Smith slams pitch, Gayle happy

Jun 24, 2010 Sports

Gibson hopes Kensington pitch will not favour pace

By Sean Devers

Both of the two Test matches at Warner Park in St Kitts have now ended in high-scoring draws.
Tuesday’s conclusion to the 2nd Test between West Indies and South Africa failed to produce a result as only 19 wickets fell and 1,324runs were scored on a batting paradise.
The inaugural Test at Warner Park four years ago also produced close to 1,500 runs as West Indies notched up a 500 plus first innings total against India before their bowlers struggled to make an impression on the docile surface.
South Africa Skipper Graeme Smith, who scored a century in the first innings and 46 Tuesday, said the pitch was very placid, resulting in hard work for the bowlers. “Hopefully we can have a good five days in Barbados. This wasn’t an exciting surface to play Test cricket on. Hopefully Barbados will have something more in it. Our tactics …was … we being 1-0 up… was to force the West Indies to make the play. They didn’t,” Smith disclosed.
Smith said that Kallis has to be one of the most valuable players to have ever played the game. “It’s incredible what he has been able to achieve. And Boucher becoming the first Keeper to get 500 dismissals was also special. They are two great stalwarts of South African cricket.” Smith added.
With the eight-match losing streak against South Africa broken and a solid batting performance earning a draw, West Indies Captain Chris Gayle was a happy man.
”I am very happy. Our batting was struggling. To get 500 runs was a commendable performance. Shiv (Chanderpaul) and (Brendon) Nash led the way with responsible batting at a time when we needed to bat for long and get big scores. Credit must also go to the bowlers who tried to create some opportunities here on a pitch which had no help for them,” Gayle said after the game
“As for yesterday (Monday), I am satisfied. If you look at their plan, the left-arm spinner (Paul Harris) was bowling well outside leg-stump.
Ravi Rampaul won’t be with us for the next Test. We have to get some runs on board and then give it to the bowlers.”
Man of the Match Shiv Chanderpaul said he was happy to get some runs after struggling in the last few Tests. “There weren’t self-doubts. I have been getting starts…I haven’t been able to carry on. I am glad I did it here. It’s always difficult when you have an attack like South Africa. Morne can get good bounce, Steyn bowls well, you always have to be on the lookout. “…They came hard at us. We needed to make sure we batted well and they couldn’t come back,” The Guyanese said.
The Barbados pitch is expected to offer the more pace and bounce of all the present pitches in the Region but with the West Indies in a must-win situation to win the third Test which starts on Saturday to avoid another series defeat, Coach Otis Gibson is hoping that the track in his homeland does not offer too much help to the South Africa pace attack led by Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.
“Our best seamers (Edwards, Taylor, Rampaul) are out injured. We have a couple of good spinners in (Shane) Shillingford and (Suleiman) Benn and I would like to hope we would get a pitch that suits us,” Gibson said
“I am very optimistic with the set-up. We have the talent. Shiv is still very determined to bat long and Nash too showed fight. We have young Bravo waiting in the wings. You never know what can happen in Barbados. May be we can win. We in the West Indies team believe we can win.” He concluded.

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