BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Shiv Chanderpaul was still holding out hope of a West Indies victory late yesterday, despite a batting collapse that left them on the brink of defeat in the third Test against South Africa.
Trailing by 115 runs on first innings, West Indies struggled to 134 for seven in their second innings at the close, a lead of only 19 runs on the third day of the contest at Kensington Oval.
“If we get a lead over a hundred, anything is possible on that pitch. Then if we bowl well and field well we can probably win the game,” said Chanderpaul, who was carrying the Windies’ slim hopes with an unbeaten 57. “We have to make sure we take whatever we can get out there. We can’t get bogged down because if you get bogged down you get out.
“That’s what happened in the first innings, we got bogged down and we got out so we have to keep ticking it over.
Make sure we keep putting runs on that board and take as much as we can and whatever we get we will have to work with.” South Africa were dismissed for 346 four balls after the lunch break but by stumps fast bowler Dale Steyn (3-31) and off-spinner Johan Botha (3-34) had wiped out the core of the Windies batting.
Chanderpaul has been the only batsman to defy the Proteas attack with an innings that has so far lasted 156 balls and included six fours.
“It is one of those (wickets) pitches that you have to keep fighting on, especially when the spinners are bowling,” the veteran left-hander said. “When the pacers are bowling one side of the wicket and they are not trying anything much, they are not giving you any opportunity to score and just block up one side, they are being patient waiting for you to make a mistake. You just have to be patient and keep fighting.
He added: “It’s always good to have a good start and get a big score in your first innings but it didn’t happen for us.
In any Test match it is a major setback for us. It would have been better if we had a huge total; maybe 400 plus so that we could run at them later in the match.”
Chanderpaul was full of praise for left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn who earlier claimed career-best Test bowling figures of six for 81.
“He’s bowled pretty well in this game and the couple games we played he bowled pretty well in this tour so far. His bowling has really come on,” Chanderpaul noted.
