Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
West Indies skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul on the go during his 127 against South Africa on the final day of the fourth Test at the ARG yesterday. - DELLMAR PHOTO
ST JOHN'S:
SHIVNARINE CHANDERPAUL rounded off his first series as captain of the West Indies in style at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) yesterday.
Resuming on 82, Chanderpaul scored 127 on the fifth and final day of the fourth and final Test of the Digicel Series against South Africa and in the process ticked off his 13th century in his 84th Test match, his third in his 14th Test against South Africa and, after his brilliant, undefeated 203 in the first Test at Bourda, his second in his first series at the helm.
Also preening himself in the relaxed atmosphere of a Test match that barely went beyond the first innings was Dwayne Bravo, who, resuming on 10 after joining the action at 535 for five, scored 107 to chalk up his maiden Test century in his seventh Test match.
DRAW
As was expected, certainly at the end of the third day's play when the West Indies had lost only one wicket while scoring 299 replying to South Africa's huge first innings total, the match ended in a draw and left the visitors, winners of the second and third Test matches, 2-0 winners of the series, and following their victories in 1998-99, 2001 and 2003-04, conquerors of the once mighty Windies for the fourth time in a row.
In the high-scoring match which was called off at 4.48 with the scoreboard reading, South Africa 588 for six declared, the West Indies 747, and South Africa 127 for one off 31 overs with Graeme Smith 50 and Boeta Dippenaar on 56, the left-handed Chanderpaul, following in the footsteps of South Africa's AB de Villiers, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan of the West Indies, became the seventh batsman to score a century in the match.
When Chanderpaul drove pacer Kallis to square-leg for three to move off the dreaded 99, it was the only the fourth time in the history of the game that seven batsmen had scored at least a century in a match.
The first time was at Trent Bridge in 1938 when England scored four and Australia three, the second time was at Sabina Park in 1955 when Australia scored five and the West Indies two, and the third occasion was at Newlands in 2003-04 when South Africa scored four and the West Indies three.
When Bravo drove medium-pacer de Villiers to the backward point boundary to move from 97 to 101, it was not only the third time that four batsmen had scored at least a century in a West Indies innings but also the first time that eight batsmen had scored at least a century in a Test match.
The first time for the West Indies was at New Delhi versus India in 1948-49, the second time was also against India, this time at the ARG in 1983.
On a pitch that remained perfect for batting right to the end, the West Indies not only matched South Africa's four centuries in their first innings, not only eased passed what appeared a huge total when the West Indies started their reply on the third morning, and they not only posted their 18th total over 600, their sixth at home, and their third at the ARG.
On a bright and beautiful day, on a day when runs were there for the taking against bowlers who, but for the part-timers, did not appear interested in what was happening around them, the West Indies also used the opportunity to tick off their third total over 700, and following their 751 for five declared against England last year, their second in a row at the ARG.
Resuming on 565 for five, the West Indies, led by Chanderpaul and Bravo who shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 130, stepped past South Africa's total before Chanderpaul, stroking the ball confidently and looking capable of batting out the day if he so desired, was run out at 665 for six after batting for 413 minutes, facing 287 deliveries and stroking 13 boundaries.
With Courtney Browne going for zero leg before wicket to part-time offspinner Smith for zero at 665 for seven, Daren Powell for 12 bowled by de Villiers at 700 for eight, and Tino Best for five at 712 for nine the number 10 swung wildly at de Villiers and skied a catch to Prince at mid-wicket. Bravo, who faced 235 deliveries and struck 13 perfectly timed boundaries, was on 80 when last man, Dwight Washington joined him.
With his first Test century just 20 runs away and no other batsman to come, however, the 21-year-old Bravo opened up and went hunting with some bold and audacious strokes including, not so much the one that took him to the milestone, but the one that moved him into the 90s a lovely back-foot shot high to the long-on boundary off Zondeki, and the one that took him to the doorstep a front-foot drive off the pacer that flew over mid-off and dropped inches short of the boundary.
Chanderpaul and Bravo were not the only ones to enjoy the final day of the final Test of the Digicel Series. In spite of the pitch, so too did batsman de Villiers and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
After bowling only seven overs in his previous 10 Test matches, de Villiers, bowling medium-pace and finishing with figures of two for 49 off 21 overs, picked up his first Test wicket when he found the gap between Powell's bat and left pad, and in his first bowl in Test cricket, Boucher, a veteran of 84 matches and also bowling medium-pace, collected his first scalp when, in his second over, Bravo drove a low catch to Prince at mid-off.
South Africa first innings 588-6 dec.
West Indies first innings (Resumed at 565-5)
S. Chanderpaul run out 127
D. Bravo c Prince b Boucher 107
C. Browne lbw Smith 0
D. Powell b A.B. de Villiers 12
T. Best c Gibbs b A.B. de Villiers 5
D. Washington not out 7
Extras (b-2 lb-9 nb-23 w-3) 37
Total (all out, 235.2 overs) 747
Fall: 1-14 2-345 3-363 4-512 5-535 6-665 7-665 8-700 9-712 10-747
Bowling: Pollock 34-5-111-0 (nb-13), Ntini 33-3-106-1 (nb-2 w-1), Zondeki 25-4-120-3 (nb-5 w-1), Kallis 36-6-96-0, Boje 30-6-76-0, Smith 43-3-145-2 (nb-2 w-1), A.B. de Villiers 21-6-49-2, Prince 9-1-22-0, Dippenaar 2-1-1-0, Boucher 1.2-0-6-1 (nb-1), Gibbs 1-0-4-0.
South Africa second innings
G. Smith not out 50
A.B. de Villiers c Washington b Best 12
B. Dippenaar not out 56
Extras (b-1 nb-7 w-1) 9
Total (for one wkt - 31 overs) 127
Fall: 1-14
Bowling: Best 5-0-31-1 (nb-4 w-1), Powell 8-2-27-0, Washington 7-1-20-0 (nb-2), Bravo 3-0-12-0, W. Hinds 3-1-10-0 (nb-1), Deonarine 3-1-20-0, Sarwan 1-0-3-0, Gayle 1-0-3-0.
