Gibbs makes hay while sun shines

DURBAN: Capitalising on much friendlier conditions than on the first day, Herschelle Gibbs plundered his first Test hundred against the West Indies yesterday to put South Africa firmly in control after two days of the second cricket Test at Kingsmead Stadium.

The heavy, overcast skies and light rain of Friday gave way to brilliant sunshine for almost the entire second day and Gibbs made the most of it against a less than threatening attack, blazing a memorable 142 as the hosts raced to 303 for three before the clouds gathered again and play closed 16 overs early. Having eventually dismissed the visitors for 264 in their first innings after an hour’s play, the South Africans are already 39 runs in front with Jacques Kallis (74 not out) and Gary Kirsten (16 not out) looking to work their team into an unassailable position on the third day. Ominously for the West Indies, the weather forecast for Durban today suggests that it could revert to the gloom of the opening day making any lead of over 150 runs potentially a match-winning one.

Encouraged by the resistance that lifted them from the depths of 50 for five, West Indian optimism was left in tatters by Gibbs’ scything blade. Despite losing his captain and opening partner, Graeme Smith, to a perfectly sprung trap just 38 runs into their reply, the 29-year-old from Western Province hardly stuttered in his relentless march towards the hundred that had eluded him three times on the 2001 tour of the Caribbean. Undeterred by the broken nose sustained after a missed pull at Vasbert Drakes during the First Test at Johannesburg, he played the same shot frequently and with even greater savagery as the opposing bowlers struggled to maintain a consistent line and length. Yet his driving was even more impressive, timing the ball sweetly and dispatching anything even remotely off-line with stunning power and precise placement. Not even Brian Lara’s deploying of a more defensive field could stem the flow of runs off his bat.

A fierce pull for four — his 16th boundary — took him to his 11th Test hundred overall in 199 minutes, after which he stepped into overdrive, belting seven more fours before dragging a short ball from Adam Sanford onto his off stump in a miscued attempt to send another delivery rocketing to the square-leg boundary. His demise ended a 168-run, third-wicket partnership with Kallis, who played the supporting role to perfection, quietly and efficiently accumulating his runs amid Gibbs’ spectacular assault. It was Sanford’s second wicket of the innings after he earlier removed Jacques Rudolph, who could not make up his mind whether to cut or leave alone a short delivery outside the off-stump and instead offered a simple catch to Daren Ganga at gully.

The left-hander’s innings of 36 was actually the larger contribution in a 61-run partnership with Gibbs after Smith sliced an expansive off-drive at Fidel Edwards and Ramnaresh Sarwan did not have to move an inch in taking the catch at deep backward point. The precise execution of that plan, a manner of dismissal that Lara would have been all too familiar with, was one of the few bright spots for the West Indies in the field as all the recognised bowlers struggled for consistency, only managing to exercise a measure of control following Gibbs’ departure when Kallis and Kirsten were only concerned with consolidating an already formidable position and ensuring they preserved their wickets before accepting a second offer by the umpires to go off because of fading light.

Drakes was among those who went wicketless, but at least had the satisfaction of registering a maiden Test half-century in the morning, reaching the milestone by hoisting a Makhaya Ntini bouncer 15 metres beyond the backward square-leg boundary. He eventually perished for 67, Andre Nel finally getting the breakthrough for South Africa as wicketkeeper Mark Boucher completed the steepling catch from a miscued pull to leg. His partnership with Sanford produced 70 runs, one short of the West Indies record for the wicket against South Africa, and it was not long after that the innings folded, Ntini completing his second five-wicket haul of the series when Andrew Hall, who had earlier dropped Drakes off the same bowler, snared a more difficult chance at third slip to end Sanford’s highest Test innings at 15. With three days left in this match and even allowing for the further intervention of inclement weather, the West Indies are already up against it and will have to play inspired cricket the rest of the way to avoid going 2-0 down in the four-match series.