West Indies vs South Africa

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West Indies 145/2 (44.4 ov)
South Africa

West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first

West Indies RR: 3.25


Minimum overs
remaining today: 45.2


Batsmen: R B 4s 6s S/R
CH Gayle (LHB) 66 131 11 0 50.38 Striker
BC Lara (LHB) 9 18 1 0 50.00 Non-striker

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Result: Match Drawn
Series: 5-Test series level 0-0

Toss: West Indies
Umpires: JH Hampshire (Eng) and EA Nicholls
Man of the Match: G Kirsten

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South Africa 286
West Indies 143/4 (48.5 ov)


West Indies trail by 143 runs with 6 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

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South Africa 286 & 41/2 (17.0 ov)
West Indies 342

South Africa trail by 15 runs with 8 wickets remaining

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Courtney Walsh has created history by becoming the first bowler to take 500 Test wickets.

Bowling in the Second Test between West Indies and South Africa in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, Walsh took the wicket of Gary Kirsten, caught behind, to move to 499 victims before trapping Kallis lbw just two balls later to reach 500.

A Test career that began against Australia back in 1984-85 in Perth, has seen the Jamaican achieve success all around the world, playing his 100th Test, against England in Georgetown, Guyana in February 1998.

Such sustained success is testament to extraordinary levels of fitness, skill and determination. Always reliable, and often inspired he has taken wickets against all opposition, on all surfaces. Capable of pace and hostility, he has, in recent years concentrated on consistency and seam movement to trouble batsman, even adding a wonderfully deceptive slower-ball to his armoury in his mid-30s.

His career has encompassed plenty of 'highs' in West Indian cricket, and a few 'lows' as he has seen his team dominate in the 80s and 90s before enduring harder times recently.

Walsh's bowling has remained a constant, however. Originally content to provide excellent support to the likes of Garner, Marshall and Holding, he has become an increasingly important member of the West Indies side, eventually taking the new ball and forming a great partnership with Curtley Ambrose.

Happy to bear a heavy work-load both for the West Indies, and in domestic cricket for Jamaica and Gloucestershire (he has also captained all three teams), he has snared nearly 1800 first-class wickets in all.

The achievement can, perhaps, be compared to Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile barrier. Although others may well pass the landmark in future it is far from certain that a seamer will ever do so again.

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West Indies give Walsh 130-run victory in final Test as farewell present


A spectacular collapse by South Africa after lunch, during which Courtney Walsh picked up two further wickets on his final appearance on the Test stage, brought the curtain down on an absorbing fifth Test match and a great career.

When Paul Adams was the last man out for the South Africans, the desire to give Walsh a fitting final adieu after 132 Tests was achieved and the West Indies had won by 130 runs. South Africa may have won the series 2-1, but Walsh's memories of his final Test at his home ground will be forever sweet, his world record wicket tally finishing at a magnificent 519.

South Africa lost six wickets in a little over an hour on the final afternoon, as Walsh, Dinanath Ramnarine and Mervyn Dillon all struck twice.

Ramnarine bagged his two in the first over after lunch, first bowling Jacques Kallis (51) off an inside-edge as the South African looked to pull a ball which kept a touch low and then producing the perfect leg-spinner to Mark Boucher (0) which took the edge and was well taken by Ridley Jaobs behind the stumps.

Dillon made the most of the second new ball, enticing Shaun Pollock (3) to have a go at a wide long-hop which the South African captain sliced to Jacobs.

Walsh then took himself to the brink of retirement and his team to the brink of victory with two wickets in consecutive overs. Justin Kemp completed a miserable Test with the bat as he was trapped plumb in front for a duck to give him a pair in the match and Allan Donald (10) had a wild swipe and saw his middle stump removed from the ground.

As the crowd warmed to the occasion, Adams handed Dillon his third wicket of the innings when he skied an ugly shot to Marlon Samuels at backward point. Game over, and time for Courtney Andrew Walsh to put his feet up. Deservedly so. As they say in this part of the world, "Respect, mon".

Resuming on 140-3 overnight, the South African desire to chase their monumental winning target of 386 was more than evident as Kallis imperiously took charge before lunch. After guiding Walsh to the third man ropes twice in one over, Kallis then turned his attention on the West Indies spinners.

Three times he used his feet the glorious effect, three times playing almost the indentical lofted off-drive for four. Ramanrine suffered twice in the same over, then captain Carl Hooper was on the receiving end.

Kallis moved to his fifty shortly before lunch in a little under two and a half hours, off 125 balls and with five fours. The partnership for the fourth wicket was worth 66 when Neil McKenzie prodded forward to Ramnarine and was well caught at silly point by Leon Garrick. His 55 came in four and a half hours and he struck just one four.




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