South African batsman Jacques Kallis chops the ball past West Indies wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs at Newlands cricket ground in Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday. - Reuters CAPE TOWN, South Africa, CMC:
AN UNEXPECTED deterioration of the weather conditions yesterday proved only a temporary reprieve for the West Indies as Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis plundered the hapless visitors.
Both compiled hundreds to put South Africa in a position to press for a third victory in a row going into this final day of the third cricket Test at Newlands.
Resuming in brilliant sunshine after an unseasonal cold front brought showers that halted play in mid-afternoon, the pair extended their third-wicket partnership to 251 a record against the Caribbean side and for the ground as the hosts reached stumps at 335 for three in their second innings.
With an overall lead of 440, Graeme Smith is expected to declare overnight, leaving the visitors with the more realistic prospect of trying to battle through a possible 105 overs to draw the match.
Fervent West Indian optimists will, however, be hoping that their team can give the South Africans a scare with a spectacular run-chase, although the prospects of that materialising on a wearing pitch and against determined opponents appear distinctly remote.
RAIN
Barring a heroic, defiant batting effort, West Indian hopes of saving the match and avoiding the chance of a series whitewash would seem to rest with a return of the rain that held up play for three hours.
But just as suddenly as it arrived, the clouds lifted and, as the excellent drainage facilities at the ground did its job with remarkable efficiency, play was able to resume within half-an-hour of the final raindrops settling on the covers.
Sheer carnage then followed to reward the die-hards who stayed on through the showers with Gibbs and Kallis running a demoralised team ragged in a run-riot that produced another 147 runs off 26 overs.
Gibbs equalled his 142 from the second Test at Durban. If this innings lacked the absolute command of his effort at Kingsmead, it was only because of the testing conditions in the morning and the need to abandon caution in the quest for quick runs later in the day. The opener's 12th Test hundred included 15 fours and four sixes, three of which came after he had reached three figures.
Kallis, always much more cautious and circumspect, nevertheless smashed two sixes along with six fours in reaching his 14th century at this level and third in as many matches, joining Alan Melville who actually scored four in consecutive innings as the only South Africans to score three hundreds in successive Tests.
Like Gibbs, he celebrated with three more sixes over the boundary ropes after the landmark in finishing undefeated on 130.
Both were helped by another pathetic fielding display with Chris Gayle, Fidel Edwards and substitute Mervyn Dillon all dropping catches of varying degrees of difficulty to further lengthen an already long list of missed chances.
