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Chanderpaul backs West Indies for win

West Indies left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul still believes his side can pull off a shock win in the the third and final Test against South Africa.

Despite another inexplicable batting collapse that left them on the brink of defeat, Chanderpaul believes ‘anything’ can happen even though the side sank to 134 for seven in their second innings on the third day at Kensington Oval on Monday. They are leading by a mere 19 with three wickets standing.

‘If we get a lead over 100, anything is possible on that pitch,’ said Chanderpaul, who is unbeaten on 57. ‘Then if we bowl well and field well, we can probably win the game.

‘We have to make sure we take whatever we can get out there. We can’t get bogged down because if you get bogged down, you get out.

‘Make sure we keep putting runs on that board, and take as much as we can, and whatever we get, we will have to work with.’

To accomplish a result, which now seems like a long-shot, Chanderpaul is hoping that Sulieman Benn in particular, as well as fast bowlers Kemar Roach and Brandon Bess can stay with him long enough to build a partnership that will help West Indies to stay in the match.

‘It is one of those pitches that you have to keep fighting on, especially when the spinners are bowling,’ he said.

‘When the pacers are bowling one side of the wicket, and they are not trying anything much, they are not giving you any opportunity to score, and just block up one side, they are being patient, waiting for you to make a mistake. You just have to be patient and keep fighting.’

He noted: ‘It’s always good to have a good start, and get a big score in your first innings, but it didn’t happen for us.

‘In any Test match it is a major setback. It would have been better if we had a huge total; maybe 400-plus, so that we could run at them later in the match.’

Chanderpaul also praised Benn for earlier claiming a Test career-best of six wickets for 81 runs.

‘He’s bowled pretty well in this game, and the couple games we played he bowled pretty well in this tour so far,’he said. ‘His bowling has really come a long way.’

Benn’s 15 wickets, at 30.66 runs apiece, puts him in a two-way tie with South Africa’s Dale Steyn for the prize of leading bowler in the series.