Windies lose despite Sammy's fireworks

Windies lose despite Sammy’s fireworks

May 25, 2010 Sports

Amla (92) again among the runs as SA go 2 up

By Sean Devers in Antigua

On a day when the people of Trinidad and Tobago went to the polls and the Jamaica Prime Minister declared a state of emergency for parts of the Capitol Kingston following civil unrest, Antiguans failed to turn up in great numbers for the 2nd ODI between West Indies and South Africa at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on a National Holiday here yesterday.
Despite the presence of the Chekee’s sound system and the gyrating dancing girls in Carnival costume, West Indies fans had to endure another defeat as their team crashed to their 4th consecutive defeat in the Digicel home series.
West Indies, who needed 18 from the last 12 balls, lost by 17 runs to South Africa although Darren Sammy smashed the fastest ODI fifty by a West Indian, a breathtaking unbeaten 58 from 24 balls with 6 sixes and 2 fours.
The Regional team have already been beaten 2-nil in the 2-match 20/20 series last week and the performance of their top order yesterday gave little indication that there is light at the end of what has become a very long tunnel for their supporters.
West Indies, whitewashed 5-nil in their last two ODI series against South Africa, will hope for an improved showing in their next game which is set for Friday in Dominica and it will be interesting to see what changes the regional selectors will make to this team. Hasim Amla followed up his 102 on Saturday with a fluent 92 while Jacques Kallis celebrated his 300th ODI with an accomplished 85 as South Africa reached 300-5 when their 50 overs expired.
West Indies, with the last-minute inclusion of Bajan Dale Richards, fell for 283 off 48.1 overs. Dwayne Bravo’s 70-ball 74, Richards’ 51 and Sammy’s fireworks was too little too late as West Indies lost with 11 balls to spare.
South Africa, for the first time in the series, won the toss and elected to bat first on a good track in sunny conditions after there was thunder, lightning and rain overnight.
Graeme Smith (37) and Man-of-the-Match Amla added 89 in 15 overs for South Africa before the left-handed Smith missed a sweep to left-arm spinner Nikita Miller and was bowled behind his back.
When eight short of his 3rd ODI ton, the 27-year-old Amla was removed by Jerome Taylor to leave the visitors on 168-2 in the 32nd over after hitting 7 fours in his 95-ball innings. AB deVilliers, who also scored 102 on Saturday, again looked confident before Kieron Pollard picked up two wickets to put the brakes on the South African scoring in the last 10 overs.
Pollard had deVilliers for 41 from 35 balls with 3 fours and a six at 239-3 in the 43rd over before getting rid of Kallis for 85 at 276-4 in the 47th over. Kallis, only the 2nd South African (behind Shaun Pollock) and 15th player in the world to play 300 ODIs, tried to go over the top and was taken at long-off. His 85 lasted 89 balls and was decorated with just four boundaries.
David Miller hit 2 sixes in an unbeaten 19-ball 26 after Alviro Petersen (1) was leg before to Taylor at 278-5 in the 48th over as the Jamaican pacer finished with 2-50 from 9 overs and Pollard took 2-38 from 8.
Like on Saturday, the South Africans were never able to launch the type of assault usually associated with the closing stages of an ODI innings and although the last over from Taylor cost 16 runs, the 300 total was much less than anticipated when deVilliers and Kallis were together.
With the struggling Andre Fletcher finally dropped, Gayle and Richards opened the innings and Gayle clobbered Dale Steyn back past his ankles and through the covers for consecutive boundaries in the 4th over. He then backed away and smashed left-arm- pacer Lonwabo Tsotsobe over extra cover into the swimming pool in the Party Stand.
The 33-year-old Richards, with 4 ODIs and 2 Tests to his name, was not afraid to throw his bat around and along with his Captain added 40 for the first wicket before Gayle (26 from 35 balls) smashed Morne Morkel to extra cover.
Ramnaresh Sarwan (6) joined Richards and pulled a hamstring attempting a sharp single and retired hurt at 50-1 in the 12th over. Narsingh Deonarine and Richards laboured to score and Deonarine (7 from 17 balls) offered a tame catch to Tsotsobe in the 18th over at 77-2. Bravo joined Richards and the pair carried the score to 119 before Richards missed an ugly swipe and was bowled by Kallis in the 28th over. His 51 lasted 85 balls and included six fours. Bravo struck off-spinner Johan Botha for a straight six but he and Pollard took their time building their partnership and struggled to hit boundaries.
Pollard, with a reputation for big hitting, scored at less than a run-a-ball and his 29 lasted 35 balls and included just a single four before he skied a catch to long-off.
Pollard, with just a single fifty in International cricket and an average in the teens in both 20/20s and ODIs, was once again back in the pavilion without completing the job. Taylor (6) joined Bravo at 182-4 in the 39th over and was bowled by Morkel seven runs later.
Bravo is one of the few present players who seem to put their heart and soul into playing for the West Indies and he soon reached his 6th ODI fifty but Ramdin (2) was run out at 200-6 in the 41st over and West Indies were in a calamitous position.
Bravo kept hopes alive with a straight six off Tsotsobe while Sammy, another of the few West Indies players who display plenty of heart, deposited Steyn for consecutive sixes off the first two balls of the 44th over. Bravo fell to Steyn at 236-7 while Sarwan returned with a runner and was caught behind first ball off Botha and it was virtually all over. Sammy’s fireworks showed what West Indies cricket could achieve with a few more committed players.
The St Lucian hit two more sixes off Botha and another off Steyn and when he fired two consecutive ‘bullet-like’ boundaries and a six off Morkel he had reached the fastest ODI fifty by a West Indian from just 20 balls.
Rampaul was run out and Miller, who strained his side while bowling, joined Sammy with Pollard as his runner. He too was run out. Miller and Sarwan have been ruled out of the rest of the ODI series while Shiv Chanderpaul who injured his wrist in Thursday’s 20/20 game, will be back for Friday’s game in Dominica.
Meanwhile, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced yesterday that it is monitoring the situation in Kingston, Jamaica – venue for next month’s fifth Digicel One-Day International and first Digicel Test Match. The WICB has been in contact with all the major stakeholders and will issue a formal update in the coming days.
Scores: South Africa 300 for 5 (Amla 92, Kallis 85, Pollard 2-39) beat West Indies 283 (Bravo 74, Sammy 58*, Morkel 3-58) by 17 runs.