A moment in time…Rohan Kanhai and Lance Gibbs did us proud

Continued from last week

The match opened on a scorching, hot day, and Hunte (6) was soon lbw to Hoare: 12 for one. Kanhai and Cammie Smith scored quickly until Smith (28) was caught and bowled by Benaud only to be followed by Sobers (1) being bowled by Benaud: 91 for three. Skipper Worrell and Kanhai scored at breakneck speed, adding 107 runs before Kanhai (117) was caught at slip off Benaud: 198 for four. It was a vintage innings, all power, daring and speedy reflexes, and it was thanks mainly to Kanhai that West Indies ended the day on 348 for seven, and finished the second day 393 all out. Worrell in his usual consistent way contribute 71, Nurse 49, and Alexander 63 not out. Benaud took five wickets for 96 runs in 27 overs and Kline no wickets for 109 runs in 21 overs. It gives some idea of how fast West Indies scored, to realize that the two main Australian bowlers conceded nearly four runs per over.
In their reply, Australia lost Favell (1) at 9 and O’Neil (11) at 45. McDonald and Simpson steadied things with a stand of 74 before McDonald (71) was caught by Hunte off Gibbs: 119 for three. Then Simpson and Burge took the score to 213 when Burge (45) was bowled by Sobers. At end of play, Australia had reached 221 for four, with Simpson on 85 and Benaud on 1. Simpson fell for his overnight score early on the third day; but skipper Benaud rallied his troops by scoring a gallant 77, and seeing them through to a total of 336, only 27 behind West Indies. It was a splendid recovery, considering that Australia were 221 for five when Simpson was dismissed. Sobers took three for 64 in 24 overs and Gibbs five for 97 in 35.6 overs-it was a 8-ball over then. Gibbs achieved the rare feat of a hat-trick in Test cricket when he had Mackay lbw, Grout caught by Sobers, and Mission clean bowled in consecutive deliveries. It is the only hat-trick in an Adelaide Test.
Cammie Smith-Pat Legall’s bunny at Bourda-roared ahead like an out-of-control fire engine when West Indies second innings started. In just about one hour he scored 46 blistering runs, including ten fours. When he was caught by Hoare off Mackay with the score at 66, he had set the tone of dash and daring-do for the innings. The tone perfectly suited Kanhai who went even faster than Smith, so that when stumps were drawn on the fourth day, West Indies were 150 for one wicket with Kanhai 59 not out, and Hunte 44 not out, although Hunte had started batting almost one hour before his dashing partner. Kanhai continued his fierce onslaught on the fifth day, calling his partner for such sharp singles that Hunte had to caution him. It was in vain, however. For when he was on 99, on the verge of a separate hundred in each innings of the same Test match, he called for another impossible single and caused poor Hunte to be run out for 79 after a dazzling partnership that had realized 163 breathtaking runs. Kanhai showed remorse by staying for nearly an hour on 103. He seemed to recover; but briefly; for he was soon lbw to Benaud for 115-the bowler’s 200th Test wicket. Kanhai is the first West Indian to score a separate hundred in each innings of a Test in Australia. His first hundred lasted 126 minutes, and his second for 150 minutes. By tea on the fifth day West Indies had reached 360 with Alexander on 45 and Worrell 40. Worrell held back until about 5.30 p.m when West Indies were 432 for six, before declaring and giving Australia 35 minutes to bat before stumps. He had left his opponents 460 runs to make in 395 minutes, an astute gamble that he was well on his way to winning that very day when McDonald (2), Favell (4) and Simpson (3) were all back in the pavilion and the Australian scored only 31.
On the final day, since the wicket was lifeless and of no use to Hall, it was Sobers, Gibbs and Valentine who carried the attack to the Australians of whom O’Neil and Burge fought back most stoutly with a brave stand of 82. Runs were no matter. Survival was all, and the air itself became heavy with concentration, tension and desperation as, bit by bit wicket by wicket, the battle swung inexorably towards West Indies. After O’Neil was caught and bowled by Sobers for 65 and Benaud dismissed in an identical manner for 17, the score was 144 for six. At tea, following an invaluable 42 from Grout, the total had moved to 203 for seven. At that stage, mere bowlers-Hoare, Mission and Kline remained. Of these, Mission (1) was caught by Solomon off Worrell, and Hoare (0) was bowled by Worrell; 207 for nine. Now Mackay and Kline, Australia’s last pair, stood between West Indies victory. Surely they could survive for long! This thought was evidently in the minds of the West Indies players, when, with almost an hour’s play remaining. Mackay pushed forward to Worrell and Sobers caught the ball. Sobers and other West Indies players, certain Mackay was out, began to walk off the field. But Mackay stood his ground; and umpire Egar’s finger did not budge.
This was the crucial incident mentioned earlier; it changed the course of the match, and it turned out, the fate of the entire rubber. Try as they might, the West Indies bowlers could not dislodge Mackay and Kline who blocked, pushed, padded and defended for one hundred minutes until the game was drawn with the Australian score at 273 for nine: Mackay 62 not out and Kline 15 not out. From an Australian point of view, Mackay and Kline were heroes. Today, it scarcely seems possible that so much could have happened in one match: one hundred in each innings by Kanhai, Gibbs’ hat-trick, Benaud’s 200th Test wicket (not to mention his heroic 77 not out in the first innings), Alexander’s 63 and 87 unbeaten in both innings, and Mackay’s defiant 62 not out. For Australians the last ditch heroism of Mackay and Kline must stand out. But what probably stands out for most West Indians is the catch that the record books tell us Sobers never took.