West Indies lose ... again

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Chris Gayle led an improved West Indies batting performance that failed to spare his side from a 163-run defeat inside four days at the hands of South Africa in the first Test yesterday at Queen's Park Oval.

The West Indies captain struck nine fours and one six in the top score of 73 from 106 balls in just over 2 ¹/² hours, Dwayne Bravo made 49, and Sulieman Benn got 42.

However, the West Indies, chasing 457 for victory, were bowled out for 293 in their second innings about nine minutes before the rescheduled close on the fourth day.

Nelon Pascal was bowled, when he dragged a delivery from Dale Steyn onto his stumps to signal the end, after South Africa claimed an additional half-hour to ensure they won't have to return today.

Under pressure

The defeat meant that West Indies now trail 0-1 in the three-Test series, with the second Test starting on Friday at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts.

West Indies were always under pressure, after South Africa had declared their second innings about an hour and 20 minutes before lunch on 206 for four, with their captain Graeme Smith leading the way with 90.

The hosts suffered an early setback, when Travis Dowlin was adjudged lbw to Morne Morkel's first delivery for one in the second over of the innings, after submitting a challenge to TV umpire Simon Taufel.

The hosts were further rocked, when left-hander Brendan Nash was caught behind for 13 off Steyn edging a flat-footed drive to leave West Indies 39 for two.

West Indies hopes of saving the Test then took a nosedive before tea, when Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Gayle were dismissed.

Accomplished batsmen

Chanderpaul and Gayle are the two most accomplished batsmen in the West Indies line-up, and were making a fight of it, when they added 55 for the third wicket either side of the interval.

But Chanderpaul was caught at second slip off Jacques Kallis for 15 to leave West Indies on 94 for three.

Gayle had reached 50 from 62 balls, when he whipped Lonwabo Tsotsobe through square leg for his fifth four, but he was undone, when Morkel trapped him lbw, and West Indies subsided to 114 for four.

West Indies were fortunate twice in the last half-hour before tea, when Taufel gave reprieves to Narsingh Deonarine and Bravo.

Deonarine survived a lbw shout to Morkel for a ball clearly heading down the leg-side, but Bravo seemed to gain Taufel's sympathy.

Moving down the pitch to left-arm spinner Paul Harris, the West Indies vice-captain appeared to be caught at forward short leg off a thin edge that ricocheted off the pad, when he played a defensive stab at a well-flighted delivery.

To the chagrin of the South Africans, and the bowler in particular, Taufel was not convinced after viewing several video replays.

Deonarine and Bravo carried West Indies to 139 for four at tea, but they were carried away in a wave that sent the home team sliding to 194 for seven.

West Indies earned some respectability, when Shane Shillingford joined Benn, and put on 66 for the eighth wicket to extend things into the final hour.

Earlier, Benn was the most successful West Indies bowler in the South African second innings with three wickets for 74 runs from 25 overs, including the scalp of Smith, bowled behind his leg sweeping, after striking seven fours from 172 balls in just over 3 ¹/² hours.

Benn had removed Kallis lbw for his overnight score of 40, following the batsman's challenge of the decision to the TV umpire.

SOUTH AFRICA 1st Innings 352

(M. Boucher 69; S. Benn 5-120)

WEST INDIES 1st Innings

(D. Steyn 5-29)

SOUTH AFRICA 2nd Innings

(overnight 155 for two)

G. Smith b Benn 90

A. Petersen lbw b Benn 22

H. Amla c Deonarine b Shillingford 5

J. Kallis lbw b Benn 40

A.B. deVilliers not out 20

A. Prince not out 16

Extras: (b6, lb2, nb5) 13

TOTAL: (4 wkts decl'd, 62 overs) 206

Fall of wickets: 1-56 (Petersen), 2-79 (Amla), 3-157 (Kallis), 4-178 (Smith)

Bowling: Rampaul 6-2-21-0 (nb1); Pascal 6-1-27-0 (nb4); Benn 25-3-74-3; Shillingford 21-1-67-1; D.J. Bravo 4-1-9-0

WEST INDIES 2nd Innings (target: 457 runs)

C. Gayle lbw b Morkel 73

T. Dowlin lbw b Morkel 1

B. Nash c wkpr Boucher b Steyn 13

S. Chanderpaul c de Villiers b Kallis 15

N. Deonarine lbw b Steyn 23

D.J. Bravo c Prince b Harris 49

+D. Ramdin c de Villiers b Tsotsobe 9

S. Shillingford c Petersen b Harris 27

S. Benn lbw b Petersen 42

R. Rampaul not out 18

N. Pascal b Steyn 10

Extras: (b11, lb2) 13

TOTAL: (all out, 80.3 overs) 293

Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Dowlin), 2-39 (Nash), 3-94 (Chanderpaul), 4-114 (Gayle), 5-152 (Deonarine), 6-192 (Bravo), 7-194 (+Ramdin), 8-260 (Benn), 9-264 (Shillingford)

Bowling: Steyn 15.3-1-65-3; Morkel 12-3-49-2; Tsotsobe 13-5-20-1; Harris 25.3-3-91-2; Kallis 11-3-49-1;Smith 0.3-0-4-0; Petersen 2-1-2-1

Result: South Africa won by 163 runs

Series: South Africa lead three-match series 1-0

Man-of-the-Match: Dale Steyn (South Africa)

Umpires: Asad Rauf, S. Davis

TV umpire: S. Taufel

Match referee: R. Mahanama

Reserve umpire: N. Malcolm