da heads bet： The West Indies have learnt by recent bitter experience not to counttheir chickens before they hatch
Tony Cozier23-Apr-2001The West Indies have learnt by recent bitter experience not to counttheir chickens before they hatch.The way things have been these past few years, they have to be out oftheir shells and chirping loudly before any celebrations can begin.Yet, the fifth and final Test has incubated nicely over the first fourdays and their first victory since last June 13 matches ago is readyfor hatching.All that is needed now to finish it off is the discipline and patiencethat have got the situation to its promising stage.Throughout the West Indies have shown the resilience that has been somarkedly absent from their cricket for so many years and have beenunquestionably the better team.The upshot has been their strongest position since they blew a firstinnings lead of 143 over England at Lord’s with an all-out 54 in theirsecond innings ten months and 14 Tests ago.Mainly through their toughest character, Ridley Jacobs, they recoveredfrom the insecurity of 126 for five in their second innings on thefourth day to total 301.It left South Africa with a colossal task to keep their unbeatensequence of 12 Tests intact and extend their lead in the series to3-0.The challenge was 386 over the last five sessions of the match. NoSouth African team, before or since apartheid, has ever got near thatto win a Test and, even though eight of their 11 have Test hundreds totheir name, it is a distant goal.By the close of the day, extended by an hour because of three rainbreaks, the West Indies had got rid of three of them for 140,including Herschelle Gibbs and Daryll Cullinan, their two leadingscorers in the series with over 400 runs each.South Africa start the last day needing another 246 off the minimumrequirement of 90 overs and the West Indies need another sevenwickets.It is a victory that would not only be an appropriate parting gift forCourtney Walsh in his farewell Test but a stimulating result for WestIndies cricket that has suffered such pain for so long.They made the necessary inroads into the South African innings throughthe same commitment that has marked their game throughout.In a lively, accurate spell before tea, Merv Dillon removed the lefthanded Gary Kirsten, caught off the under edge as he belatedly pulledhis bat out of the path of a lifter over off-stump, delivered fromround the wicket.The West Indies were realistic enough to know not to expect anotherSouth African collapse as in their first innings 141. Gibbs, asadventurous as always, and Neil McKenzie, promoted to No. 3 for thethird time in the series, made them work for an hour and 40 minuteswhile adding 65.Finally, Gibbs’ patience was exhausted as Dinanath Ramnarine andHooper contained him after an after-tea flourish in which he punishedDillon’s looseness that brought 29 runs from four overs.Heaving an ugly sweep at Hooper, Gibbs was bowled, an embarrasing endto a fruitful series for the opener.Cullinan, South Africa’s most prolific batsman with hundreds atQueen’s Park and Kensington already in the series, replaced Gibbs.He played with few problems before Hooper recalled Walsh for a secondspell.The man of the moment had been off the field receiving attention and asoothing injection after a painful blow to the ankle while battingearlier in the day. The Sabina crowd greeted his return with theunderstandable reception and almost brought the house down when histhird ball beat Cullinan coming forward for umpire Steve Bucknor’s lbwdecision.Another three-quarters of an hour remained and McKenzie and JacquesKallis only survived it with a few alarms.Kallis edged Ramnarine a foot short of Chris Gayle at slip. McKenziejust managed to scramble back into his ground before Jacobs broke thestumps after one from Ramnarine that deflected from the pads. McKenzieagain got the benefit of Bucknor’s little doubt on an lbw claim fromWalsh.The West Indies’ position was already strong when the day started on ahumid morning with clouds hovering low over the Blue Mountains. Thelead was already 339 but captain Hooper called for another 30.He got more, even after Ramnarine was dubiously caught at first slipby Cullinan off Shaun Pollock’s third ball of the day.Tossing the ball in the air as he fell backwards and diving forward totry to gather it in again, Cullinan did not seem to have control ofthe ball but umpire Srinivas Ventararaghavan raised his finger all thesame.It made no significant difference. In between a break for one of theday’s three showers, Jacobs and Cameron Cuffy raised a further 32before Jacobs swung his hook off Lance Klusener to deep square-leg.His 85, occupying just over four hours all told, was made while 161were scored, an invaluable contribution from an invaluable player.As Walsh walked to the wicket for the last time in Test cricket, theSouth Africans formed a guard of honour as the Englishmen did at theOval last August and the Australians did at the SCG last January. Itwas another touching tribute to a greatly admired sportsman.Walsh at least avoided adding to his record 43 Test ducks before heskewed a catch to cover. Soon he was back, striving for the result heis desperate to achieve.