South Africa were 182-3 at stumps on the second day of the second Test against the West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval on Saturday, in reply to the home side’s first-innings total of 347 all out.
Skipper Graeme Smith was 90 not out and night watchman Monde Zondeki unbeaten on one.
Former West Indies skipper Brian Lara dominated his side’s innings with a superb knock of 196.
Earlier on Saturday, two wickets in the last hour prior to tea slowed South Africa down to 99 for two.
At the break, South Africa captain Graeme Smith was not out on 43 and all-rounder Jacques Kallis was not out on eight, as the visitors continued their reply to the West Indies’ first-innings total.
Fast-bowler Reon King made the breakthrough for the West Indies when opener AB de Villiers was caught at cover for 33 when he drove straight into the lap of home-team captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Less than 15 minutes before the break, Dwayne Bravo added the wicket of Jacques Rudolph caught behind for eight when the left-hander played defensively forward to a ball outside the off-stump.
Earlier, batting maestro Brian Lara was the centre of attraction during the morning after he continued from 159 and the West Indies from their overnight position of 281 for six.
Lara was denied an eighth Test double-hundred when he was last out, bowled for 196 by an unplayable leg-cutter from Andre Nel that wrong-footed the left-hander and clipped the off-bail.
Lara occupied the crease for just more than seven-and-a-half hours and struck 25 boundaries from 286 balls to mark his return to the side, after missing the first Test because of the sponsorship row with the West Indies Cricket Board that threatened his participation.
Fast-bowler Makhaya Ntini ended with six wickets for 95 runs from 28 overs to be the most successful South Africa bowler, and Nel gave him good support with three for 71 from 28,4 overs.
Ntini triggered the collapse of the West Indies’ lower order when he had Courtney Browne caught at short leg for 26, after the wicketkeeper/batsman inside-edged a ball moving back into his thigh pad and it ballooned to Jacques Rudolph.
Browne added 74 for the seventh wicket with Lara.
After his dismissal, there was little or no resistance from the West Indies tail, although Daren Powell played a handful of meaty pulls off the two key South Africa fast bowlers before he was bowled for 15 playing back to a delivery keeping low from Ntini.
Pedro Collins was palpably lbw to Nel for two, and Reon King stuck it out and tried to usher Lara to his landmark, but it was not to be.
The four-Test series is still level 0-0, after the opening Test at Georgetown ended in a draw. — Sapa-AFP