Limp West Indies slump again

The West Indies subsided to another limp defeat in the second ODI of their series against South Africa at Kingston’s Sabina Park, Jamaica, as a second top-order collapse in as many games led to a less than taxing run chance for the visitors, despite interruptions for weather and computer failure…

Following the West Indies’ weak efforts at batting first in the previous day’s ODI at Sabina Park, South African skipper Graeme Smith didn’t hesitate to insert his hosts having won the toss before the second game of the five-match series.

It proved to be a decision that paid off early despite a brace of Chris Gayle boundaries, crunched through the offside, before a Makhaya Ntini yorker put paid to the Jamaican left-hander and Shaun Pollock struck twice in partnership with Smith at first slip.

Wavell Hinds was excellently taken low and one-handed before Brian Lara fell without scoring to a far more regulation take. Ramnaresh Sarwan followed as he missed a Charl Langeveldt nip-backer before Justin Kemp’s introduction to the attack precipitated an impressive piece of wicketkeeping from Mark Boucher, standing up to stump Dwayne Bravo as the frustration from Andre Nel’s containment (the analysis of his first spell read 6-2-4-0) affected the West Indian approach.

His namesake Smith followed rapidly afterwards, pushing a ball to Shaun Pollock at extra cover before Courtney Browne allied with his captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul to rally towards a partial recovery. Browne clattered six boundaries in his ODI-best of 46*, and when Chanderpaul fell for a methodical 35, constructed from 96 balls in over two hours, Browne was again able to find support in his ICC Trophy lieutenant Ian Bradshaw to lead the hosts to a total of 152-7, respectable given what had gone before.

Needing early wickets, the West Indies’ meagre victory hopes were sustained by the efforts of Ian Bradshaw – who struck twice in his first three overs to remove Smith – caught by Lara at cover – and Kallis – held by Dwayne Smith at midwicket when the South African barnacle’s shot selection for once let him down.

A combination of meterological inclemency and technological instability then set the day’s play back 74 minutes when a rain shower was followed by an un-backed-up and irreversible systems crash on the official Duckworth/Lewis computer…

Come the rectified error, South Africa’s target was still a less-than-imposing 124 from 33 overs, a difficult ask further compounded by the continiual West Indian tendency to overpitch, an error made all the more acute by Herschelle Gibbs’ footwork and willingness to advance down the pitch, taking both Collymore and Bradshaw for straight sixes as the visitors coasted to an eight-wicket triumph with more than five overs to spare.

The two sides move on to Bridgetown for the third ODI in the five-game series on Wednesday, before next weekend hosts the second double-header of the series at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.

West Indies 152-7
Courtney Browne 46*, Shivnarine Chanderpaul 36
Shaun Pollock 2-28, Charl Langeveldt 2-33

South Africa 124-2
Boeta Dippenaar 60*, Herschelle Gibbs 44*
Ian Bradshaw 2-16

South Africa won by 8 wickets (D/L method)