Antigua Test yields Record centuries
ST JOHN'S, Antigua, May 3 (Reuters) Centuries by Shivnarine
Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo helped break a world record on an otherwise
dull fifth day of the drawn fourth and final test between South Africa
and the West Indies on Tuesday.
Chanderpaul scored 127 and Bravo made 107 to bring the number of
centuries in the match to eight, the most ever scored in a single test.
Four were contributed by South Africa, led by 147 from Jacques Kallis,
and four by the West Indies, topped by Chris Gayle's epic 317.
South Africa were 127 for one in their second innings when the match
was abandoned as a draw. Graeme Smith was 50 not out with Boeta
Dippenaar on 56.
The West Indies had scored 747 in reply to South Africa's first
innings of 588 for six declared.
It was the West Indies' biggest total against South Africa, easily
surpassing the 543 for five declared they scored in the first test of
the current series in Georgetown, and their third highest ever.
A total of 53 centuries have now been scored in the 20 test matches
played at the Antigua Recreation Ground. The West Indies resumed on 565
for five and gathered runs easily against a South African team secure in
the knowledge that they had won the series.
The visitors had clinched the series 2-0 when they won the third test
by an innings and 86 runs in Bridgetown. Shaun Pollock ended
Chanderpaul's innings when he chased down the left-hander's drive to
deep midwicket off occasional medium pacer AB de Villiers and threw down
the stumps at the bowler's end.
Chanderpaul, who scored his 13th century, faced 287 balls and hit 13
fours.
Nine balls later occasional off-spinner Smith trapped Courtney Browne
in front without scoring. Bravo's chances of reaching his century seemed
slim when De Villiers had Tino Best caught by Herschelle Gibbs at
midwicket for five to make it 712 for nine.
But Dwight Washington stood firm and Bravo cracked De Villiers
through third man for four to reach his ton. De Villiers took over the
wicketkeeping gloves from Mark Boucher after tea and Boucher ended the
innings when he came on to bowl and had a driving Bravo caught by
Ashwell Prince at mid-on. Bravo faced 235 balls and hit 13 fours.
All 11 South Africans bowled in the innings and Boucher, Gibbs and
Dippenaar bowled for the first time in a test.
Smith took over the slow bowling duties from left-arm spinner Nicky
Boje who was advised by a cardiologist not to play after suffering
irregular breathing on Monday. He is returning home and will miss the
one-day series starting on Saturday.
South Africa lost the first wicket in their second innings to the
fourth ball of the first over, which De Villiers drove to be caught a
mid-on by Washington off Best for 12. |