embarked on an amazing run spree that saw all the West Indies bowlers suffer badly.
When he lost Kallis, bowled trying to cart Gayle's off-spinners over long off in the 36th over, he took centre stage and raised three figures two overs later off 114 balls.
He then shared a 70-run stand from 47 balls with Gibbs before departing tamely to a catch by Chanderpaul at short fine leg, as he tried to turn one around the corner in the 44th over.
Gibbs and Boucher than gathered a frenetic 86 from 37 balls in a breathtaking fourth wicket stand, as 134 runs came from the last 10 overs of the innings.
SCOREBOARD
Match No. 37, South Africa vs. West Indies, Super Eight, National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada
South Africa:
A.B. de Villiers c Chanderpaul b Collymore 146
Graeme Smith c Ramdin b Collymore 7
Jacques Kallis b Gayle 81
Herschelle Gibbs not out 61
Mark Boucher c & b Bravo 52
Shaun Pollock not out 0
Extras: - 9
Total: - 356
Fall of wickets: 1-21 -, 2-191 -, 3-261 -, 4-347 -
Bowling:
Corey Collymore 10-0-41-2 -
Daren Powell 10-0-78-0 -
Ian Bradshaw 10-0 73-0 -
Dwayne Bravo 7-0-69-1
Kieron Pollard 3-0-20-0
Chris Gayle 6-0-42-1
Ramnaresh Sarwan 4-0-30-0
West Indies:
Chris Gayle run out - 32
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Smith b Pollock 4
Devon Smith c de Villiers b Nel 33
Brian Lara b Kallis 21
Ramnaresh Sarwan c Pollock b Ntini 92
Dwayne Bravo c Gibbs b Pollock 6
Kieron Pollard b Kallis 10
Denesh Ramdin c sub - b Smith 4
Ian Bradshaw c Hall b Smith 20
Daren Powell not out 46
Corey Collymore not out 5
Extras: - 6
Total: - 279
Fall of wickets: 1-5 -, 2-65 -, 3-69 -, 4-119 -, 5-142 -, 6-169 -, 7-181 -, 8-213 -, 9-254 -
Bowling:
Shaun Pollock 8-0-33-2
Makhaya Ntini 10-1-57-1
Andre Nel 10-0-54-1
Andrew Hall 8.6-0-49-0 -
Jacques Kallis 8-0-36-2
Graeme Smith 4-0-46-2
Result: South Africa won by 67 runs
Man of the Match: A.B. de Villiers - Umpires: Mark Benson - and Daryl Harper -
TV umpire: Aleem Dar -
Match referee: Chris Broad -
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