De Villiers finds Midas touch to lead Proteas to massive win

South Africa captain AB de Villiers could have felt like Midas on Friday. He struck pay dirt as golden-hued as the sun that dipped behind the Members' Stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground with each of his decisions as his team crushed the West Indies by a mind-numbing 257 runs in a Group B contest in the ICC Cricket World Cup.

He rang in changes in the squad after a massive defeat by India on Sunday. Rilee Rossouw came in place of fellow left-hander JP Duminy and made a spectacular half-century. Paceman Kyle Abbott replaced the injured Vernon Philander and delivered telling blows by removing Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, centurions against Zimbabwe earlier this week. While these decisions and the choice of batting first on winning the toss had a bearing on the outcome, it was his own destructive 162 not out that took the breath away for the explosive quality of assault and the massive impact it had, possibly way beyond merely this contest. It served to breathe life into South Africa's campaign.

There was a hint of moisture on the track to start with and the West Indies' opening bowlers gained a stranglehold on the proceedings in the first 10 overs when South Africa made just 30 runs. Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis adopted a Test match approach and shared a second wicket partnership of 127 runs in just under 24 overs. It seemed a 270- or 280-run track and South Africa were 147 for three in 30 overs. But de Villiers himself struck 161 runs as South Africa piled on 261 runs in the final 20 overs. For a team that made just 34 runs in boundaries in the first 30 overs, the Proteas hit 23 fours and 10 sixes in the final 20 overs. Fans could have well imagined watching a T20 game.

Gayle picked up du Plessis and Amla's wicket in three deliveries with his unassuming off-spin but by taking him off the attack just before batting powerplay, Jason Holder had let the left-handed Rossouw off the hook. Jerome Taylor, ecomonical with the new ball, was a different bowler when he returned, conceding 44 runs in three overs to take the hinges off the floodgates.

Gayle was blown away, erroneously making room for an Abbott delivery as he would in T20 but not providing for pace and movement in the second over. The West Indies kept making things difficult for themselves and their handful of loyal fans at the SCG, some of whom had strung together a series of their national flags to go with that of the regions cricket team.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir then came up with a bagful of tricks to play on the minds of clueless batsmen, already writhing under pressure. Dwayne Smith's decision to hit out first ball was met with a stunning catch near the sight screen by David Miller while Lendl Simmons returned to the hut, unable to pick a straighter one. Tahir finished with a five-for.

Captain Jason Holder put up token resistance and stretched the game into the night with his half-century but he did not win any bragging rights having conceded 64-runs in his final two overs to de Villiers. The South African skipper, who sought to stay unobtrusive at Holders media conference on Thursday, was clearly in a mood to stamp his presence and take the Proteas total past 400.

The biggest win in World Cup history will have helped South Africa regain some balance in net run rate, should it matter at a later stage. It enabled the team recover poise after being unable to find their grove against Zimbawe or India. As for the West Indies, they will be left hoping that the massive defeat will not cloud their minds in the business end of the tournament.