Jacques Kallis compiled an unbeaten 109 on Monday and South Africa secured a comfortable draw against the West Indies on the fifth and final day of the opening cricket Test at Bourda.
The 29-year-old batted throughout the day as the visitors, trailing by 355, took their second innings from overnight 85 for two to 269 for four when play was called off halfway through the final hour.
Kallis, who hit 15 fours, passed 7 000 runs on his way to his 21st century, which took 409 minutes and comprised 346 deliveries.
Jacques Rudolph and Herschelle Gibbs also contributed, sharing crucial partnerships with Kallis.
Left-hander Rudolph spent three hours in scoring 24, while Gibbs hit 49 in four hours.
The West Indies reached 543 for five declared in their first innings and forced South Africa to follow on after bowling the Proteas out for 188 despite missing seven regulars, including Brian Lara, due to a dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board over personal endorsement contracts.
Part-time spinners Narsingh Deonarine and Ryan Hinds claimed the only two wickets to fall on Monday.
Off-spinner Deonarine ended with one for 35 off 30 overs, while left-armer Hinds claimed one for 27 off 27 overs.
”We’re just grateful to get out of it. I think we did well to get out if it,” South Africa captain Graeme Smith said. ”If you don’t play well and you manage to get out, it gives you a bit of confidence.”
Smith said he was disappointed by his team’s effort early in the Test.
”We didn’t play well enough for the first three days. We put ourselves in a bit of hassle,” he said. ”We let ourselves down on the first days in both of our departments.”
West Indies skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul was pleased with his team, even though they could not secure a win.
”We came in as underdogs and we nearly pulled this one off,” the first-time captain said. ”That’s a big positive for us.”
The West Indies missed two chances in the crucial morning session, which would have secured a victory.
In the day’s fifth over, Rudolph glanced pacer Daren Powell but wicketkeeper Courtney Browne dropped the low leg-side catch.
Kallis grew in confidence as the day progressed and Chanderpaul surprisingly opted not to take the second new ball immediately when it became available.
Kallis, then on 22, nearly was out to Chanderpaul’s part-time leg-spin, but Browne again dropped the thick edge as the batsman tried to force off the back foot.
Rudolph eventually fell when Deonarine broke through an hour before lunch. The left-hander, who struck two fours off 152 balls, was trapped leg before by an arm ball that stayed low.
As Kallis and Gibbs settled, Chanderpaul took the new ball, but his fast-bowling trio could not make an impact on a fifth-day pitch that remained excellent for batting.
The tourists took lunch at 169 for three, and Kallis and Gibbs virtually settled the result by batting together through the second session.
Kallis achieved his century an hour before the close, hitting his 316th delivery to fine leg off Reon King. It was Kallis’s sixth century in 15 Tests against the West Indies.
Kallis, who joined former teammate Gary Kirsten as the only South African to reach 7 000 runs, also equalled Kirsten’s team record of 21 centuries in Tests.
He and Gibbs added 139 in just more than four hours before Gibbs fell one run short of a half-century.
The right-hander hit six boundaries off 207 deliveries before he padded out to a Hinds delivery and was bowled off stump by a ball that spun across him.
Mark Boucher was unbeaten four at the end. — Sapa-AP