McLaren bowls SA to easy win

McLaren captured five wickets for 19 runs from 3.5 overs to earn the man of the match award, as West Indies, chasing 137 for victory from their 20 overs, were dismissed for 123 with one ball to spare at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

The 27-year-old McLaren finished with the second-best figures in a Twenty20 international behind Pakistan’s Umar Gul, who collected five for six from three overs against New Zealand at The Oval in London in last year’s World Twenty20.

Both the West Indies and South Africa came into Wednesday’s match having failed to make it through to the knockout stages of this year’s World Twenty20, which England won in Barbados on Sunday.

Earlier veteran South African batsman Jacques Kallis had struck one four and three sixes in 53 from 45 balls, as South Africa laboured to 136 for seven from their 20 overs, after deciding to bat on an uneven pitch. He added 73 for the second wicket with Smith, whose 37 from 31 balls included three fours and one six. Once they were separated, South Africa’s batting collapsed, and they lost their last five wickets for 16 runs from 26 balls.

McLaren, then, became only the fourth bowler to collect five wickets in a T20 match, when he ripped out Andre Fletcher caught behind by stand-in keeper AB de Villiers for a duck, and had the dangerous West Indies captain Chris Gayle caught at long-on for 14 to leave the hosts on 28 for two in the sixth over.

Johan Botha snuffed out a West Indies revivial, when he had Dwayne Bravo caught at long-on for 20 in the 10th over, and Narsingh Deonarine stumped by De Villiers for a duck two balls later. When Roelof van der Merwe had Ramnaresh Sarwan caught at cover off the leading edge in the 11th over, West Indies challenge virtually ended.

SCORE BOARD

SOUTH AFRICA

Smith st Fletcher b Miller    37
Bosman c Fletcher b Taylor    7
Kallis c Sarwan b Pollard    53
De Villiers c Taylor b Pollard    11
Duminy b Roach    0
Botha c Fletcher b Roach    0
Petersen (run out)    6
McLaren (not out)    6
Merwe (not out)    4
Extras: (LB-3, W-4, NB-5)    12
Total (for 7 wkts, 20 overs)    136
Fall of wickets: 1-15; 2-88; 3-111; 4-115; 5-115; 6-122; 7-127.
Bowling: Roach 4-0-25-2; Taylor 3-0-16-1; Benn 3-0-20-0; Sammy 2-0-11-0; Bravo 1-0-14-0; Gayle 1-0-12-0; Miller 2-0-13-1; Pollard 4-0-22-2.

WEST INDIES

Gayle c Smith b McLaren    14
Fletcher c De Villiers b McLaren    0
Bravo c Amla b Botha    20
Sarwan c Petersen b Merwe    13
Deonarine st De Villiers b Botha    0
Pollard b McLaren    27
Sammy st De Villiers b McLaren    17
Miller c De Villiers b Langeveldt    5
Taylor (run out)    7
Benn c Amla b McLaren    4
Roach (not out)    3
Extras: (LB-1, W-11, NB-1)    13
Total (all out; 19.5 overs)    123
Fall of wickets: 1-14; 2-28; 3-48; 4-50; 5-52; 6-88; 7-99; 8-111; 9-120.
Bowling: Merwe 3-0-17-1; Steyn 4-0-23-0; McLaren 3.5-0-19-5; Langeveldt 3-0-31-1; Kallis 2-0-13-0; Botha 4-0-19-2.