da premier bet： They are the stars of the West Indies batting line-up, and for 116 runs onSaturday they looked just that
da dobrowin： Marcus Prior31-Mar-2001They are the stars of the West Indies batting line-up, and for 116 runs onSaturday they looked just that. Brian Lara and captain Carl Hooper’s fifthwicket stand brought a full house at the Kensington Oval to its feet andhelped the home side to within three runs of saving the follow-on in thethird test against South Africa.At stumps the West Indies had reached 252-5in their first innings, still trailing by 202, withHooperstill there on 74 and Ridley Jacobs 14 not out.Lara (83) and Hooper’s partnership was frequently spectacular, alwaysabsorbing and absolutely crucial to the West Indies cause as they cametogether on the fall of Ramnaresh Sarwan with the score 102-4. Lara mixedextended spells of patience with periods when he was obviously looking toget after the bowling.The only chance he offered was on 21 when an edge off Shaun Pollock was’caught’ by Mark Boucher behind the stumps, but after Darryl Hair had calledfor the third umpire Halley More’s help, television pictures appeared toshow the ball touching the ground as it went into the ‘keeper’s gloves.While Lara attacked at one end, Hooper was the more conservative untilsuddenly coming to life. Three fours pulled to the mid-wicket fence off oneover from Makhaya Ntini took him within sight of his fourth half-century inthe series, which he duly reached after 17 balls on 49.It was the pull shot that proved the end of Lara, Kallis getting one toclimb quickly and Lara, rather like Marlon Samuels before him, mis-timed theshot to see the ball loop to Nicky Boje at wide mid-on. Lara looking so goodwas gone for 83, made off 186 balls in four and three-quarter hours andincluding 13 boundaries.His departure made little if any impact on Hooper’s fluency, the captainlooking once again in imperious form as he struck eleven boundaries from the143 balls he faced.Earlier, Sarwan spoiled a technically perfect and patient start with aloose drive at Ntini, the ball flying straight to Herschelle Gibbs atbackward point. Sarwan struck three fine boundaries in his 16, made off 66balls, but will be hugely disappointed with the manner of his dismissal.The West Indians got off to a steady start in the morning, Wavell Hindsblocking Allan Donald away at one end while Gayle attacked at the other.Gayle scored three centuries in the domestic Busta Cup this year and lookedin supreme touch, one back-foot drive off a near perfect delivery from SouthAfrican captain Shaun Pollock rocketing to the mid-off fence.As Gayle hit out, Hinds dug in to see off Donald. It took only two ballsfrom Kallis to undo him, though, as one angled across the left-hander took afaint edge through to Mark Boucher. Hinds gone for just two made off 46balls.Ntini struck next, a very quick delivery forcing a grope from Gayleoutside the off stump and a much thicker edge which flew to Daryll Cullinanat first slip. Gayle made 40 off 70 balls and struck eight thunderousboundaries.Marlon Samuels fell to a sucker punch thrown by Kallis and taken on aglass chin. After a slower bouncer had been hooked to the square-legboundary to raucous applause, Kallis followed up with a quicker one twoballs later, Samuelstried the same shot, but this time it took the splice and looped to NeilMcKenzie at mid-on.
