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Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Clinical South Africa wrap up series 2-0

South Africa 346 (Prince 78*, de Villiers 73, Benn 6-81) and 49 for 3 (Amla 27, Roach 3-22) beat West Indies 231 (Bravo 61, Botha 4-56, Steyn 3-37) and 161 (Chanderpaul 71*, Morkel 3-33, Steyn 3-36) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawk-eye

South Africa inflicted a dispiriting series loss on West Indies at a venue that was once the home team's fortress and finished the bilateral tour unbeaten. Shivnarine Chanderpaul's hopes of compiling a competitive lead on the fourth morning were quashed by a menacing spell from Morne Morkel, who cut through the West Indies tail to ensure a quick end to their resistance.

Chanderpaul had stood firm amid West Indies' capitulation on the third day, and taken his team into the lead with support from Shane Shillingford, who was dismissed shortly before stumps. The men who followed, though, were unable to put up a fight.

Morkel attacked Sulieman Benn from round the wicket, getting the ball to move both ways and troubling the left-hander who played and missed often. He was ultimately done in by one that nipped back in sharply to break through his defences and send the off stump cartwheeling. Kemar Roach followed soon after, edging a drive to Mark Boucher after a series of short balls.

Chanderpaul had shown confidence in the tail, not hesitating to pick singles early in the over, but was left watching as his partners fell quickly. The debutant Brandon Bess poked a short-of-length delivery to slip, as Morkel polished off the tail in three overs, leaving South Africa just 47 to chase. Roach displayed plenty of aggression, nipping out three wickets, striking Graeme Smith on the neck with a bouncer, and even getting involved in an extended verbal exchange with Jacques Kallis. But the game was over and done with.

The West Indies captain Chris Gayle had called on his batsmen to shoulder more responsibility during his team's 5-0 debacle in the one-dayers. However, some of those who did play the Test series failed to fulfil to their role. Dale Richards, drafted in for this Test in place of Travis Dowlin, conceded his wicket cheaply in both innings, playing across the line to be trapped plumb, and spooning a catch off a needless pull.

More worrying would be the case of Narsingh Deonarine. He had looked solid in the first innings before, inexplicably, switching to an aggressive approach to be bowled. In the second, he played a reckless drive first ball to offer a catch to short cover. Equally irresponsible was the dismissal of Denesh Ramdin, the former vice-captain, who slashed a wide delivery to the keeper in the second innings.

Though South Africa's pace attack had far more venom, the battle in the spin department was more evenly contested with each of the four frontline spinners in this Test extracting assistance from a gradually deteriorating track. The move to pick a spinner, Johan Botha, in place of left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe, proved decisive for the visitors. And the seamers Dale Steyn and Morkel, on a pitch that was of lesser benefit to them than the slow bowlers, varied their lengths superbly, ruffling up the batsmen with the short deliveries and creating the temptation to play by pushing the odd one fuller.

But while South Africa, with more assuredness in their batting and a generally superior outfit, were favourites throughout, their task was made easier by the reckless approach adopted by their opponents.

  • Benn suspended for antics in third Test

    Sulieman Benn, the West Indies left-arm spinner, has been suspended for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his team's third Test match against South Africa in Barbados

  • South Africa want disciplinary action against Benn

    South Africa have asked the ICC to take disciplinary action against West Indies left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn following his altercation with Dale Steyn during the third Test in Barbados

  • Steyn and Roach fined for disciplinary run-ins

    Dale Steyn and Kemar Roach were fined 100% and 50% of their match fees respectively after being found guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct during the third Test between West Indies and South Africa in Barbados

  • Gayle keen to continue as West Indies captain

    Chris Gayle is keen on continuing as West Indies captain despite the team's dismal run of form over the past few years culminating in a 0-2 reversal in the home Tests against South Africa

  • Steyn, Gayle play down mid-pitch hostilities

    Man-of-the-series Dale Steyn and West Indies captain Chris Gayle played down the mid-pitch hostilities that threatened to go out of hand during the course of the third Test between West Indies and South Africa

South Africa 4th innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st14GC SmithAN Petersen
2nd15HM AmlaAN Petersen
3rd16JH KallisHM Amla
4th4JH KallisAB de Villiers