South Africa wore down a defiant West Indies rearguard action to win the second cricket Test at Kingsmead on Monday by an innings and 65 runs.
Makhaya Ntini claimed the final two wickets to not only ensure that South Africa leads the four match series 2-0 but also end the year as the world’s leading wicket-taker with 59 wickets.
Requiring 394 just to make the hosts bat again, the Windies were all out for 329 with six overs of the day’s play left.
For much of the afternoon, however, it looked entirely unlikely that South Africa would wrap up the match with a day to spare after Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul held the attack at bay.
This after the Windies had crashed to 95 for four and then 130 for five.
After an opening three days where the Windies showed scant sign of their undeniable talent and even less of their stomach for a fight, the tourists mounted a rousing fightback.
Against enormous odds, the Windies survived almost three sessions to offer some hope that the rest of the series will not be completely one-sided.
That they were able to do so was due almost exclusively to Sarwan and Chanderpaul, who both made superb centuries.
Sarwan, despite the circumstances, batted fluently to make 114, his third Test hundred, putting on 113 for the sixth wicket with Chanderpaul.
Chanderpaul, after missing the entire third day’s play because of a thigh strain, only came in to bat at number seven.
The Windies though could not have hoped for a more accomplished lower-order batsman. Chanderpaul did however offer a chance when he had two and again on 48.
Both times it was the unfortunate Martin van Jaarsveld who spilt the chances.
Van Jaarsveld, on the field for injured skipper Graeme Smith, could not hang on to a sharp chance at forward short leg to deny Jacques Rudolph a second wicket and then dropped Chanderpaul at backward point off Makhaya Ntini.
Having survived those chances, Chanderpaul marshalled the lower order, and in particular Adam Sanford, to score his ninth Test century and his first against South Africa.
Earlier, it looked unlikely that the Windies would survive until tea, let alone until the end of the day.
First out on Monday was Wavell Hinds, whose appalling run of form continued unbroken. He lasted just five overs before Andre Nel yorked him with an outstanding in swinger.
Shaun Pollock then trapped Daren Ganga in front for 12 and just before lunch Jacques Kallis accounted for Carlton Baugh for two. — Sapa