Gayle, Sarwan smash S/African bowlers

ST JOHN’S: Chris Gayle hit a blazing morale-boosting century while Ramnaresh Sarwan compiled a watchful hundred as the West Indies pounded the South African bowling on the third day of the fourth and final Digicel Test match at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) yesterday. Gayle, who entered the match in dismal form with scores of 6, 0, 1 and 5 for an aggregate of just 12 runs in four innings, tore apart the bowling with some meaty drives, cuts and pulls, and his unbeaten 184 helped spur the West Indies to 299 for one in reply to South Africa’s first innings total of 588 for six declared.

He found a useful ally in Sarwan, who is undefeated on 103, as they have so far shared in a record stand of 285 for the second wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket by the Windies against South Africa. This after the Windies had suffered an early setback when Wavell Hinds (duck) gave paceman Makhaya Ntini an easy return catch with the first ball of the second over of the innings. Gayle’s century — the 50th at the ARG since its first Test match in 1981 — was his seventh in his 50th Test and it came off 96 balls, a slower rate than his first fifty which came off a mere 34 balls, laced with nine fours and six — a lofted drive over cover off pacer Shaun Pollock.

After batting with gay abandon in the early part of his innings, Gayle settled down after lunch to pace his way to a richly deserved ton. In the first over of the innings, he edged Pollock through a vacant fourth slip for four, before hammering the bowler  over extra cover and slashing him over slips for two more boundaries. But disaster struck in the Windies’ second over when Hinds on-drove a waist-high return catch to Ntini who accepted it one handed to his right. It was then 14 for one. However, this did not thwart Gayle’s penchant to play attacking shots as Sarwan anchored the other end. Gayle straight-drove Ntini for four before lifting Pollock into the RARE party stand on the southern side of the ground, before following up with a trademark, bended knee off-drive off pacer Monde Zondeki. It was the start of some punishment for Zondeki as Gayle, after reaching his 50, sliced him high over cover for a four before cutting the next ball over extra cover for his second six. He went to lunch on 63 with Sarwan on 23 and the score, 90 for one.

Soon after the interval, Gayle dispatched Ntini over midwicket for his third six before Sarwan brought up the Windies’ 100 with an edged four. Sarwan then survived a chance on 29 when he was dropped by Boeta Dippenaar at square-leg, hooking at Ntini with the score 115 for one. Gayle, on 80, also had a lucky escape when he edged Jacques Kallis’ first ball between wicket-keeper Mark Boucher and the first slip fielder, captain Graeme Smith, who got his finger tips to the ball but it went for another boundary. It meant the South Africans had put down two catches in four balls - chances they would later rue. Gayle composed himself to cover-drive Zondeki for four to move to 99 and then took a single off the next ball to complete his ton, celebrating even before the run was completed. His hundred contained 15 fours and three sixes. The score then was 137 for one.  He celebrated by hammering Kallis off the back-foot for four, and two balls later, Gayle’s thick outside edge sped for another boundary.

He brought up the Windies’ 150 by cutting left-arm spinner Nicky Boje for four of which he had contributed 132. At tea, the home side had reached 173 for one, with Gayle on 124 and Sarwan on 43. Gayle stepped out to drive Boje for four before whipping him off his hips to the fence to get to 150 off 149 balls with 22 fours and three sixes. Afterwards, as Gayle slowed, Sarwan took over. He tickled Pollock to the fine-leg boundary to reach 50 — his 22nd in Tests — off 148 balls with five fours. Sarwan accelerated toward his hundred late in the afternoon.

He lifted off-spinner Smith over midwicket and long-off for successive sixes before cutting the same bowler to get to 98. He got a single off occasional slow bowler AB de Villiers to complete his eighth Test century off 221 balls in 311 minutes with 10 fours and two sixes. Earlier, South Africa, who resumed on 525 for four, batted on for another hour and 10 minutes before the declaration came after they lost Kallis for 147 (287 balls, 14 fours, one six) to end a stand of 267 for the fifth wicket with Ashwell Prince who made 131 (245 balls, 13 fours and one six). The 5,000-strong crowd reveled in the Windies’ stroke-play and they will be anticipating more on the fourth day. (CMC)