by EZRA STUARTin DominicaSOUTH AFRICA’s stranglehold over the West Indies continued yesterday after the hosts gave yet another shambolic batting display.The South Africans clinched the five-match Digicel One-Day International (ODI) cricket series with a comfortable 67-run victory at Windsor Park for an unbeatable 3-0 lead.It was the Proetas’ 15th consecutive victory over the Windies, who once again squandered a chance to snap South Africa’s six-year unbeaten run in ODIs between the teams after dismissing the visitors for a hardly imposing 224 in 47.2 overs.But even though the target wasn’t as many as in the first two ODIs in Antigua, the West Indies gave another inauspicious batting display, falling way short for a meagre 157 in 38 overs. Opener Dale Richards’ 30-ball knock of 28, which contained three fours and a six, was the top score.Fast bowler Morne Morkel again spearheaded South Africa’s bowling with four for 21, while seamer Charl Langeveldt supported with three for 30.Earlier, A.B. de Villiers shored up the South African innings with a solid 80-ball 70, which included two fours and a six, after they won the toss and batted.Captain Graeme Smith (29) and the free-scoring Hashim Amla (34) got South Africa away to a breezy start, posting a half-century opening stand in nine overs.Jacques Kallis kept the early momentum going with two fours and a six in 31 off 41 balls but the West Indian bowlers manfully stuck to their task, especially in the second half of the innings.Left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn bowled Amla in his second over and after Dwayne Bravo trapped Smith leg before wicket at 91-2, he removed Kallis, via a low catch at point by Sammy. De Villiers, who got the Player Of The Match award, and Alviro Petersen added 40 runs in the next ten overs as the bowlers, with the fielders supporting admirably, did not concede a wide or no-ball while making inroads into the middle and lower order.Petersen’s 31-ball grind for 16 runs was ended when he attempted a steer and played on to Pollard, who returned to claim two more wickets to end with three for 27.After David Miller gloved a bouncer from Jerome Taylor to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, Johan Botha joined de Villiers and featured in a 35-run sixth-wicket stand.But Ravi Rampaul, after going for 31 in his first six overs, came back and bowled his final four overs for 14 runs.He forced Botha to retire hurt when a lifting delivery deflected from his gloves to strike him over the left eye and followed up by yorking Dale Steyn.Pollard delivered a wicket maiden, having Ryan McLaren well caught in the covers by Richards after he had missed a low return catch.In the next over, Benn ran out de Villiers at the bowler’s end with a direct throw.This effectively ended South Africa’s hopes of a 250-plus total, but the saying “runs on the board” wasn’t lost on them.With the pitch offering generous bounce, the South African pace quartet of Steyn, Morkel, McLaren, and Kallis peppered the batsmen with a barrage of short deliveries.Apart from pulled sixes by openers Chris Gayle and Richards and another by Darren Sammy, there was no counter-attack from the Caribbean batsmen, who surrendered their wickets meekly.Gayle pulled Langeveldt for a six over mid-wicket but then drove loosely to the next ball and was well caught at slip by Kallis.Richards pulled seamer Langeveldt over backward square leg for six and lifted McLaren for a straight four. But he tried to steer a delivery from Morkel and was caught by Kallis at slip.Morkel struck again, trapping rookie left-hander Darren Bravo leg before wicket for one.Shivnarine Chanderpaul was typically watchful in scoring 24 off 41 balls before snicking a steer off Kallis’ bowling to de Villiers at 87 for four.Steyn softened up Dwayne Bravo with a lifter which he couldn’t evade and he lobbed a simple catch to de Villiers, bringing the score to 93 for five.The procesion continued, as Langeveldt sent back both Pollard and Sammy. Taylor was run out for a duck, before Morkle sealed victory with the wickets of Benn and Rampaul.
