Cricket: Symcox saves the day for South Africa

South Africa 223 for 8 v West Indies

PAT SYMCOX, the oldest as well as the most talkative, combative and underestimated of contemporary Test cricketers, once more engineered a crucial late-order South African revival on the opening day of the second Test here yesterday.

Aged 38 and with the build, aggression and vocabulary of a professional wrestler, Symcox entered the fray 50 minutes before tea. Sent in, the top seven in the South African order had gone for 142 and the West Indies fast bowlers, restored to their traditional number of four, were enjoying themselves on a grassy pitch in cool, overcast weather.

By the time the umpires, Rudi Koertzen and David Shepherd, determined conditions were too gloomy to continue, Symcox was still unbeaten on 30 and South Africa were in better spirits at 223 for 8.

Symcox was influential in partnerships of 35 with wicketkeeper Mark Boucher and 48 with Allan Donald, 27 at the end.

Even at tea, taken at 182 for 8, the West Indies coach, Malcolm Marshall, estimated that South Africa had been allowed 35 to 40 runs too many. One down in the series, the West Indies' batting faces testing times today against the quality of Donald and Shaun Pollock.

The West Indies' cricket has been indifferent at best and they are yet to win a match on tour. But their mood was instantly buoyed yesterday once Brian Lara correctly called the toss. By the end of the first session Courtney Walsh had removed the new opener Herschelle Gibbs, his partner Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis to go past Ian Botham as the third-highest wicket-taker in Test history, at 385. Merv Dillon replaced him and soon split Daryll Cullinan's leg-stump with a yorker and South Africa were tottering at 86 for 4 at lunch.

Jonty Rhodes edged a ball from Curtly Ambrose to second slip on resumption but it was then that the depth of the South African batting became evident.

Pollock compiled 28 and dominated a stand of 49 with his captain, Hansie Cronje. That revival seemed to have ended when both were out within four runs of each other in mid-afternoon.

That created the kind of crisis that has repeatedly brought the best out of Symcox. With Ambrose off the field after tea with a strained groin muscle, he and Boucher checked the West Indies and, after Boucher went, he and Donald accumulated even more valuable runs.

First day; West Indies won toss

SOUTH AFRICA - First Innings

G Kirsten c Jacobs b Walsh 29

H H Gibbs b Walsh 2

J H Kallis c Hooper b Walsh 30

D J Cullinan b Dillon 4

W J Cronje run out 21

J N Rhodes c Hooper b Ambrose 17

S M Pollock c Williams b Ambrose 28

M V Boucher c Hooper b McLean 17

P L Symcox not out 30

A A Donald not out 27

Extras (lb5, w1, nb12) 18

Total (for 8 wickets) 223

Fall: 1-6, 2-52, 3-67, 4-67, 5-89, 6-140, 7-142, 8-175.

Did not bat: D J Terbrugge.

Bowling: Ambrose 17-6-28-2; Walsh 20-0-74-3; McLean 16-3-62-1; Dillon 10.4-1-54-1.

Umpires: R Koertzen and D Shepherd.