By Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
Vasbert Drakes (right) celebrates his fifth wicket against Canada in the World Cup cricket tournament in Pretoria, South Africa yesterday. Barry Seebaran (second left) was trapped leg before for no score. - Dellmar
PRETORIA:
ALL IS well that ends well, and for the once mighty West Indies that was simply the case yesterday when they survived a devastating, history-making batting performance before cruising to victory over minnows Canada in their World Cup encounter at Centurion's SuperSport Park.
Going into the match needing a victory to stay alive in the hunt for a place in Super Six second round of the tournament, the West Indies, as expected and powered by two explosive innings by Wavell Hinds and Brian Lara, eased to victory with the scoreboard reading, Canada 202 off 42.5 overs, the West Indies 206 for three off 20.3 overs.
In winning the match with seven wickets in hand and 29.3 overs to spare, the West Indies, playing in Group B, are now on 10 points from four matches, and with Sri Lanka on 12 points from three matches, New Zealand on eight from four, South Africa on eight from four, and Kenya on eight from three, victory in their final two matches in the preliminary round - versus Sri Lanka and against Kenya - will guarantee them a place in the second round.
WORLD CUP RECORD
With Hinds blasting 64 off 31 deliveries, hitting and stroking three sixes and 10 fours while posting his first 50 in a World Cup record 24 deliveries, Lara smashing 73 off 40 deliveries, driving, pulling and cutting four sixes and six fours while scoring his first 50 off 23 deliveries to quickly erase Hinds' name from the record books, and the pair of left-handers lashing six sixes and 13 fours while sharing a rollicking second-wicket partnership of 102 runs in 37 minutes off 46 deliveries, it was like taking candy from a baby.
When big boys beat up little boys, however, it is no big thing. The big thing is when a little boy beat up a set of big boys, and on a day when over 10,000 fans witnessed a batting treat during which 15 sixes and 43 fours were struck while 408 runs were scored off 63.2 overs, a day when one record was broken three times and another broken and still standing, the hero was little known John Davison of Canada.
In a fairy-tale performance, Davison cracked 111 runs off 76 deliveries and embarrassed the West Indies bowlers - including Mervyn Dillon, Pedro Collins and Vasbert Drakes.
With the sun shining in all its glory as if in answer to the many, pleading prayers of the West Indies who, following last Tuesday's aborted contest against Bangladesh, could not afford another rain-ruined match, captain Carl Hooper won the toss and sent Canada to bat with the hope of finishing them off early just in case the gods changed their minds later on.
With the match finishing shortly after 3 o'clock, the West Indies did finish off Canada early - not, however, before Davison had exposed the weakness of their bowlers in a brutal attack during which he dashed to 50 runs off 30 deliveries to wipe out the previous World Cup record and then raced to 100 in a new World Cup record of 67 deliveries.
In an amazing performance during which he hit six sixes and eight fours with clean, old-fashioned strokes, the 32-year-old true Canadian who, as a youngster, represented Victoria and South Australia a few times, treated Dillon - zero for 32 in his first four overs, Collins - zero for 26 in his first four, and Drakes - zero for 29 in his first two - with scant respect as Canada, the team routed by Sri Lanka for 36 in 18.4 overs a few days before, sailed to 37 without loss in 5.3 overs, with four fours and one six, to 50 in 6.5, with six fours and two sixes, to 100 for one in 12.4, nine fours and four sixes, and to 150 for one in 20.1, with 11 fours and seven sixes.
DAVID TAKING ON GOLIATH
It was like David taking on Goliath as he pulled away, in the fourth over, and hit Collins over point for four, pulled away again and smacked the next delivery over extra-cover for six.
In the following over, Davison hit Dillon for three boundaries off the first four deliveries; and in the pacer's next over, he leaned forward and drove through mid-wicket, leaned back and cut the next delivery for six over point.
When Drakes replaced Dillon, Davison hooked for six and for four, in the second over from the man who is supposed to know South African pitches better than any of his colleagues, the Canadian, whose previous best was 31 and who was removed for zero last Wednesday by Sri Lanka's Prabath Nissanka, pulled for four, and after Hooper had taken a minute or so to adjust the field, he hooked for six and moved to 65 with the scoreboard reading 87 without loss off 10.2 overs.
When Dillon returned, Davison chipped and hit high, very high, over long-on to reach his 100.
SCOREBOARD
Canada
I.Maraj c Hooper b Collins 16
J.Davison c Drakes b Hinds 111
D.Chumney c Gayle b Hinds 19
I.Billcliff c Jacobs b Drakes 16
N.Ifill c Jacobs b Drakes 9
J.Harris c Hooper b Drakes 6
N.de Groot run out 11
A.Bagai run out 2
A.Codrington c Jacobs b Drakes 0
B.Seebaran lbw b Drakes 0
D.Joseph not out 0
Extras (lb-3, w-3, nb-6) 12
Total (all out, 42.5 overs) 202
Fall of wickets: 1-96, 2-155, 3-156, 4-174, 5-185, 6-190, 7-197, 8-202, 9-202
Bowling: Dillon 5-0-41-0, Collins 7-1-35-1, Drakes 9.5-1-44-5, Hooper 8-1-31-0, Gayle 9-1-29-0, Hinds 4-0-19-2
West Indies
C.Gayle c Bagai b Joseph 8
W.Hinds st Bagai b Davison 64
B.Lara b de Groot 73
R.Sarwan not out 42
C.Hooper not out 5
Extras lb-5 w-8 nb-1 14
Total (for three wickets, 20.3 overs) 206
Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-134, 3-177
Did not bat: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Pedro Collins.
Bowling: Joseph 4-0-47-1, Codrington 4-0-25-0, ifill 4-0-46-0, Seebaran 1-0-26-0, Davison 5-0-36-1, de Groot 2.3-0-21-1
Result: West Indies won by seven wickets
