Gallant WI fall short

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua (AP): All-rounder Darren Sammy hit 58 not out off 24 balls yesterday, but South Africa held off a late West Indies surge to score a 17-run victory in the second one-day cricket international at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

Sammy blasted six sixes and two fours to belatedly energise the hosts' pursuit of South Africa's formidable total of 300-5 off 50 overs.

But West Indies eventually fell short at 283 all out off 48.1 overs.

Dwayne Bravo topscored for the West Indies with 74 off 70 deliveries before Sammy's assault. Opener Dale Richards struck 51 off 85 balls.

Pacer Morne Morkel led the visitors with 3-58.

South Africa's total had been built around Hashim Amla's 92 off 95 balls. Jacques Kallis, in his 300th one-dayer, contributed a solid 85 off 89 deliveries. A.B. de Villiers (41) and captain Graeme Smith (37) also supported well.

Kieron Pollard, with 2-39, was the best of the West Indian bowlers.

The West Indies chase failed to gather momentum early on despite captain Chris Gayle (26) sharing a 40-run opening stand with Richards.

Gayle, who hit three fours and a six, eventually slapped a drive straight to extra cover off Morkel.

The experienced Ramnaresh Sarwan retired hurt soon afterwards to further stall the hosts.

The dismissal of Narsingh Deonarine (7) and Richards left the West Indies struggling at 119-3 in the 28th over.

But Bravo and fellow Trinidadian Pollard shared an enterprising fourth-wicket stand of 63 to lift home spirits.

tilt the balance

Morkel returned to tilt the balance to the visitors with the wickets of Pollard and Jerome Taylor in one over.

Pollard holed out to long off where Johan Botha held a fantastic low catch while Taylor lost his off stump.

The runout of Denesh Ramdin further dented the West Indians, who slipped to 200-6 in the 41st over.

Bravo and Sammy restored some hope in a stand of 36 off 20 balls.

But when Bravo departed, slapping Dale Steyn straight to deep cover, the result seemed a foregone conclusion.

Sarwan's return lasted just one delivery as he edged Botha to the wicketkeeper at 236-8 and leave Sammy with just Ravi Rampaul and Nikita Miller for company.

But Sammy had other ideas during a brutal assault that rattled the South Africans.

With 78 runs needed from 42 balls, he blasted pace ace Steyn for 

two sixes and continued his remarkable hitting against Johan Botha and Morkel.

He arrived at his fifty off 20 balls, the fastest ever by a West Indian, beating Brian Lara's 23-ball effort against Canada at the 2003 World Cup at Centurion.

Sammy, who was dropped on two by Alviro Petersen at backward point off Morkel, ultimately fell just short as both his partners were run out in the frantic final stages.

Earlier, Smith and Amla set the platform for South Africa's formidable total with an opening stand of 89 in 16 overs.

Left-hander Smith, dropped when 29, was eventually bowled behind his back sweeping at left-arm spinner Nikita Miller.

But Amla found another solid ally in Kallis and the pair added a further 79 for the second wicket.

Amla, who hit 102 in the opening match victory at the same venue on Saturday, was closing in on his third one-day ton when he clipped Taylor to midwicket.

But South Africa continued to coast along as Kallis and de Villiers put on 71.

Pollard removed both in the final ten overs and Taylor added the cheap scalp of Alviro Petersen.

De Villiers holed out to long off while Kallis, who struck four fours, miscued into the off side.

SCOREBOARD South Africa Innings

G. Smith b Miller 37 H. Amla c Richards b Taylor 92 J. Kallis c Richards b Pollard 85 A.B. de Villiers c Taylor b Pollard 41 D. Miller not out 26 A. Petersen lbw b Taylor 1 R. McLaren not out 8 Extras: (B1, LB4, W5) 10 Total: (for 5 wickets) 300

Overs:50.

Fall of wickets: 1-89, 2-168, 3-239, 4-276, 5-278.

Did not bat: Johan Botha, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Bowling: Taylor 9-0-50-2, Rampaul 8-0-58-0 (1w), Bravo 10-0-63-0 (1w), Miller 2.5-0-19-1 (1w), Gayle 7.1-0-41-0 (1w), Sammy 5-0-25-0 (1w), Pollard 8-0-39-2.

West Indies innings

C. Gayle c McLaren b Morkel 26 D. Richards b Kallis 51 R. Sarwan c wk de Villiers b Botha 6 N. Deonarine c Miller b Tsotsobe 7 D. Bravo c Kallis b Steyn 74 K. Pollard c Botha b Morkel 29 J. Taylor b Morkel 6 D. Ramdin run out (Miller) 2 D. Sammy not out 58 R. Rampaul run out (McLaren) 5 N. Miller run out (Smith) 0 Extras: (B1, LB6, W12) 19 Total: (all out, 48.1 overs) 283

Overs: 48.1.

Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-77, 3-119, 4-182, 5-189, 6-200, 7-236, 8-236, 9-283, 10-283.

Bowling: Steyn 10-0-59-1 (3w), Tsotsobe 9-1-53-1 (1w), Morkel 9.1-2-58-3 (3w), McLaren 7-1-41-0 (4w), Botha 10-0-58-1, Kallis 3-0-7-1 (1w).

Result: South Africa won by 17 runs.

Toss: South Africa.

Series: South Africa lead five-match series 2-0.

Umpires: Daryl Harper, Australia, and Clyde Duncan, Guyana.