Jacobs ... 113 not out BRIDGETOWN, CANA:
RELIABLE wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs smashed his maiden Test century to engineer a spirited West Indies' performance against South Africa, who lost three second innings wickets on the fourth day of the third Cable and Wireless cricket Test at Kensington Oval yesterday.
Jacobs' unbeaten 113, studded with 11 fours and four sixes, lifted the West Indies to a respectable 387 all out at the extended tea break, 67 runs adrift of South Africa's first innings total of 454.
At the close, the Windies' revival continued when they reduced South Africa to 52 for three in their second innings off 36 probing overs - an overall lead of 119 runs - with Daryll Cullinan not out 12 and Jacques Kallis on five.
After a bizzare start to the day's proceedings with play halted for 51 minutes after just four deliveries because the bowlers' footholes at both ends, which were ruled too soft and dangerous by the umpires had to be repaired, the West Indies received an immediate setback.
Captain Carl Hooper, who had delighted the crowd in a record fifth-wicket stand of 116 with Brian Lara the previous afternoon, failed to add to his overnight 74, much to the disappointment of his many admirers here who had taken early seats hoping to witness a hundred.
Unsettled by the unusual break, Hooper was undone by a sharp leg-cutter from South Africa's bowling hero Kallis, who ended with career-best figures of six for 67 off 36 overs.
Left to finish the uncompleted first over of the day, Kallis got the last delivery to clip the edge of Hooper's bat on its way through to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.
This early loss at 252 for six, left Jacobs with a Herculean task of trying to eke out as many runs as he could with the four specialist bowlers but the muscularly-built Antiguan again rose to the task admirably with an audacious and enterprising display of batting.
The 33-year-old Jacobs, who had been twice left stranded in the nineties in his 29 Tests after making a belated debut on his 31st birthday, was still on his overnight 14 when Dillon joined him.
But Dillon, Dinanath Ramnarine and Cameron Cuffy all gave essential support as he was able to lash his way to a dream century.
Jacobs marched towards the century by pulling left-arm spinner Nicky Boje powerfully over square leg for his third six and then sweeping the next delivery for a single to move to 97.
In the next over, he swung fast bowler Makhaya Ntini high over long leg into the Hall and Griffith Stand for his fourth six to post his well-deserved century in 204 minutes off 161 balls.
Apart from the four sixes, Jacobs' hundred was laced with 10 fours.
It was the first century by a West Indian wicket-keeper since Junior Murray made 101 not out against New Zealand at Wellington in 1995 and the first hundred by a West Indian in nine Tests against South Africa.
Jacobs cleverly shepherded the lower order and shielded his partners by refusing several singles.
After going to lunch on 302 for six, the Windies lost Dillon for 14 after he had played a fine supporting role in a 64-run seventh-wicket partnership with Jacobs.
Dillon, whose batting has improved by leaps and bounds to earn a promotion two places up the order, gifted his hand when he missed a big heave at a well-flighted delivery from Boje and was bowled.
Jacobs, 49 at lunch, was dropped on 56 off the bowling of Boje at first slip for the second time by Daryll Cullinan, who had earlier spilled a head-high catch off Ntini when he was 25. He made South Africa pay dearly for the two misses.
Already without the services of the injured strike bowler Allan Donald, whose painful hamstring again kept him off the field, South Africa, with captain Shaun Pollock lacking penetration, were unable to quickly dislodge the Windies' tailenders.
Scoreboard
South Africa 1st innings 454
West Indies ist innings (overnight 252-5):
C.Hooper c wkpr Boucher b Kallis 74
R.Jacobs not out 113
M.Dillon b Boje 14
D.Ramnarine lbw b Boje 6
C.Cuffy lbw b Kallis 4
C.Walsh b Kallis 4
Extras (b4, lb9, nb12) 25
Total (all out, 151 overs) 387
Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-49, 3-57, 4-102, 5-218, 6-252, 7-316, 8-353, 9-381.
Bowling: Donald 14-6-30-0, Pollock 35-11-84-0 (nb5), Kallis 36-17-67-6 (nb6), Ntini 28-9-93-2, Boje 28-7-67-2, Klusener 10-3-33-0 (nb1).
South Africa 2nd innings:
G.Kirsten c Samuels b Cuffy 0
H.Gibbs c Sarwan b Hooper 19
N.McKenzie c wk Jacobs b Ramnarine 12
D.Cullinan not out 12
J.Kallis not out 5
Extras (lb1, nb3) 4
Total (for 3 wickets, 36 overs) 52
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-31, 3-36.
Bowling: Walsh 6-1-12-0, Cuffy 5-2-11-1 (nbl), Hooper 13-6-11-1, Dillon 2-0-7-0 (nb2), Ramnarine 10-5-10-1.
