South African batsman Abraham Benjamin de Villiers celebrated his century as his team-mates celebrated a fine seven wicket win over the West Indies in New Delhi on Thursday.
Chasing a meagre 223 for victory in their World Cup Group B match at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium, the South Africans reached the target in the 43rd over.
Their chase was disrupted by light showers post the 38th over when the team total was 199/ 3 with de Villiers batting on 97 and J.P. Duminy on 28. The match resumed within minutes giving de Villiers an opportunity to complete his ton.
De Villiers remained unbeaten on 107 and Duminy on 42
However, the Proteas didn't get off to a good start losing early wickets in their chase. First they lost their opener Hashim Amla and then it was the big-match player Jacques Kallis to walk off the crease with 4 runs written against his name.
Both wickets fell in controversial fashion. In case of Amla (14), paceman Kemar Roach had overstepped slightly while bowling and Kallis had just walked off after being caught by skipper Darren Sammy in the slip off left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn. There was doubt that the ball had carried off his bat. South Africa fell to 20/2 in 5 overs. Whatever the case, the spinner-pacer combination worked well for the West Indies.
But South Africa, considering the form that they are in, had little reason to worry and their skipper Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers went about their business as usual. The two put on an impressive 119 runs for third wicket milking the opposition bowlers at ease.
Their partnership lasted for more than an hour and erased away the early advantage that the Windies had earned. Finally in the 29th over, paceman Kieron Pollard curved in a delivery to left-hander Smith and uprooted his off-stump on 139/3. Smith fell for 45.
West Indies innings
West Indies were all out for 222 as the opposition bowlers tightened the noose at death.
South Africa skipper Graeme Smith put the Windies in the middle and West Indies opener Chris Gayle departed on the third ball of the match with offie Johan Botha claiming his wicket.
A surprising decision by South Africa skipper Graeme Smith to give the ball to off-spinner Johan Botha in the very first over. But, the moved paid off as in the third ball of the over he struck to send danger-man Chris Gayle back into the pavilion.
A good length ball from Botha pitched outside off took the edge off Gayle's bat to and Jacques Kallis did the rest in the first slip. West Indies slumped to 2/1 in the very first over.
One wicket down early on but West Indies had little to fear as their other opener Devon Smith and new man Darren Bravo continued to bat on and frustrate the Protea bowlers. The duo put on 111 for the second wicket before a change in bowling accounted for Bravo on 113/2.
On this occasion too it was Botha, who did the trick, claiming him Leg Before. Bravo scored a fine 73 off 82 balls. Post his dismissal Smith too fell on 117/3 with another spinner Imran Tahir claiming his wicket on 36.
Tahir struck again to scalp another danger-man Ramnaresh Sarwan when the West Indies score was 120. He only put two on board before a LBW decision send him back.
Then Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwyane Bravo got on with another partnership. They put on 58 runs for fifth wicket before Bravo got run out on 40. The Windies score at this juncture was 178/5 in 37.5 overs.
However, post Dwyane Bravo's wicket the West Indies batting line-up faltered and they lost quick wickets. Chanderpaul departed when the score was 209/6 and South African paceman Dale Steyn claimed Kieron Pollard on a duck when the score was 213/7. From here on things became easy for the Protea pacers, who got busy counting the opposition scalps.
West Indies could only manage to put 222 on board and were bowled out in the 48th over.
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