Batsmen blast SA to CWC win
Brad Morgan
11 April 2007
A sublime maiden one-day international century by AB de Villiers inspired South Africa to a 67-run victory over the West Indies in the Cricket World Cup Super Eights in Saint George's, Grenada on Tuesday, as runs flowed from the Proteas' bats.
It was a welcome return to form for the South African batsmen after their bad failure against Bangladesh last time out.
With De Villiers leading the charge, South Africa totaled 356 for 4 in their 50 overs to easily surpass the previous highest total on the National Cricket Stadium ground of 288, made by Australia.
Not close
Graeme Smith and company then restricted the islanders to 289 for 9 to register a convincing victory. And it wasn't even as close as the scores might suggest as Smith sent down some spin, which proved expensive, near the end of the contest to prevent his side being penalised for a slow overs rate.
The SA skipper said it had been tough in the
lead-up to the contest after his team played so poorly in a 67-run loss to Bangladesh, but they responded well.
"We played our natural game under pressure," he said. "We got two points which was crucial. I also liked the way we played today, with passion and with freedom."
Four-point advantage
The win means South Africa remains in fourth place in the Super Eight standings, but the Proteas now have a four-point advantage over England who have played a game less. The English next face Bangladesh who, if they can reproduce the form they did against South Africa and win, will do Graeme Smith and company a big favour.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that South Africa faces the English in their final Super Eights outing.
West Indian captain Brian Lara won the toss and elected to put South Africa in to bat on a new pitch.
Looked like a good decision
It looked like a good decision early on as the
home side's bowlers restricted the South African scoring. And things looked even better when Smith, who had been in good form throughout the World Cup, was dismissed in the seventh over for seven, scored from 22 balls.
He tried to give Corey Collymore the charge, but succeeded only in edging an outswinger to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin who took an easy catch.
Jacques Kallis joined De Villiers in the middle and they set about establishing their authority.
After 10 overs, South Africa was on 36 for 1 only. However, in the eleventh over, using the power play to their advantage, De Villiers and Kallis smashed 15 runs from Daren Powell's sixth over. After five overs he had conceded only 19 runs; after six over, he had conceded 34.
It was a sign of things to come.
Acceleration
Dwayne Bravo was the next to suffer as Kallis belted him for two sixes and two fours in a single over during the power play and suddenly South Africa was
80 for 1 after 14 overs, having added 44 runs in four overs.
West Indian captain Brian Lara opted not to use his third power play immediately, which was how most teams had been doing things. It was a decision that would come back to haunt him later on.
Nonetheless, being able to have more fielders out on the boundaries helped the West Indies stop the flow of boundaries as Kallis and De Villiers settled for keeping the scoreboard ticking with ones and twos.
Ticking along
Kallis' scoring rate slowed down a little after he injured his left ankle, but still he managed to keep ticking along at about a run a ball. De Villiers kept going at just less than a run a ball as the partnership built and the pressure grew on both teams: on South Africa to up the scoring tempo, and on the West Indies to break the partnership.
For the 10 overs from the nineteenth to the twenty-ninth, South Africa managed only two fours, but the batsmen never
panicked, maturely opting to make sure the total kept moving.
It appeared a war of wills was taking place with Lara, knowing he had to still use his third and final five-over power play, opting to tough it out in the hope of getting a wicket, while the batsmen waited for the power play, readying themselves for another all-out assault on the West Indian bowling.
Kallis dismissed
In the thirty-sixth over Lara got his wish as Kallis, in coming down the wicket to Chris Gayle, assisted the bowler in yorking him, and he was bowled for 81 from 86 deliveries, with six fours and a six.
That brought a new batsman, Herschelle Gibbs, to the crease, but still Lara didn't opt for the power play.
All the while, De Villiers was edging towards his first one-day international century and he duly reached three figures in the thirty-eighth over, celebrating with joy an excellent knock which saw him reach 100 off 114 balls, with nine fours and a six.
However, the fireworks were still to come.
Ballistic mode
In the next over, the opener started suffering from cramps, much like Graeme Smith had against Australia, and he required treatment from the team physio. That was the signal for De Villiers to go into ballistic mode.
The following over, he smashed Gayle for two sixes, while Gibbs weighed-in with a four. That was followed by an over from Ramnaresh Sarwan in which De Villiers blasted successive sixes and another four.
After almost every shot, though, De Villiers was collapsing to the ground, wracked by the painful grip of cramps and dehydration.
Runs, runs, runs
Dwayne Bravo came back into the attack, but still De Villiers went on as the bowler conceded two fours, a two, and three singles.
Ian Bradshaw did well to give up only seven runs, but the contest was rapidly getting away from the West Indians.
Lara opted to reintroduce
Collymore to the attack and he immediately struck as De Villiers stepped inside his first delivery and attempted to flick him over the fine leg who was inside the circle. He picked out the fielder, however, and was gone for a tremendous, stroke-filled 146.
His final 46 runs had come off only 16 deliveries, with three fours and four sixes.
The final push
Mark Boucher joined Gibbs, who had accumulated 18 off 22 balls, out in the middle and they set about taking the game out of the West Indies' reach, with South Africa on 261 for 2 and a ball less than seven overs still to be bowled.
Eight runs came from the rest of Collymore's over as Boucher hit his first boundary off the final delivery.
Then came the final powerplay, beginning in the forty-fifty over. Bradshaw gave up 18 runs as Gibbs lashed him for two sixes and a four.
Collymore returned for his final over and gave up only seven runs, while the unfortunate Bradshaw
dropped Gibbs. He and his teammates would be made to pay for that miss in the final overs.
Big over
Bradshaw gave up 17 runs as Boucher clubbed a six and a four, and Gibbs chipped-in with a four.
Bravo came back into the attack and did well to give up only nine runs, six of which came in one big shot by Boucher.
With Collymore's overs completed, Daren Powell took over the bowling duties and how he must have wished he hadn't. Boucher ripped him for three sixes and Gibbs for one as South Africa took 26 runs off the over.
Fifty
Gibbs' towering straight-driven six took him to 50 from 34 balls. It also broke a window high up in the stands.
Boucher also reached 50, taking only 22 balls to do it, with two fours and five big sixes.
The final power play had produced a ridiculous 77 runs from only five overs.
In the final over, Boucher was out, caught and bowled by Bravo after he top-edged
a well-bowled slower ball. His 52 came off only 23 balls.
Gibbs added another nine runs to his score, and to the South African total, to finish with an unbeaten 61 from 40 balls.
Astonishing hitting
The Proteas' total of 356 for 4 meant that after the first 10 overs of their innings, they batted at an astonishing eight runs an over, smashing 320 while losing only three wickets!
Collymore, with 2 for 41 in 10, was the pick of the home side's bowlers, but Powell went for 78 in 10, Bradshaw for 73 in 10, and Bravo 69 in seven.
The West Indies faced a very tall order to ensure their survival in the World Cup, but the crowd was behind them, cheering every scoring shot, creating a festive atmosphere.
Bad start
Unfortunately for the home side, they didn't get off to a good start as Shivnarine Chanderpaul tried to loft Shaun Pollock over mid-off in the third over, but didn't get hold of the ball and
holed out to SA captain Smith for four.
Devon Smith joined the dangerous Chris Gayle in the middle and they did a good job of getting the scoring rate going. Makhaya Ntini's fifth over went for 14 as Gayle bashed two fours and Smith one.
However, Andre Nel brought their partnership to an end when he had Smith caught at cover by De Villiers, who dived forward to take a good catch. The left-hander had contributed 33 for 27 balls.
Superb run out
That brought the islanders' two biggest guns together, Gayle and skipper Lara. Their partnership lasted only three balls, however, as Gayle was superbly run out by Ashwell Prince who pounced on a shot touched into the covers and struck with a direct hit to send the opener packing for 32 scored from 35 balls.
The West Indians were comfortably ahead of South Africa's scoring rate at the same time in their innings, but they were losing wickets.
Lara and the new batsman, Ramnaresh Sarwan,
added 50 together before the introduction of Kallis to the bowling attack worked for South Africa as the Windies' skipper played on for 21.
Bravo gone
Sarwan was making good progress, but Dwayne Bravo didn't last long, caught by Gibbs off Pollock for six. His dismissal sunk the West Indies to 142 for 5 with just short of half their overs gone.
Debutant Kieron Pollard contributed 10 to a stand of 27 with Sarwan before he gave Kallis the charge and was bowled.
Next man in, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin didn't last long, caught at a short midwicket by substitute fielder Robin Peterson for four. His exit left the West Indies on 181 for 7 in the thirty-second over and well out of the game.
Sarwan responded by smashing Smith for three fours in an over, but it was all part of a lost cause. He fell to Ntini at the start of the thirty-ninth over, trying to hit him over the top. The shot was mistimed and Pollock took the catch at
mid-off.
Great knock
Sarwan's knock of 92 came off only 75 deliveries and included 10 fours and one six.
Ian Bradshaw and Daren Powell added 41 for the ninth wicket before Bradshaw was out, caught at deep square leg by Andrew Hall off the bowling of Smith for 20.
Powell, though, stayed on the attack, eventually finishing with an unbeaten 48 off 36 balls, after smashing Smith for three sixes, while Corey Collymore, the last batsman, made an undefeated 12 off 12 deliveries.
Good, but not good enough
Despite their decent total of 289 for 9, the West Indian effort wasn't nearly enough to challenge South Africa's massive 356 for 4.
Pollock led South Africa's bowling attack with 2 for 33 in eight overs, while Kallis claimed 2 for 36 in eight. Smith was smashed for 56 in five, but did pick up two wickets.
Next up for South Africa is a showdown against table topping New Zealand who, two days
before they face the Proteas, have a tough challenge awaiting them in the form of Sri Lanka.
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