South Africa's Allan Donald is bowled middle stump, giving Courtney Walsh his 519th and final wicket in Tests yesterday at Sabina Park. - Junior Dowie By Tony Becca,
Senior Sport Editor
THE West Indies pulled down the curtain on the 2001 Cable & Wireless series in style at Sabina Park yesterday with a decisive 130-run victory over South Africa in the fifth and final Test.
Going into the final day with South Africa on 140 for three and needing another 246 for victory, the West Indies, bowling last for the first time since the drawn first Test at Bourda and thanks to right-arm leg spinner Dinanath Ramnarine, picked up the remaining seven wickets for 115 runs in 46 overs with the end coming 52 minutes before tea when, with the "fat lady" starting to sing, last man Paul Adams swung at pacer Mervyn Dillon and skied a catch to point where Marlon Samuels settled under it nicely.
The last six wickets tumbled for 51 runs in 15 overs after lunch as the Windies dashed to victory.
Final score: West Indies 225 and 301, South Africa 141 and 255.
With South Africa, winners of the second and fourth Test matches and already winners of the Sir Vivian Richards Trophy, the victory was only a consolation for the West Indies. It was, however, a command performance, it prevented the embarrassment of not winning a match in a home series for the first time since 1973, and it was their first victory in 14 matches.
To the home fans, the toast was fast bowler Courtney Walsh who, on the final day of his last Test match, picked up two wickets when, armed with the second new ball, he trapped Justin Kemp leg before wicket for zero at 236 for eight and bowled Allan Donald, middle stump, for 10 at 250 for nine before leaving Dillon, three for 59 off 19 overs, to wrap up the proceedings.
The hero, however, was Ramnarine who, pitching his leg spinners and googlies on the spot from the southern end and snaring three wickets while conceding 32 runs off 14 consecutive overs, landed the first blow and then sent South Africa reeling with two wickets in the first over after lunch when the visitors resumed with only four wickets down, with Jacques on 51, Lance Klusener on four, and the contest still tight.
Replacing Dillon at 153 for three after 48 minutes, Ramnarine was smashed for two boundaries, one to long-off and one to extra-cover, by Kallis, and at that point captain Carl Hooper probably had second thoughts - as he probably also had when he brought himself on from the north and Kallis drove high to the long-off boundary.
In his eighth over, however, 23 minutes before lunch, Ramnarine struck when the defensive Neil McKenzie, 40 overnight, pushed forward in an attempt to smother the spin and Leon Garrick snatched the catch at silly point.
That was 190 for four, it was 209 for four at lunch, and four deliveries after it was 209 for six when Kallis, going back, to the second delivery, and attempting to pull a leg break through mid-wicket, knocked the ball onto his offstump, and when Mark Boucher, easing forward defensively, nicked another leg break to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.
At that stage, with the aggressive Klusener and Shaun Pollock at the crease, South Africa still had reason to hope, and when Klusener blasted Hooper high to the long-off boundary, the Windies captain called in Walsh, took the second new ball at 227 for six, and in six overs it was over.
Amidst the jubilation that followed, there was one man who had one regret. "I am only sorry that Walsh did not get the last wicket. It would have been so nice if he had taken a wicket with his last ball."
SCOREBOARD
West Indies first innings 225
South Africa first innings 141
West Indies second innings 301
South Africa second innings
(140- off 64 overs overnight)
| R | M | B | 4 | 6 |
| N. McKenzie c Garrick b Ramnarine | 55 | 281 | 216 | 1 | 0 |
| J. Kallis b Ramnarine | 51 | 162 | 129 | 5 | 0 |
| L. Klusener not out | 31 | 90 | 64 | 4 | 0 |
| M. Boucher c wkt Jacobs b Ramnarine | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Pollock c wkt Jacobs b Dillon | 3 | 38 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Kemp lbw Walsh | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Donald b Walsh | 10 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| P. Adams c Samuels b Dillon | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Extras: (b4, lb13, nb1) 18
Total: (439 mins, 110 overs) 255
Fall: 37 (1), 102 (2), 124 (4), 190 (3), 209 (5), 209 (7) 235 (8), 236 (9), 250 (10)
Bowling: C. Walsh 22-6-62-3 (9-1-26-0, 4-2-7-1, 6-3-12-0, 3-0-17-2)
C. Cuffy 10-3-13-0 (5-2-6-0, 3-1-4-0, 2-0-3-0)
M. Dillon 19-3-59-3 nb1 (6-2-9-1, 4-0-29-0 nb1, 6-1-10-0, 3-0-11-2)
D. Ramnarine 31-6-61-3 (1-1-0-0, 16-2-29-0, 14-3-32-3)
C. Hooper 28-8-43-1 (15-5-17-1, 1-0-2-0, 12-3-24-0)
50 - 108 m, 62 b; 100 - 163 m, 242 b; 150 - 290 m, 337 b; 200 - 364 m, 558 b; 250 -428 m, 653 b.
First hour (starting at 140 - 4, 252 mins, 64 overs) - 171-3, 78 overs; lunch - 209-4, 95 overs; third hour - 250-9, 108 overs.
Toss:- West Indies
Result: West Indies won by 130
Umpires: Steve Bucknor - Jamaica, S. Venkataraghavan - India
