Shaun's ultimate act

SHOULD BE A HAPPIER ENDING: South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock is overjoyed after taking the wicket of West Indies opener Brenton Parchment in the second one-day international at Newlands in Cape Town on Friday.Photo: AFP

Shaun Pollock said he felt as though he was on 'cloud nine' as he produced a bowling masterclass to take South Africa to a resounding 86-run win in the second one-day international against the West Indies at Newlands Friday.
Playing in his 300th one-day international, and his final match at Newlands before he retires at the end of the series, Pollock strangled the West Indian batsmen as they set out to chase South Africa's total of 255 for nine.
Pollock took two for 13 in ten overs while a crowd of 18,000 cheered his every move and he received a standing ovation when he finished his stint.
Captain Graeme Smith was the anchor of the South African innings, making 86. But Pollock trumped him for the man-of-the-match award.
"I've had some wonderful experiences in Cape Town," said Pollock. "It was just great. You almost feel you're on cloud nine out there with the crowd cheering everything you do. You almost feel you need to calm them down."
Pollock said a dry pitch had suited his bowling.
"I managed to hit my areas and there was a bit of movement off a length which kept them in check. It nipped back and nipped away and some of them stood up a bit."
The result, which put South Africa 2-0 ahead in the series, was a foregone conclusion long before the West Indian innings petered out at 169 with 10 balls remaining.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, batting with a runner for most of his innings, made 54 before being ninth out.
"The bowlers did a good job," said West Indian captain Dwayne Bravo. "A target of 250 was achievable but we as batters didn't apply ourselves and we lost wickets at crucial times."
Smith, though, praised a "clinical performance" by the whole South African team.
In addition to Pollock, fast bowler Morne Morkel made a claim for a long-term place in the team by taking four for 36.
The West Indies made a good start to the match when fast bowler Jerome Taylor dismissed senior batsmen Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis inside the first five overs, reducing the hosts to 18 for two.
Smith shared stands of 91 with AB de Villiers (45) and 72 with JP Duminy (68) as South Africa recovered.
Taylor was easily the best West Indian bowler. He took four for 34 and bowled an excellent last over in which he conceded only one run while three wickets fell, including two run-outs.
After 11 overs from Taylor and Fidel Edwards the total was only 34 but the tempo lifted when Ravi Rampaul came on as the first change bowler.
De Villiers hit his first three balls for 4, 6, 4 and added another boundary as 18 runs were scored off the over.
De Villiers survived a confident appeal for a legside catch behind the wicket off Edwards and took 16 balls to score his first run. But he then batted fluently to make his 45 off 59 balls.
Smith struggled early on but went on to make his 86 off 107 balls with 11 fours before edging off-spinner Marlon Samuels to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.
The left-handed Duminy made his third career half-century and his second in successive matches after being man of the match when South Africa won the opening clash in the five-match series by six wickets in Centurion Sunday.
Pollock started with two maidens to put the West Indians on the back foot from the start of their innings.
Then he had Brenton Parchment caught at backward point off the splice of his bat in his third over. Pollock's first spell was 7-3-10-1.
Morkel took two wickets off successive balls and Pollock snuffed out any lingering hopes they might have had when he came on for his second spell in the 31st over.
He again started with two maidens and his accuracy produced a run-out when Dwayne Bravo tried to get off strike. Then he bowled Denesh Ramdin to take his career tally to 390 wickets in 300 one-day internationals.