DURBAN, South Africa, (CMC) - Long-suffering farmers rejoiced amid the showers, but cricket fans were left soaked and sulking as the third one-day international between South Africa and the West Indies at Kingsmead was declared a no-result because of frequent rain interruptions yesterday.
Set a revised target of 169 on the basis of the complicated Duckworth/Lewis Scoring System after the tourists reached 147 for eight, the home team were 15 for one after five overs when the heavens opened for the third time over the ground and put paid to any prospect of a result in a day/night match that had already been reduced to 40 overs per side.
With their 2-0 lead intact, South Africa are therefore assured of at least a share of the five-match series with the final two fixtures to be played tomorrow at Centurion and next Wednesday in Johannesburg.
It was only because of the impressive drainage system at the ground that any play was possible after torrential rain for the entire day before the match left 60 per cent of the ground under water. Only the perennial optimists among a capacity 22 000 crowd could have anticipated the prompt start under threatening grey skies.
But it would have required something of a minor miracle for the match to be spared at least some of the showers that have finally broken a prolonged drought in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
In the play that was available, Ricardo Powell showed what he is capable of on his best days with a polished, composed 50.
Batting again at number three in the order after Brian Lara won his first toss of the series and chose to bat first, the Jamaican never seemed threatened by the testing bowling of South Africa’s seamers, reaching his seventh ODI half-century off 69 balls with six fours before he flicked Makhaya Ntini unerringly into the hands of Boeta Dippenaar on the square-leg boundary.
His dismissal in the 26th over reduced the Caribbean side to 79 for three and followed the demise of Chris Gayle, caught by Herschelle Gibbs at backward-point off the leading edge from Andre Nel’s bowling for just one, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul, on 14, top-edged a hook off local hero Lance Klusener for Jacques Rudolph to take a well-judged catch on the backward square-leg boundary.
But even as Powell was walking off to the rousing ovation from a boisterous crowd, the clouds were already closing in and play was halted for over an hour in the 28th over with the West Indies at 83 for three.
Keen to have as much play as possible, the umpires ordered a resumption as soon as the light showers lifted, only for the folly of the decision to be revealed as the slippery conditions proved far too treacherous for both the batting and fielding teams.
Only three overs were possible in that brief period, during which Lara was mis-stumped off Robin Peterson by Mark Boucher, who was clearly upset at having to play in those circumstances.
Yet just when it seemed the match was over, the weather improved again and the fans returned to their seats to see the West Indies scramble another 49 runs for the loss of five wickets in the 9.1 overs left before their revised allotment of 40 overs ran out. Jacques Kallis claimed three wickets for just eight runs, including Ryan Hurley and Mervyn Dillon off successive balls as the batsmen swung desperately at almost everything within reach.
Ramnaresh Sarwan gave Shaun Pollock his only wicket of the innings, slashing a wide delivery to Dippenaar on the cover boundary. It was just reward for the former captain, who conceded just 16 runs off eight overs in which he exploited the helpful conditions superbly.
Lara was Kallis’ first wicket, getting a leading edge to an attempted swing to leg for Boucher to settle under the steepling catch and clutch the ball to his chest.
Dwayne Smith hammered Klusener over long-off for four and over midwicket for six off successive deliveries but perished in the same over, lofting a catch to Pollock at long-off.
Despite the frenetic rush for runs, the target of 169 off 40 overs seemed well within the reach of the South Africans, even after the early loss of captain Graeme Smith, who miscued a swing to leg off Dillon for Lara to take the catch behind the stumps at the bowler’s end.
Both Dillon and Corey Collymore were in miserly mood, and Herschelle Gibbs and Kallis were settling in for the battle when the showers returned with greater ferocity.
On this occasion, there would be no reprieve and the umpires wasted little time in putting everyone out of their misery on a wet, miserable night in Durban.
WEST INDIES innings
C.Gayle c Gibbs b Nel 1
S.Chanderpaul c Rudolph b Klusener 17
R.Powell c Dippenaar b Ntini 50
R.Sarwan c Dippenaar b Pollock 29
B.Lara c Boucher b Kallis 15
D.Smith c Pollock b Klusener 12
R.Jacobs not out 7
R.Hurley b Kallis 6
M.Dillon c Peterson b Kallis 0
R.Rampaul not out 0
Extras: (b-1, lb-6, w-3) 10
Total: (for 8 wickets - 40 overs) 147
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-52, 3-79, 4-118, 5-119, 6-134, 7-146, 8-146.