Sports

Sports

Amazing turnaround by the Windies
In the space of a week West Indian teams, one youthful and the otherexperienced performed amazing tournaments. The under 19 team on their way to Bangladesh engaged themselves in a 3 match series against the Sri Lankan counterparts. They were beaten comprehensively in the opening game.

Then the turnaround took place. They won the seond and clinched the third in a close encounter. It was very creditable to find their feet so quickly in foreign conditions. Then to come back after a defeat and win twice is even more creditable.

The warning bells have sounded for the Sri Lankans. With the games being played in familiar surroundings in Bangladesh they are a fancied team. They have performed creditably against India and Pakistan. However, losing to the Windies indicates that they will have performed to their best ability if they are to come out on top. They have a balanced outfit making the tour.

The outcome will depend on how well they handle the pressure. It was the senior West Indians who produced the real turnaround. The South Africans had outplayed them in all departments in the test series. The West Indian bowling in particular was so inadequate. It continued in similar fashion in the opening one dayer. They simply crumbled like a pack of cards. Now it was not only the bowling but the batting had also dived to a new low. It was their lowest score ever being dismissed for 54. The previous lowest being 87.

It was the biggest defeat, margin wise to. Two hundred and nine runs being the difference. The previous highest margin of defeat being 138 runs. How could a team crawl out from such a deep hole? That they did and in real style in the fourth and fifth one dayers. The first half of the game proceeded in customary fashion. South Africa amassed 247 for 4 wickets in their alloted 50 overs.

Then came the turning point. A brisk opening stand of 31 runs set the pace Then there was a burst of power hitting from the not so big men in the West Indian line-up. Pencil slim Shivnarane Chandrapaul led the way. He played some classic cricket shots. The 92 runs he scored was studded with brilliant strokes.

Then came the Powell and Sarwan stand. Again, two medium built youngsters. They simply pumelled the Africans. Only Pollock attracted respect with figures of 10-0-42-2. All the other bowlers went for six runs or more per over. As the final lap began skipper Brian Lara joined the fray. He too blasted everything he could to remain on 50 not out. Sarwan stayed with the skipper on 77 and in the end West Indians cantered to 300 runs with 5 overs remaining.

The last game of the series saw the players from the Caribean continue in similar style. This time it was the turn of the big man Chris Gayle to unwind. He thumped 152 unbeaten runs, exactly half the team's score.

On this occasion no South African bowler was respected or spared from being spanked. Gayle was extremely cool under pressure. In the dying overs the score mounted in leaps and bounds. West Indies achieved a winning score of 304.

The mighty Jacques Kallis stood in their way. He has enjoyed a magnificent season with the bat. He guided the home team to victory. Although the game and the series was lost the West Indians came back from the dead in amazing fashion.

Top