PAARL, South Africa, (CMC) - A rare display of disciplined bowling and fielding earned West Indies a morale-boosting, 65-run victory over South Africa-A yesterday in the their only warm-up fixture before the five-match One-day International series against Graeme Smith’s side begins tomorrow in Cape Town.
Defending a total of 230 for eight in the day/night fixture at Boland Park, the visitors avoided dropping any catches - a rare occurrence on this campaign - and stuck to an established plan with an effective combination of pace and spin to dismiss the home side for 165 in the 46th over.
Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul all but confirmed a place in the opening duel at Newlands, claiming two wickets for 23 runs off 10 overs, while the slow bowling combination of Chris Gayle, Ryan Hurley and Ricardo Powell proved extremely effective, conceding 68 runs off 17.3 overs and taking three wickets.
The performance was made all the more satisfying by the completion of three run-outs, two by the speedy Powell. His second effort was a direct hit to the non-striker’s end that accounted for top-scorer Neil McKenzie for 51 and effectively ended the match as a contest at 159 for eight with seven overs left.
The A-Team captain was the beneficiary of the only real missed chance of the innings - being mis-stumped by Ridley Jacobs on 19 off Gayle, who finished with one for 27 off seven overs.
Earlier, Gayle top-scored with 61 and deservedly took the man-of-the-match award, but it was an unbeaten 40 from Jacobs that gave the Caribbean side much-needed acceleration after they had slipped to 143 for five in the 38th over.
A sluggish pitch made attacking strokeplay very difficult, but Gayle seemed in the mood for another bludgeoning effort when he crashed 11 runs off Garnett Kruger in the first over of the match. He utterly dominated a 58-run opening partnership - the best stand of the match -- before he and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were separated.
Chanderpaul, the phlegmatic left-hander, who is obviously being prepared for a return to the top of the order in the ODI series, struggled to get the ball off the square and eventually fell caught behind off Mfuneko Ngam for 13 in the 12th over.
Ngam, a fast bowler whose international career was halted by a succession of injuries three years ago, looked to be well on the road to recovery, adding the wicket of Hurley in his second spell. But Justin Ontong was far and away the pick of the South Africa-A bowlers, conceding just 27 runs off 10 overs of off-spin and removing Kurt Wilkinson and Powell cheaply.
Both were comprehensively beaten in flight and bowled by deliveries that turned sharply, Powell being the most embarrassed as he charged down the pitch and lost his footing to finish sprawled on the pitch.
Another slow bowler, Nicky Boje, had an eventful return to high-level competition. The left-arm spinner’s second delivery was hoisted for six over long on, but he then removed Gayle in the same over as he edged a lazy cut shot to ’keeper Thami Tsolekile. The Jamaican opener’s innings was decorated with eight boundaries and followed centuries in the last three first-class matches of the tour.
Dwayne Smith swept Boje for another six only for the spinner to rebound again, luring the 20-year-old Barbadian to loft a catch to long off when on 35.
With the innings in danger of stalling at a critical stage, skipper Brian Lara pushed things along with 37 but fell in the 46th over, slashing a short ball from Justin Kemp to Ontong at backward-point to reduce to the visitors to 196 for six.
Jacobs then played positively without being reckless, compiling his unbeaten 40 off 36 balls with just two boundaries to give his side a fighting chance.
A 52-run opening partnership between Martin van Jaarsveld and Loots Bosman proved decisive for when Dillon earned an lbw verdict against Bosman in the 14th over, the home team never again managed to establish any momentum against tight, tidy bowling and purposeful fielding that was a welcome change from the mediocrity that prevailed in the Test series.
West Indies know only too well that the might of South Africa at Newlands tomorrow will be a different contest altogether, but this performance can only lift their spirits ahead of that series opener.
WEST INDIES
C. Gayle c wkpr Tsolekile b Boje 61
S. Chanderpaul c wkpr Tsolekile b Ngam 13
K. Wilkinson b Ontong 3
R. Powell b Ontong 11
D. Smith c Telemachus b Boje 35
*B. Lara c Ontong b Kemp 37
+R. Jacobs not out 40
R. Hurley c van Jaarsveld b Ngam 3
I. Bradshaw c Ontong b Telemachus 6
M. Dillon not out 5
Extras: (lb-5, w-4, nb-7) 16
Total: (8 wkts, 50 overs) 230
R. Rampaul did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-58, 2-72, 3-97, 4-115, 5-143, 6-196, 7-199, 8-210.