Graeme Smith completed his ninth Test hundred and helped South Africa grind their way to a slender first innings lead of 23 in the second Test against West Indies on Sunday.
Smith, the South Africa captain, top scored for the visitors with a gritty 148 that anchored his side to 370 for six, replying to the West Indies’ first innings total of 347, when stumps were drawn on the third day.
”We are satisfied. It wasn’t a quick-scoring day but we are happy to have a lead although we have to grind it out,” said Smith.
”It’s a tough pitch and they set defensive fields all day. Now we need to get a sizeable lead and put them under pressure.”
A stand of 67, unbroken, for the seventh wicket between Ashwell Prince, not out on 41, and Mark Boucher, not out on 28, was a source of major frustration for West Indies in the final period, but the home team did not help themselves with unpenetrative bowling and a dropped catch.
On 24, the left-handed Prince pulled a short delivery from Reon King and mid-wicket fielder Donovon Pagon, playing his second Test, muffed a straightforward chance.
It was a costly miss for West Indies, as Prince and Boucher batted another one and a half hours to take the visitors through to the close.
But it was the left-handed Smith that exemplified South Africa’s determined batting on the unpredictable Queen’s Park Oval pitch.
He hit 15 fours from 313 balls in an innings lasting a little over seven and a half hours that took him past the 3 000-run mark in Tests.
Smith added 41 with Monde Zondeki for the fourth wicket and 52 with former opening partner Herschelle Gibbs for the fifth wicket before his dismissal in the middle of the afternoon period.
Before lunch, South Africa continued from their overnight position of 182 for three to reach 238 for four at the interval.
For most of the morning period, cut short by a 15-minute interruption for rain, Smith and Monde Zondeki resisted the West Indies attack.
But Pedro Collins, armed with the second new ball, made the breakthrough for West Indies however, when he completely bamboozled Zondeki and bowled him for 14 with a perfectly pitched in-swinger.
In the afternoon period, West Indies removed Smith, but South Africa progressed steadily to 301 for five and had first innings lead within their sights.
Smith and Gibbs spent one and a half hours either side of lunch wearing down the West Indies bowlers.
The visitors suffered a major setback about an hour after lunch when Smith was adjudged lbw playing across the steady medium-pace of Wavell Hinds bowling his first over.
After tea, Gibbs was just beginning to get into the swing of things when he was bowled for 34 playing back and across to a delivery keeping low from Collins for the final success West Indies had for the day.
Collins finished the day with two wickets for 78 runs from 29 overs and Bravo had two for 79 from 32 overs.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis was to face ICC Match Referee Jeff Crowe at a hearing following the day’s cricket for a disciplinary infraction committed on the previous day.
Kallis had been reported for showing dissent following his dismissal — adjudged lbw to Bravo for 39 — late on the second day.
The four-Test series is still level 0-0, after the opening Test at Georgetown ended in a draw. – Sapa-AFP