BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CANA:
AFTER staging an enterprising fightback with captain Carl Hooper, Brian Lara gifted his wicket just before the close allowing South Africa to regain the upperhand over the West Indies on the third day of the third Cable and Wireless Test at Kensington Oval yesterday.
The loss of Lara for a highly disciplined 83, left the West Indies on 252 for five at the close - still 202 runs adrift of South Africa's daunting first innings total of 454, with Hooper not out 74 and wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs on 14.
Lara and Hooper had linked up with the Windies struggling on 102 for four, having lost their youthful quartet of Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Ramnaresh Sarwan to the medium-fast swing bowling of Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini.
But the two experienced campaigners, led a rousing revival for the Windies by featuring in a record West Indian fifth-wicket stand against South Africa of 116 in 146 minutes.
Lara's mixed innings of caution and restraint at first and controlled aggression after he passed 50, was decorated with 13 fours off 186 balls in 287 minutes.
However, when seemingly set to hit his first century off South Africa in nine Tests, Lara tried to pull a lifting delivery from the pacy Jacques Kallis, who was given the second new ball in the absence of the injured Allan Donald and spooned a catch to Nicky Boje on the leg side.
Kallis, whose four-wicket haul was instrumental in South Africa's 69-run victory in the second Test in Trinidad and Tobago, was again his team's most impressive bowler.
He filled the breach admirably after Donald limped off with an injured leg, and ended the day with three for 53 off 21 lively overs.
The improving fast bowler Ntini was the other wicket-taker with two for 51 off 17 overs as Donald and Pollock toiled all day for success.
Kallis started the day in the same way he finished it by breaking an encouraging opening stand of 37 when he induced Hinds, who made just two in 74 minutes at the crease, to edge a catch to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.
Gayle executed a number of elegant cuts and drives as he counted eight fours in a cameo knock of 40 before he nibbled at a delivery from Ntini and deflected a straight-forward catch to Daryll Cullinan at first slip.
Samuels followed eight runs later for six when he top-edged a hook shot off the deceptive Kallis and skied a catch to Neil McKenzie at mid-on to leave the Windies reeling on 58 for three.
Lunch was taken on 60 for three and on resumption, the West Indies were kept on a relatively tight rein, adding a further 60 runs off 26 overs in the two-hour mid-afternoon session while losing the solitary wicket of Sarwan for 16.
Sarwan perished in the first over of a new spell from Ntini when he failed to keep down a square drive and was smartly taken by Herschelle Gibbs at cover point.
The Windies also had a scare on 89 for three when Lara on 21 was given not out by the third umpire Halley Moore, who was asked to make a judgement from the television replays after Boucher claimed a low catch off South Africa's captain Shaun Pollock.
After at half dozen replays from different angles, it was confirmed that the ball had touched the ground just before entering the gloves of Boucher.
Lara was joined by Hooper, the pair in tandem for the first time in the series and they quietly took the Windies safely through to the tea interval even though Hooper had already dazzled the crowd with a couple of crisp shots.
SCOREBOARD
South Africa first innings 454
West Indies first innings
(overnight 7-0)
W.Hinds c Boucher b Kallis 2
C.Gayle c Cullinan b Ntini 40
M.Samuels c McKenzie b Kallis 6
B.Lara c Boje b Kallis 83
R.Sarwan c Gibbs b Ntini 16
C.Hooper not out 74
R.Jacobs not out 14
Extras (b-4 lb-5 nb-8) 17
Total (for five wickets) 252
Fall: 1-37 2-49 3-57 4-102 5-218
To bat: C.Walsh, M.Dillon, C.Cuffy, D.Ramnarine
Bowling: Donald 14-7-30-0, Pollock 27-10-65-0 (nb5), Kallis 21-8-52-3 (nb3), Ntini 17-6-51-2, Boje 8-1-28-0, Klusener 7-3-17-0
