West Indies recover after early wickets

Hosts West Indies, in a battle to save the Test series, reached 76 for two against South Africa at lunch on day one of the final Test.

West Indies, 1-0 down in the series, started poorly after new-ball bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel grabbed a wicket each to reduce them to 21 for two.

But Narsingh Deonarine and Shivnarine Chanderpaul ensured that there were no further hiccups as they added 55 for the third wicket though both batsmen scored at snail’s pace.

Dale Richards, 33, who at the start of the match, said he “had nothing to lose” and was therefore under no pressure, faced 10 deliveries before Morkel trapped him lbw for a duck.

The other casualty, captain Chris Gayle, batted briefly in his usual aggressive pace with the help of three boundaries before he dragged a Steyn delivery onto the stumps for the third time this series.  West Indies captain, who scored 20, needs three more to reach 6,000 Test runs and become the ninth player from West Indies to reach the landmark.

But Deonarine and Chand-erpaul – the latter on the back of a superb hundred in the drawn second Test – batted with caution and were happy to leave deliveries as they consolidated. Paul Harris and Johan Botha threatened but not troubled as they varied pace to unsettle the duo.

But by the end of the 29th over, West Indies were sitting pretty at 76 for two.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2010.