da marjack bet： It was wonderful while it lasted, but it probably was too much too late, or too little too late,whichever way one wants to take it
Colin Croft11-Apr-2001It was wonderful while it lasted, but it probably was too much too late, or too little too late,whichever way one wants to take it. To be very honest, no team that makes 140 in any innings of aTest match deserves to even have a chance to win a Test match, yet the West Indies did have thatchance, albeit a slim chance, while Brian Lara was at the crease.At least Lara showed that he still has the goods to produce, especially under duress and severeexternal stimuli. While he played well, he still needs, as he suggested, "to be as consistent asplayers like Steve Waugh and Sachin Tendeulkar." For the sake of West Indies cricket, I hope thatconsistency starts now. The youth of the West Indies team need some positive batting example.Lara batted like a man possessed for his 91, and while, in the end, it was futile, it was wonderfulto watch, enjoy and even think "If only …" His innings included eight fours and four sixes, and evena chance too, badly dropped by Makhaya Ntini at square leg, a catch which would have given Nicky Bojehis fifth wicket. Ntini would have been overjoyed when Lara was eventually out.However, Lara would find little solace in the fact that South Africa won by "only" 82 runs. WhileLara did all in his power, and was ninth out, the rest of the West Indies batting, especially themiddle order, should look at themselves in the mirror, and hopefully, they would not like what theysee there. In a few words, as Carl Hooper suggested, "We batted badly." At least Hooper is startingto learn a bit too. He is now using tremendous understatements.The final day was truly South Africa’s captain Shaun Pollock’s, and no-one would argue that he was not the eventual man of the match as he took the morning session for his team.The hosts meandered from 101-4 overnight to 155-7 as Ramnaresh Sarwan, after looking better andbetter with every delivery he faced, again lost his concentration at the wrong time, nibbled at aleg-cutter, and that was that – out for 26.Ridley Jacobs, looking rather tired of the entire proceedings, drove at Pollock’s slower ball toexit for no score.Neil McGarrell probably found out that making 20s and 30s in first class cricket equates to maybe30 percent of that at Test level, his 6 being just about par for the course.Boje got his fourth wicket, that of Merv Dillon, caught at slip off the glove by DaryllCullinan, but it was left to Jacques Kallis, with the second new ball, to complete the demolition afterLara’s heroics, and including Lara’s wicket.Pollock may have been somewhat worried at Lara’s onslaught, but he would also have realized that themiddle was already gone, so the tail would seldom stand in those circumstances. It was just amatter of time.Strangely, the pitch did not play as badly on the last day as expected, but Boje still finished with4-118 from 45 marathon overs, while Pollock had 3-41 and Kallis 2-23.South Africa, by winning this game, and taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead with onlyone Test left, thus becomes only the second team to beat the West Indies at home since 1973, afterAustralia in 1995.Maybe two quotes here from former Test captains might be apt."There is nothing else we can do," says (Sir) Vivian Richards, the only West Indies captain never tohave lost a series when in the position of captain. "We simply have to have a better attitude, abetter approach, if we are going to play with the big boys."Jimmy Adams, who was replaced by Carl Hooper, on the other hand, at least was tremendously honestwith himself when he suggested, "Many think that losing so much on tours is as bad as it can get.That is not entirely true. We can also start losing at home." That has started.How the West Indies retaliate in Jamaica in a week’s time could be interesting. They panicked badlyin Barbados and in Antigua & Barbuda. Now, somehow, they have to regroup.In the meantime, South Africa deserves all of the kudos, since they certainly played the bettercricket over the last five days and over the last four Tests.