Pollock leads fightback

ST. JOHN'S (ANTIGUA), APRIL 7. South African captain Shaun Pollock led a fightback by his team after it had been rocked by new West Indian left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell on the first day of the fourth Test at the Antigua recreation ground.

South Africa, sent in to bat, finished on 210 for seven on Friday thanks to an unbeaten eighth wicket stand of 62 between Pollock and Nicky Boje. The pair batted through the last session of the day.

McGarrell, 28, a left-arm spinner from Guyana, had figures of four for 57 as a double West Indian gamble paid a reasonable dividend in its attempt to level a five-match series which South Africa leads 1-0.

With the pitch expected to help spin bowling, West Indies picked two specialist spinners for the first time in 25 years, with McGarrell joining legspinner Dinanath Ramnarine.

That seemed a big enough gamble but with the pitch looking damp and under-prepared West Indian captain Carl Hooper sent South Africa in.

Although there was early life in the pitch, with some steep bounce, it appeared to pose few problems for the batsmen, although the spinners were able to get some turn from a yielding surface. The accurate McGarrell took a wicket in his fifth over, then followed up with three more in five overs during the afternoon.

For South Africa, opener Herschelle Gibbs made an attacking 85 before he was seventh man out, sweeping at Hooper's offspin and being caught off the back of his bat by wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.

Gibbs and Neil McKenzie put on 67 in an impressive fourth wicket stand which threatened to spoil Hooper's gamble but McKenzie's dismissal by McGarrell for 35 started a collapse in which four wickets fell for 28 runs.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Zimbabwe cruises to victory
Next     : Confident India meets UAE