Brian Lara flicks the ball away to leg on his way to a fine 81 on the opening day of the fifth and final Test at Sabina Park yesterday. Looking on is South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. - Junior DowieBy Tony Becca,
Senior Sport Editor
THE FIFTH and final Test between the West Indies and South Africa at Sabina Park is far from over and anything can happen.
The Windies could win it, tick off their first victory in 14 matches and walk away with some consolation from a series they have already lost.
At stumps on yesterday's opening day, however, the West Indies, ripped apart by pacers Allan Donald, four for 47 off 22 overs, and captain Shaun Pollock, four for 24 off 23 overs, were 214 for nine and the former world champions were sinking fast and in danger of not winning a Test match at home since 1973.
As bad as it appears, however, it could have been worse, and if the Windies recover and win the Test match, captain Carl Hooper and the other nine players should lead the cheers for Brian Lara who kept their hopes alive with a superb innings of 81.
In a glorious contrast to the inept performance of his colleagues, Lara, the holder of the world record for the highest individual score, stroked the ball with confidence and authority before he went to hook Pollock, attempted to check the stroke, and was caught off the back of the bat by Jacques Kallis at second slip at 167 for seven.
Joining the action with the West Indies on 21 for two in the 15th over, the 31-year-old left-hander stroked 11 exquisite boundaries in a performance which polished his image as one of the game's leading batsmen and when on the go, certainly its most exciting.
In an innings which lasted for 232 minutes during which he faced 158 deliveries, Lara thrilled the fans, including four Sisters from the Franciscan Missionary Order who are stationed at the Stella Maris Convent and who were sitting in the Capital & Credit Merchant Bank box, with an array of strokes - a few of which only he among modern day batsmen possess.
Two successive front-foot drives through the offside off pacer Kallis as he approached his first 50 - one to the wide long-on boundary and one to extra-cover - were shots of class, and so too were two, in one over from left-arm spinner Paul Adams, shortly afterwards.
The best of the Prince, however, came earlier when he moved from 22 to 26. It was a drive through extra-cover off pacer Justin Kemp, and with the right-foot slipping forward, the bat, coming from a high back-lift, hitting the ball perfectly, it was so sweet that one fan on the Mound shouted, "Jesus, what a shot".
Unfortunately for the West Indies, but for a brief stand by Hooper and a determined effort by the lucky Mervyn Dillon who was dropped three times, Lara's gem was the only bright spot on a day that started dramatically - a day that debutant Leon Garrick will never forget.
After winning the toss and electing to bat on what turned out to be a slow, easy-paced pitch, the West Indies lost their first wicket to the first delivery of the day when Garrick leaned back and cut a short delivery from Donald straight to Pollock at gully.
It was a shocker for the fans, but more so for the little man who is a lovely cutter, who must have thanked his lucky stars when he saw his first delivery in Test cricket pitch short, and who, after falling to his pet shot on the greatest day of his life, stood like a man in a daze for what seemed an eternity before dragging himself off the field.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul followed at 21 for two when he played tentatively forward to Kallis and nicked a catch to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher; Christopher Gayle followed at 50 for three when he went on to the back foot, went to square-drive Donald and was caught at gully by Kemp; and it was 53 for four shortly after lunch when Marlon Samuels eased his left foot forward to Donald and edged an away cutter to Boucher.
With the ship sinking, Hooper joined Lara and together they posted 53 for the fifth wicket before Hooper hooked Pollock straight to Gary Kirsten at backward square-leg to make it 107 for five.
Ridley Jacobs, playing forward to Pollock, edged to Boucher, went away for zero at 113 for six, and again the Windies were in serious trouble. By then, however, Lara was in spanking form, and with Dillon standing firm at the other end, the pair posted 54 for the seventh wicket before Lara was cut down just when he appeared set to chalk up his 16th Test century.
Before he went, caught by Boucher off Donald in the first over of the second new ball, Dillon entertained the gathering with a few powerful strokes, including a six over midwicket off Adams - and so too did Dinanath Ramnarine who reeled off a lovely cut to the third-man boundary off Kallis.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies first innings
| R | M | B | 4 | 6 |
| L. Garrick c Pollock b Donald | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Gayle c Kemp b Donald | 25 | 114 | 79 | 3 | 0 |
| S. Chanderpaul c Boucher b Kallis | 7 | 64 | 50 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Lara c Kallis b Pollock | 81 | 232 | 158 | 11 | 0 |
| M. Samuels c Boucher b Donald | 3 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Hooper c Kirsten b Pollock | 25 | 83 | 4 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R. Jacobs c Boucher b Pollock | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Dillon c Boucher b Donald | 24 | 127 | 77 | 1 | 1 |
| D. Ramnarine not out | 28 | 88 | 65 | 4 | 0 |
| C. Cuffy c Boucher b Pollock | 3 | 31 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Walsh not out | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Extras: (b4, lb12, w 2) 18
Total:( 386 mins, 90 overs) 214 for 9
Fall: 0 (1), 21 (3), 50 (2), 54 (5), 107 (6), 113 (7), 167 (4), 188 (8), 203 (10)
Bowling: A. Donald22-4-47-4 w1 (6-3-8-1 w1, 7-1-8-2, 4-0-9-0, 5-0-22-1)
S. Pollock 23-15-24-4(6-2-9-0, 9-7-8-2, 4-3-4-1, 4-3-3-1)
J. Kallis 16-5-38-1 w1(7-3-8-1 w1, 6-2-20-0, 3-0-10-0)
J. Kemp 16-3-45-0 (6-1-15-0, 4-0-15-0, 6-2-15-0)
P. Adams11-1-43-0 (6-1-21-0, 2-0-12-0, 3-0-10-0)
L. Klusener 2-1-1-0
First hour - 21-1, 14 overs; lunch - 53-3, 29 overs; third hour - 93-4, 45 overs; tea - 135-6, 59 overs; fifth hour - 167-7, 73 overs.
50 - 113 m, 160 b; 100 - 194 m, 283 b; 150 - 274 m, 395 b; 200 - 372 m, 528 b.
Toss - West Indies.
Umpires: Steve Bucknor - Jamaica, S. Venkataraghavan - India.
