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Monday, Sep 20, 2004

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West Indies reaches semifinals

LONDON, SEPT. 19. West Indies reached the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy, defeating South Africa by five wickets in the rain-affected Pool `B' decider here at the Oval on Sunday.

Set 247 to win, the West Indies reply was interrupted by rain on Saturday and it resumed on 20 without loss. It passed the target with seven balls to spare and now look forward to the semifinal — against Pakistan or India — on Wednesday.

Ramnaresh Sarwan (75), Brian Lara (49) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (51 not out) were the main contributors to the run chase but it was a 10-ball cameo from Ricardo Powell, which proved the difference between the sides.

Powell, who made 16, came in at 214 for four with four overs left, but turned the contest with two successive sixes off Shaun Pollock full tosses that he planted into the stands over mid-wicket.

Chanderpaul made 51 from 52 balls with six fours and had to enlist the help of a runner for the last five overs when he appeared to be suffering from cramps.

Lara had stressed the importance of keeping wickets in hand overnight night, but openers Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds were soon in the pavilion.

Gayle attempted a pull from the last ball of the first over of the day from Pollock but edged the ball onto his stumps and Hinds, who thrashed Charl Langeveldt for two fours in the next over, was leg before to Pollock's next delivery.

Hat-trick averted

Lara came in at 33 for two and averted the hat-trick by pushing the ball to short mid-wicket and setting off for a run only for Pollock's attempted shy at the stumps to narrowly miss with the batsman well short of his ground.

Lara and Sarwan adopted a studious approach as Lance Klusener bowled an impressively tight spell of none for 32 from ten overs, while Jacques Kallis went for just 14 from four overs.

The West Indians did not hit a boundary for 15 overs until Sarwan inside-edged Klusener to the fence and then broke free by hoisting Nicky Boje for a straight six.

Lara attempted to follow suit and dashed down the pitch to the spinner but was bowled by a ball that turned and hit the off-stump. He made 49 from 85 balls with all of his five fours coming in his first 31 deliveries.

With the West Indian captain gone, the onus fell on Sarwan, who took 78 minutes and 38 balls to get to double figures, and Chanderpaul to increase the scoring rate.

The Guyanese pair did this impressively with the fourth 50 of the West Indian innings coming up in 37 balls. When Sarwan was bowled by Makhaya Ntini with 33 runs still needed for victory, the game was in the balance but Powell's fireworks ensured the West Indies got home.

Composed century

The teams were forced on to the field on Sunday as rain blighted the tournament on Saturday.

South African opener Herschelle Gibbs returned to form to hit a composed century and lead South Africa to 246 for six before rain stopped play for the day.

Gibbs had a torrid time with the bat in last month's tour of Sri Lanka and was in danger of getting the axe but he hit back with 101 from 135 balls, including a six off spinner Gayle to bring up his hundred.

He fell in the same over, however, caught on the long off boundary by Dwayne Bravo and the dismissal heralded a flurry of wickets with the South Africans hitting out to boost the score towards the end.

Captain Graeme Smith earlier struck 45 in a 102-run opening stand with Gibbs before he was bowled by Gayle, who later grabbed his third wicket when Jacques Rudolph (46) missed a sweep.

The West Indies attack was blunted by the loss of injured pace bowler Mervyn Dillon, who took a career-best five for 29 in the victory over Bangladesh last Wednesday. — Agencies

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