Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARYTO THOSE who believe that sport is all about winning, any victory is a victory and an ugly win is better than a pretty loss.
To those who really love sport, however, to those who enjoy quality performances, there are victories and there are victories. To them, some victories are worth enjoying more than others, and the West Indies victory over South Africa on Saturday and Sunday in the ICC Champions Trophy was one of those.
Following their victory over Bangladesh, that victory sent the West Indies into the semi-finals, and that was wonderful particularly coming after the disappointing performance against England in the recent Test series and especially as not many West Indians, despite believing that it was possible and hoping that it would happen, believed that it would have happened.
What was really wonderful about the performance, however, was the fact that the West Indies played well and at times
brilliantly.
For so long a team that would bat well and then not bowl well or field well, a team that would bowl well, field well and then not bat well, or a team that would start batting well and then
collapse, the West Indies bowled well, fielded well, and then batted like champions in a performance during which they fought like tigers from beginning to end.
WELL ON TOP
At 100 without loss in the 21st over, South Africa were well on top. To their credit, however, the West Indies kept fighting, and with all-rounder Ryan Hinds and Ian Bradshaw leading the way one with his left-arm spin and one with left-arm seamers, with Ryan Hinds inspiring the others with some fine stops, they stifled South Africa with some tight bowling and brilliant fielding.
Even then, to get 247 to win on a below par Oval pitch was not an easy task, and after losing openers Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds at 33 for two, it became even more difficult.
Thanks to Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnar-ine Chanderpaul respectively who demonstrated their class while scoring 49, 75 and 51 not out, however, the West Indies stormed to victory with Ricardo Powell smashing two magnificent sixes towards the end.
With 29 runs to get off 22 deliveries, it was still touch and go. It was then, however, that Powell, in an over that netted 19 runs, hit pacer Sean Pollock for consecutive sixes, and although he deserved a good talking to for charging pacer Makhaya Ntini and losing his wicket with 10 runs to get off some 18 deliveries, he was the man who drove the final nail in South Africa's coffin.
THIRD-WICKET PARTNERSHIP
Apart from the bowlers and the fielders, however, the victory was set up by Lara and Sarwan who steadied things with a solid third-wicket partnership of 98, and by Sarwan and Chanderpaul who carried the West Indies to the point where all that was needed was a couple of huge blows.
As well as Lara and Sarwan batted, what made the victory so impressive was the quality batting of Chanderpaul on that Oval pitch. He was technically superb, and a chip and drive to the long-off boundary against left-arm spinner Nicky Boje was the stroke of a master.
It is now onto tomorrow and Pakistan and the West Indians are bubbling with confidence.
Such, however, is limited-overs cricket that one never knows what will happen. It only takes one or two mistakes to make the difference for the one on the way to victory to suddenly be the one on the way to defeat, or for the one who is one the way to defeat to suddenly be the one on the way to victory.
The West Indies, however, could not have asked for a better set of opponents. This is a good semi-final match-up for them, and if they play with the same heart, with the same passion as they did on Saturday and Sunday, they could, especially if they bat second, win the match and really make West Indians happy.
