NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – Beleaguered West Indies slumped to another miserable defeat yesterday with a 13-run beating by South Africa that condemned them to their third loss in four Twenty20 Internationals.
On a two-paced wicket at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium, they managed to contain South Africa to 136 for seven, with medium pacer Kieron Pollard (2-22) and fast bowler Kemar Roach (2-25) finishing with two wickets apiece.
As has become the norm of recent, the West Indies batsmen were found badly wanting as the regional squad tumbled to 123 all out with a ball to spare.
They were undermined by pacer Ryan McLaren who claimed five for 19 to earn Man-of-the-Match honours.
The defeat was another cruel blow for the struggling side, especially coming on the heels of their dismal second round display in the recent World Twenty20 Championship.
Talismanic opener and captain Chris Gayle flattered to deceive at the top of the order, smashing two fours down the ground in the first over in scoring 14 from 16 balls.
But once he failed to clear long-on with a pull off McLaren in the sixth over at 28 for two, West Indies hopes disappeared and the mission then proved too much for Pollard (27) and Dwayne Bravo (20).
Andre Fletcher’s dreadful run continued at the top of the order when he nicked a wide ball from McLaren to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers without scoring at 14 for one in the third over.
Bravo, promoted to number three, belted two on-side boundaries off pacer Charl Langeveldt in the next over but the loss of Gayle sent the innings into paralysis.
Both Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan struggled to get the ball away and could only eke out 19 runs from the next four overs. The pressure eventually told as Bravo held out to substitute fielder Hashim Amla at long-off, off off-spinner Johan Botha at 48 for three in the 10th over.
The innings was hurled into further strife when Narsingh Deonarine was stumped down the leg-side off the first ball he faced, as Botha claimed his second wicket of the over at 50 for four.
Left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe then found the leading edge of Sarwan’s bat in the next over for Alviro Petersen to take a diving catch at cover, and send the right-handed Guyanese on his way for a painful 13 from 20 balls.
Pollard huffed and puffed in scoring 27 from 17 balls, slamming two fours and a six to temporarily raise hopes of a stunning come-from-behind win.
He added 36 for the sixth wicket with Darren Sammy and seemed poised for something big when he was clean bowled one delivery after smashing McLaren for a straight six in the 16th over at 88 for six.
West Indies would find no heroes to rescue them, as their last five wickets fell for 35 runs with Sammy ninth out for a painstaking 17 from 28 balls.
Earlier, Jacques Kallis top scored with 53 from 45 balls to lead the Proteas after they were asked to bat first.
The experienced right-hander struck a four and three sixes and posted 73 for the second wicket with captain Graeme Smith whose 37 came from 31 balls and contained three fours and a six.
Their effort was required after Loots Bosman was brilliantly caught down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Fletcher for seven off Jerome Taylor in the fourth over. Bizarrely, umpire Clyde Duncan signalled wide but the batsman walked.
Smith also went in strange circumstances when he too walked after a stumping appeal off left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, when television replays showed the bails had been removed before he had left his crease.
His dismissal at 88 for two sent the South Africa innings into decline and they failed to accelerate in the late stages, especially after Kallis was caught in the deep by Sarwan off Pollard in the 16th over.
