SA whitewash

South Africa completed a 5-0 series whitewash when they beat the West Indies by a crushing 351 runs with a day to spare in the…

South Africa completed a 5-0 series whitewash when they beat the West Indies by a crushing 351 runs with a day to spare in the fifth Test at Centurion Park yesterday. Faced with the near-impossible task of scoring 569 to win, West Indies were bowled out for 217 with 24.4 overs remaining on the fourth day.

West Indies' fate was effectively sealed when they lost their two most experienced batsmen, captain Brian Lara and vice-captain Carl Hooper, within the first 15 balls after lunch.

Lara was booed by a small group of West Indian supporters at the award ceremony immediately after the match. South African captain Hansie Cronje said he was delighted that South Africa had played winning cricket in front of large, supportive home crowds. "We set our goal to play 25 good days of Test cricket during the summer and we were just fortunate to have come out on top in all five matches."

Wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs again played a defiant innings, scoring 78 off 92 balls with 12 fours and a six.