da imperador bet： South Africa drew maximum reward from a hard weekend of cricket as they beatthe West Indies by eight wickets in the fourth one-day international atQueen’s Park stadium on Sunday and took a healthy 3-1 lead in the seven-match series
da fazobetai： Marcus Prior06-May-2001South Africa drew maximum reward from a hard weekend of cricket as they beatthe West Indies by eight wickets in the fourth one-day international atQueen’s Park stadium on Sunday and took a healthy 3-1 lead in the seven-match series.It is perhaps the emphatic manner of South Africa’s two wins in Grenadawhich will haunt the West Indies most – after taking a 1-0 lead in theseries in Jamaica, they again appear punch-drunk and demoralised.As defeat loomed, one fan with a loud-hailer broke into song. “Oh dear,what can the matter be?” he lamented over and over again. “There’s somethingwrong with my cricket team.”The mood was not enhanced by the extraordinary events before a ball wasbowled, captain Carl Hooper arriving an astonishing 17 minutes late for thetoss and then appearing to forget the names of the players coming into hisside for Sunday’s game when interviewed for television.As it was, South Africa chased a modest victory target of 201 withlittle trouble, the winning run hit coming with three overs and five balls tospare.Gary Kirsten struck his second consecutive half-century after a leanspell, and just to underline the strength in depth of the tourists’ squad,Boeta Dippenaar contributed an unbeaten 62 in his first innings in fullcolours after over two months on tour.Kirsten fell to Hooper for 72 off 104 balls, a moment’s indecisionproducing a checked drive and a scoop to Ricardo Powell at mid-off. WithSouth Africa’s specialist finisher Jonty Rhodes (30 not out) coming to thewicket, the game was as good as over.Earlier, the West Indies batting effort was undermined by a poor start,an inability to accelerate in the middle overs and a tail lengthened by theexclusion of Wavell Hinds, replaced by Nixon McLean.Although 20-year-old Marlon Samuels (65 0ff 71 balls) again looked aclass act with his fourth one-day half-century, only while he and Hooper (46off 78) shared a partnership of 67 for the fifth wicket did the SouthAfrican bowlers come under sustained pressure.Brian Lara provided another fleeting reminder of his class with 25 highquality runs, including consecutive fours off the first three deliveriesbowled by Allan Donald. Typically, though, Donald found his rhythm and gothis man, Lara charging down the track and checking an attacking stroke, onlyto edge to Mark Boucher.Donald went on to finish with 4-38 from his ten overs and while JustinKemp took three wickets, the most impressive bowling came from theniggardly Pollock (1-16 from ten) and Makhaya Ntini (2-26 from ten).Pollock accounted for Samuels, trapping the youngster leg-before with alow full toss, by which time it was clear the West Indies would have toproduce their best bowling and fielding performance of the summer if theywere to defend their modest total. On a beautiful batting track, it was apoor effort.
