Samuels' assault fails to save West Indies
published:
Monday | January 28, 2008
Man-of-the-Match, South African Jacques Kallis (right), plays a shot off West Indies fast bowler Darren Powell during the third one-day cricket international in Port Elizabeth, SouthAfrica, yesterday. - AP
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa
(CMC):
Marlon Samuels' spectacular late assault lifted the West Indies to a respectable total, but it was not enough to prevent South Africa cruising to a series-clinching seven-wicket win in the third one-day international of their five-match contest at St George's Park yesterday.
With the innings meandering along at a relative snail's pace into the final 10 overs after Dwayne Bravo finally called correctly and chose to bat first, Samuels shifted several gears and played the major role in plundering 78 runs off the final eight overs to see his team to a final score of 252 for seven.
On the same ground where innings of 94 and 40 earned him the Man-of-the-Match award in a shock 128-run victory by the tourists in the first Test four weeks earlier, the classy Jamaican right-hander again fell just short of a deserved hundred, being caught at wide long on for 98 off the final ball of the innings.
Much to cheeer about
Samuels also had an impact with the ball, removing Graeme Smith for 56. However, the South African captain would have felt he had done more than enough to set his team on the road to taking a 3-0 lead by the time he departed at 122 for two in the 24th over.
Jacques Kallis, as composed and assured as ever in compiling an unbeaten 121, ensured there were to be no alarms in the final run in to the target, giving a crowd in excess of 10,000 much to cheer about after they had seen their beloved Proteas suffer a succession of defeats here over the past couple of seasons.
Both sides will now enjoy a four-day break before the series resumes in Durban on Friday under lights and concludes next Sunday in an all-day fixture in Johannesburg when the West Indies will be in the depressingly familiar position of playing for pride with the series already lost.
The four-day gap before battle is rejoined could possibly be long enough for Shivnarine Chanderpaul to recover from a bruised knee that forced him out of the third match.
Played as a specialist
In his absence, Patrick Browne made his senior international debut, contributing 35 to the West Indies effort playing as a specialist batsman at the pivotal number three in the order.
In the 43rd over Samuels chose to step up the pace, smashing 14 runs off the previously miserly pacer.
Darren Sammy also swung briefly for the boundaries until he skied a catch to Smith at midwicket off Charl Langeveldt.
Denesh Ramdin (12 not out) then played the supporting role to Samuels, thrilling stroke play in a 55-run seventh-wicket stand off just 30 balls.
Repeatedly backing away to leg against all the bowlers, he crashed three sixes and four fours over the closing overs but just couldn't get enough leverage to the final ball of the innings from Morkel, JP Duminy running in off the boundary to take a good catch and deny him a third ODI century.
Having taken 62 deliveries to reach 50, Samuels took just another 26 in belting a further 48 runs in a performance that lifted the restless fans out of their slumber as the pedestrian progress by the West Indies throughout much of their innings left them with little to cheer about.
