South Africa wins second Test

PORT OF SPAIN, MARCH 22. South Africa defeated the West Indies by 69 runs in the second Test at Queen's Park Oval in what South African captain Shaun Pollock described as ``the most intense Test match I have played in.''

Pollock said his team had won because ``we stuck to our disciplines and our game plan.''

Starting the last day needing another 200 runs to win with nine wickets standing, the West Indies quickly lost four wickets for 19 runs to crash to 51 for five.

Such a good start to the day was a bonus, admitted Pollock, but he said his players had shown their worth during a 92-run stand between Ramnaresh Sarwan and West Indian captain Carl Hooper.

``It was a waiting game and a patience game,'' said Pollock. ``We discussed the fact that every now and then partnerships would develop and that when it happened we had to hang in. We knew that when a break came we could go through.''

So effectively did South Africa hang in that Sarwan and Hooper could add only 57 runs during the afternoon session before Sarwan succumbed to the pressure and was caught at square leg trying to hook.

That started another collapse in which the last five wickets fell for 19 runs.

Pollock said the slow pitch and slow scoring rate added to the intensity of a match in which he said fortunes shifted throughout.

West Indian captain Carl Hooper said he was disappointed with the collapse in the morning. ``We had four days of good cricket and then fell away today,'' he said.

Hooper said more application was needed by the batsmen. ``We need to turn 40s into hundreds,'' he said. But Hooper said he was heartened that the West Indies had shown they were competitive during the first two Tests of a five-match series.

The first match in Georgetown, Guyana, was drawn.

Sarwan fell to a spectacular catch shortly before tea. Just when it seemed his stand with Hooper had swung the game back to the West Indies, Sarwan hooked Jacques Kallis and Nicky Boje, fielding about 45 metres from the bat, turned and leaped to hold a fine catch.

Ridley Jacobs, who made 93 not out in the first innings, was the last major batsman and he started aggressively before being run out.

Called for a leg bye by Hooper, Jacobs was beaten by the speed and accurate throw of Herschelle Gibbs who raced in from backward point to pick up the ball near the batsman's wicket and throw down the stumps at the bowler's end.

Hooper finished with 54 not out after batting for 230 minutes. He faced 172 balls and hit five fours. Kallis finished with four for 40.

Allan Donald took the first two wickets of the morning after the West Indies resumed at 32 for one.

South African captain Shaun Pollock had Chris Gayle caught behind and Makhaya Ntini claimed the prize wicket of Brian Lara with his first delivery of the innings.

The West Indies slide started in the fourth over of the day when nightwatchman Dinanath Ramnarine edged a hard catch to Kallis at second slip off Donald without adding to the 11 runs he scored on Tuesday.

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