da casino： Daryll Cullinan’s 13th Test century highlighted an outstanding day’sentertainment at the start of the second Test between the West Indies andSouth Africa at the Queen’s park Oval in Port of Spain on Saturday as thetourists scored 286 all out after
MWP17-Mar-2001Daryll Cullinan’s 13th Test century highlighted an outstanding day’sentertainment at the start of the second Test between the West Indies andSouth Africa at the Queen’s park Oval in Port of Spain on Saturday as thetourists scored 286 all out after winning the toss and choosing to batfirst.The home side finished at two without loss after a single over, bowledby Allan Donald, contained a couple of embarrassing wides. Chris Gayle andWavell Hinds have yet to score.For the second Test in succession South Africa failed to build asubstantial score after laying a solid platform, this time reaching 161-2before a flurry of attacking shots and another clever fightback from thehome side witnessed a disappointing slide towards the end of the day.Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs battled through the entire morningsession in conditions that suited the fast bowlers but owed their survivalto some fortune as both played and missed on atleast 10 occasions each withCourtney Walsh, in particular, beating the edge and sporadically generatingpace reminiscent of his prime.Gibbs drove handsomely at anything that was pitched up to him whileKirsten’s brilliant rotation of the strike kept the scoreboard moving andoffered both openers some respite from a pitch with an even, green coveringof grass that had nontheless been cut extremely short.The morning session yielded just 61 runs but South Africa’s sense ofachievement was shortlived as both openers were dismissed withing three oversafter lunch.Kirsten (23) uncharacteristically wafted at a short, wide ball fromNixon McLean to give Carl Hooper a simple catch at second slip and thenGibbs was undone by some additional bounce from Walsh that saw the balldeflect from his gloves onto off stump.The third wicket stand of 99 between Cullinan and Jacques Kallis (53)was the highlight of an outstanding day, beginning as it did with both menscoreless and coming from just 22 overs.Kallis, known for his cautious beginnings, batted with remarkablefreedom, twice lofting Dinanath Ramnarine over the long off ropes for six inthe same over before cutting and driving the pace bowlers like a man at thebusiness end of a one day international.Cullinan was even more fierce against Ramnarine, repeatedlyslog-sweeping him over midwicket and rarely failing to accept the invitationto hook when the faster bowlers picthed short.Hooper is shaping up already as a captain with a golden touch and heturned to part-time medium pacer Wavell Hinds, who had never bowled a ballin Test cricket before, to stem the flow. His third delivery earned him awicket when Kallis drove powerfully back to the bowler and Hinds picked up astunning, ankle-high return catch. Third umpire Clyde Cumberbatch wasrequired to ratify the decision but there was no doubt.Neil McKenzie (9) continued his poor form on tour by guiding a wide,away-swinging slower ball from Walsh into the safe hands of Chris Gayle atsecond slip and Mark Boucher (16) provided Hinds with an unlikely secondTest wicket by whipping a gentle, medium paced delivery straight to Hooperat short mid wicket.Lance Klusener (15) launched his first ball, also from Hinds, to theextra cover boundary but Ramanarine unhinged him with a classic googly thattickled the outside edge on its way through to Jacobs.Nicky Boje (3) inexplicably slogged across the line after just sevenballs and top edged high into the sky and Cullinan’s new national record of13 centuries came to a tired end when another attempted slog sweep acrossthe line resulted in another top edge.His 103 came from just 155 balls in three hours and 36 minutes andcontained 14 boundaries. Makhaya Ntini once again provided a brief spell oflight entertainment before quickly falling to another slog leaving SAcaptain Shaun Pollock stranded with an unbeaten 15 from 12 balls.