Bridgetown, Barbados – It was not a casual trot, but South Africa eventually closed the Third Digicel Test with a seven wicket victory against West Indies and earned themselves a day and two full sessions rest as they ended their four month Caribbean trip with a 2-0 Digicel Series triumph.
Needing 47 to win, the Proteas got to 49 for 3 from 8.4 overs after a hostile spell of fast bowling from Kemar Roach caused much discomfort to their batsmen and resulted in three wickets for the 21 year old pacer one day shy of his 22nd birthday.
Graeme Smith was shaken up in the first over of the run chase when a Roach bouncer crashed on to the grill of his helmet. In the Barbadian’s next over, Smith, on 10, pulled at another short ball which flew straight to Shivnarine Chanderpaul at mid wicket. In Roach’s third over, Alviro Petersen was six when he was bowled when the right hander essayed a drive to another Roach delivery and succeeded only in getting an inside edge onto his stumps. From 14 for 1 the score became 29 for 2.
Hashim Amla caressed three boundaries in 25 from 20 deliveries before he mishandled a sharp delivery outside off stump by slashing it to Sulieman Benn at gully. Victory was then just a formality – but it was preceded by flaring tempers after a confrontation between Roach and Jacques Kallis (0*) which continued even after the match.
Kallis was flustered after being hit by Roach. The two eyeballed each other and exchanged heated words mid pitch. Chanderpaul first intervened by pulling Roach away while the umpires – Simon Taufel and Steve Davis – had to temporarily cool tempers by intervening as well and warned Kallis and Windies captain, Chris Gayle, to manage Roach and keep peace.
AB de Villiers – who made a critical 73 in the first innings when South Africa responded to the Windies 231 with 346 – formalized the win 25 minutes before lunch when he cut his first delivery to the boundary leading to the customary after-match handshakes. When Kallis and Roach belatedly shook hands, words continued and Kallis walked away still gesticulating as he had done in the heat of the initial confrontation. The incident is likely to be taken up by match referee, Jeff Crowe, who is already engaged in deliberating on another incident involving Dale Steyn who allegedly spat in the direction of Sulieman Benn on the previous day when he was dismissed. The incident stained the fast bowler’s Man of the Series performance for his 15 wickets including one five wicket haul in Trinidad.
At the start of the fourth day, South Africa quickly wrapped up the Windies innings for 161 as Mornel Morkel cleaned up the tail with three wickets for 33 from 14.1 overs.
Morkel first uprooted Benn’s off stump before Roach drove at a delivery outside off stump and was caught behind. The innings ended when last man, Brandon Bess, only managed to steer a short lifting delivery to Kallis at second slip.
The typically stodgy Chanderpaul remained not out on 71 from 179 deliveries with seven fours and one six as he was left as the lone man standing.
Man of the Match, Johan Botha – playing his first game of the series – also took 3 wickets for 46 runs for a match haul of 7 for 102 – while Steyn finished the innings with 3 for 36.
South Africa won the First Digicel Test in Trinidad, saw out a dull draw in the Second Digicel Test in St. Kitts then battled on a tough pitch for the seven wicket win as they now return to the football World Cup action after spending an extended period in the Caribbean for the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament and two Digicel Twenty20s, five Digicel One Day Internationals and the three Digicel Tests against the Windies. The Proteas won all except the Digicel Test in St. Kitts.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies first innings 231 (D.Bravo 61; J.Botha 4-56)
South Africa first innings 346 (A Prince 78 not out, AB de Villiers 73, G.Smith 70; S.Benn 6-81)
West Indies second innings (overnight 134 for seven)
C.Gayle c Boucher b Steyn 10
D.Richards c Petersen b Steyn 17
N.Deonarine c Prince b Steyn 0
S.Chanderpaul not out 71
B.Nash c Kallis b Botha 12
D.Bravo b Harris 2
D.Ramdin c Boucher b Botha 1
S.Shillingford lbw b Botha 25
S.Benn b Morkel 9
K.Roach c Boucher b Morkel 8
B.Bess c Kallis b Morkel 0
Extras (b-1,lb-1,w-1,nb-3) 6
Total (all out; 65.1 overs) 161
Fall of wickets: 1-27 2-27 3-36 4-70 5-74 6-75 7-128 8-151 9-161
Bowling: Steyn 11-4-36-3, Morkel 14.1-5-33-3, Harris 16-3-34-1, Botha 20-5-46-3 (2nb), Kallis 4-0-10-0 (1nb, 1w).
South Africa second innings
G.Smith c Chanderpaul b Roach 10
A.Petersen b Roach 6
H.Amla c Benn b Roach 25
J.Kallis not out 0
AB de Villiers not out 4
Extras (w-2 nb-2) 4
Total (for three wickets, 8.4 overs) 49
Fall of wickets: 1-14 2-29 3-45
Bowling: Roach 4.4-1-22-3, Bess 4-0-27-0 (1nb 2w).
South Africa won by seven wickets.
