Gibbs century lifts South Africa to eight-wicket win in Antigua ODI

A South African record second wicket stand of 179 between Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis proved the undoing of the West Indies as South Africa won the second one-day international by eight wickets at the Antigua Recreation Ground and levelled the seven-match series at 1-1 on Wednesday.

Chasing 221 for victory, South Africa reached their target with four overs and one ball to spare.

Gibbs was stumped by Ridley Jacobs off Neil McGarrell shortly after reaching his hundred, his 104 coming off 141 balls and including eight fours and three sixes. It was his fourth one-day hundred.

Kallis finished unbeaten on 78 off 112 balls including five fours and two sixes, with Jonty Rhodes 21 not out.

The stand between Gibbs and Kallis surpassed the 172 made by Gary Kirsten and Kallis against New Zealand in Kimberley in 2000-2001. It was also the highest for any wicket in a one-day international at the ARG, overtaking the 130 made by Desmond Haynes and Richie Richardson against India in 1989.

Both batsmen struck huge sixes out of the ground, Gibbs smashing Marlon Samuels high over midwicket and into a neighbouring churchyard while Kallis went one better, coming down the wicket to Chris Gayle and lofting him over the Richie Richardson stand.

While McGarrell (1-34 from ten overs) and Cameron Cuffy (1-27 from ten) both bowled well, the rest of the West Indies attack came in for a fearsome hammering. Nixon McLean saw his first two overs go for 25 runs, Gayle conceded 15 from his two overs, Samuels was hit for two sixes in three balls by Gibbs and Mervyn Dillon went for six an over.

The only chance a near capacity crowd had to really let their hair down was when Kirsten (5) was bowled by Cuffy to leave South Africa 11-1. From that moment on, it was the Gibbs and Kallis show.

Earlier Shivnarine Chanderpaul's 54-ball 60 helped the West Indies through a stodgy middle period of their innings to enable the home side reach 220-8 from their 50 overs.

Chanderpaul, normally so correct and compact, delved into a repertoire of shots reserved strictly for the one-day game, striking two fours and three sixes. Lance Klusener was twice smashed clear of the ropes, once straight back past his head to the sightscreen and then smeared over midwicket. Chanderpaul then hit Allan Donald for a straight six as the runs started to flow.

Captain Carl Hooper (48 from 46 balls) shared a fourth wicket partnership of 86 with Chanderpaul, joining him in the hunt for sixes with a flat drive to the Sir Vivian Richards pavilion off the otherwise impeccable Jacques Kallis. Chanderpaul though was one of three run-outs (all avoidable) in the West Indies innings, and Hooper tried one shot too many at Shaun Pollock and was caught in the covers.

It was Kallis and Donald who did most to restrict the West Indies scoring, conceding just 25 runs off 12 overs as they came on as first and second change. Their tenacity was directly responsible for Leon Garrick's (16 off 61 balls) needless run-out, and Klusener capitalised on their good work with the wickets of Chris Gayle (50 off 72 balls with seven fours) and Brian Lara (13 from 38), both with well-disguised slower balls.

Samuels (3) provided the most idiotic of the run-outs as he dabbed the ball straight to Jonty Rhodes and called for the single and Kallis bowled McGarrell (3) and had McLean (0) caught at cover off successive balls in the 50th over.