South African lefthander Lance Klusener is bowled by Courtney Walsh as West Indies took charge at Sabina Park yesterday. The wicketkeeper is Ridley Jacobs.- Junior DowieBy Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
IT was hot at Sabina Park yesterday. It was hot for the spectators, particularly those in the George Headley Stand who kept fanning themselves all day, and it was hot for South Africa's batsmen as the West Indies staged a wonderful fight back on the second day of the fifth and final Test match in the Cable & Wireless series.
Going into the Test match two down and looking a consolation victory to lift their spirits, the West Indies struggled to 214 for nine on the opening day and were in serious trouble as their batsmen, with the exception of Brian Lara who stood in the breach with a stroke-filled innings of 81, failed to fire.
At stumps on the second day, however, the West Indies, thanks to their bowlers, thanks especially to Cameron Cuffy who set the pace with a blistering post lunch spell, were not only back in the hunt but were also on the prowl with the scoreboard reading, West Indies 225 and 34 without loss, South Africa 141 off 61.1 testing overs from the combination of pacers Courtney Walsh, Cameron Cuffy and Mervyn Dillon and right-arm leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine.
On a day when they fought like tigers, on a day when they gave it their best shot, Walsh, appearing in his last Test match and no doubt wanting to go out on a winning note, bowled magnificently while pocketing three wickets for 31 runs off 18 overs, and Cuffy and Dillon, no doubt wanting to give their illustrious colleague a memorable send-off, bowled brilliantly in returning figures of two for 58 off 17 overs and four for 32 off 15.1 respectively.
For those among the spectators with a good memory, it was almost like the good old days when West Indies fast bowlers scared the daylights out of batsmen around the world - particularly after lunch when the home team, with Cuffy as the star, picked up four wickets for 53 runs off 22.4 overs before a light drizzle handed South Africa's batsmen some respite.
Running in from the north, Walsh handed the West Indies their first wicket at nine when the left-handed Gary Kirsten attempted to stroke a short delivery off the back foot and edged a catch to Christopher Gayle at third slip.
At lunch, it was 24 for one off 18 overs, and within 41 minutes and eight overs, it was 51 for four with South Africa on the run.
Cuffy, steaming in from the north, hitting a good length, and getting the ball to cut off the seam, removed Herschelle Gibbs in the first over with a delivery which kicked off a reasonable length and flew high to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs after clipping the outside edge as the defeated batsman went back defensively.
That was 24 for two, and the tall Vincentian made it 35 for three when Darryl Cullinan, on six, attempted to drive off the back foot and nicked an away cutter low to Lara at first slip.
Dillon made it 51 for four when Jacques Kallis attempted a drive through the onside, nicked the ball onto his front pad, and looked to the heavens in dismay as the ball lobbed to the bowler.
Wicket number five was the work of a master bowler.
With Neil McKenzie going back and smashing Cuffy to the point boundary, and with Lance Klusener blasting Ramnarine over wide long-on for six, Walsh, bowling off a shortened run-up from the south, sent the left-handed Klusener packing with a delivery which cut in off the seam, brushed the pad and ripped out the offstump.
That was 77 for five in the 40th over, and it was 97 for six in the 48th when Mark Boucher hooked Walsh and Leon Garrick, playing in his first Test match and stationed to the left of the square-leg umpire, flew to his left to haul in a brilliant two-handed catch.
With McKenzie playing well and Shaun Pollock blazing a quick-fire 24, South Africa stormed back with a 40-run seventh-wicket partnership before Pollock went at 137 for seven - caught by Jacobs off Dillon, and McKenzie at the same score - leg before wicket to Ramnarine for 45 as the last four wickets crashed for four runs.
Left with 17 overs to the end of the day's play, Gayle and Garrick batted undefeated with Garrick, cutting at the first delivery in the first innings and going caught at gully, allowing the first delivery from Allan Donald, short and outside the offstump, to go by before, to the delight of the fans, stroking the second confidently to long-off for three.
That was Garrick's first scoring stroke in Test cricket. The second was a hook off Pollock to the backward square-leg boundary, and the third was a lovely front-foot drive off Donald through extra-cover for three
