SA in West Indies
AB tears into Windies bowling
2010-06-19 21:11
Saint Kitts and Nevis - AB de Villiers continued to tear into the West Indian bowling as he led South Africa to 516 for six at tea on the second day of the second Test at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts, on Saturday.
De Villiers was on 124 not out, a thrilling 157-ball innings which
included 13 fours showcasing his ability to find the gaps, and five
sixes proving his sweet timing.
The 26-year-old came out for the second session on 49 not out
and needed just 46 balls to go from 53 to his century, which he reached
in style by hitting left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn through midwicket
and then coming down the pitch to the next ball and clearing long-on
for six. Not even an unscheduled toilet break immediately afterwards
could derail him and he continued in firm control through to the
interval.
The inspirational Kallis duly completed his 35th Test century
in the fourth over after lunch but fell for 110 in frustrating fashion
as he top-edged off-spinner Shane Shillingford to deep backward
square-leg, where Ravi Rampaul judged the swirling catch well in the
wind.
The wickets of Ashwell Prince, who hit the sweetest of straight
sixes off Shillingford before pulling Benn to short mid-on, and Mark
Boucher, run out for 17 by Brendan Nash's excellent direct hit from
short fine-leg, barely mattered such was the dominance of De Villiers.
The Titans star's five sixes took the innings tally to 13, a
South African record and just four off the world record of 17 by
Australia against Zimbabwe in Perth in 2003 when Matthew Hayden made
the then highest test score of 380. But the Warner Park ground is one
of the smallest on the international circuit, none of the boundaries
being more than 70 metres away.
Dale Steyn, on four, is the not out batsman with De Villiers,
with the declaration imminent, depending on the unsettled Caribbean
weather.
Earlier Jacques Kallis capped a wonderful innings with a memorable
landmark as he steered South Africa to a commanding 398 for three at
lunch on the second day of the second test against the West Indies on
Saturday.
Kallis oozed sheer class as he went into the break on 99 not
out, becoming just the sixth batsman to score 11 000 Test runs, and AB
de Villiers is on 49 not out, with a feast of runs surely awaiting the
visitors in the afternoon.
But Kallis and De Villiers had to get through some threatening
West Indian bowling with the second new ball, especially by the
dangerous Kemar Roach.
Roach gave Kallis a working over with the hard new ball,
hitting him on the helmet as he had done on the first day too. But
Kallis weathered the storm and then brought out the hook shot, drawing
Roach's venom and re-establishing firm control by the break.
While Kallis was splurging himself, stroking 10 fours and a six
off 203 balls, De Villiers was content just to have small sips of
glory, before seizing the initiative towards the end of the session by
coming down the pitch to off-spinner Shane Shillingford and hitting him
for a six and a four.
The marvellous ability of Kallis is that he never bends to
whatever pressure the bowling side are heaping on him and he was happy
to bide his time before striking out when the opportunity presented
itself.
De Villiers was content to be his able lieutenant, although he
displayed nimble footwork in a composed innings during which he has
gone past 4000 test runs, the seventh South African to do so.
Teams
West Indies - Chris Gayle (capt), Travis Dowlin,
Brendan Nash, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Dwayne Bravo,
Denesh Ramdin (wk), Shane Shillingford, Sulieman Benn, Kemar Roach,
Ravi Rampaul.
South Africa - Graeme Smith (capt), Alviro Petersen,
Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark
Boucher (wk), Dale Steyn, Paul Harris, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.