First Test, day four, Port of Spain:
S Africa 352 & 206-4d beat West Indies 102 & 293 by 163 runs
Match scorecard
 Fast bowler Dale Steyn finished with eight wickets in the match |
South Africa wrapped up the first Test against West Indies late on the fourth day with a 163-run win in Trinidad. The tourists declared on 206-4 after 18.3 overs of batting in the morning, Graeme Smith missing an attempted sweep on 90 to be bowled by Sulieman Benn. That left the Windies needing 457 to win, a small matter of 355 more than they had managed in the first innings. Two wickets down at lunch, and 139-4 at tea, West Indies were bowled out for 293 with nine minutes left in the day. South Africa captain Graeme Smith claimed the extra half hour with last-wicket pair Ravi Rampaul and Nelon Pascal at the crease. And after some bold blows, and near misses, the final wicket came when Pascal aimed a flamboyant pull against Dale Steyn (3-65), only to chop the ball onto his stumps.  | 606: DEBATE |
Despite the big margin of victory, it had been a tough day's work for South Africa's bowlers who had to work much harder for their wickets than they had on Saturday. Though Travis Dowlin and Brendan Nash fell inside the first seven overs, old hands Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul proved harder to dislodge. Finally, Chanderpaul edged Jacques Kallis low to second slip and Gayle was trapped lbw by Morne Morkel as he missed an attempted drive, falling for 73. After tea, wickets began to fall more quickly until Benn (42) and debutant Shane Shillingford (27) added an enterprising 66 for the eighth wicket. But when Alviro Petersen was given an exploratory over, he struck immediately, trapping Benn lbw. Paul Harris then ended Shillingford's stay, leaving Steyn (8-94 in the match) to supply the coup de grace. "Our bowlers were running on fumes there at the end, and it was not made any easier for us with them struggling with the run-ups from one end. "The pitch was not conducive to really exciting Test match cricket. It was about a long, hard graft, and we did that well, and we have won in three and a half days, so I am happy," Smith said afterwards. "It's stating the obvious that our batting was again the main problem, and getting 102 in the first innings always put us on the back foot," home skipper Gayle commented. "I thought we started the Test fairly well on the first day, but we allowed things to slip away on the second day, and things gradually got better for South Africa."
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