South African cricket captain Graeme Smith, having described Lance Klusener as disruptive, said on Tuesday the all-rounder had ”come a long way”. Klusener, having settled out of court with the United Cricket Board and following the injury to Andrew Hall, was drafted into the 14-man South African squad for the first two one-day internationals against the West Indies.

For the second Test in a row, the West Indies stood firm against overwhelming odds and the South African attack on Monday to ensure the fourth and final Test at Centurion would enter a fifth day. At stumps on a rain shortened fourth day, the Windies had moved to 263 for three and slashed the deficit to just 40 runs.

Andre Nel’s wife offered the paceman sound advice after they tied the knot on Saturday night: ”Let’s have a good time but not too good a time.” It appears that Deanne Nel was determined that nobody would blame the wedding for any below-par performances on Sunday, the third day of the fourth Test against the Windies at Centurion.

South African pace bowler Makhaya Ntini stormed to his third five wicket haul of the series on Sunday as the West Indies’ chances of saving the fourth cricket Test at Centurion nose-dived. At stumps on the third day, the West Indies had stuttered to 44 for two in their second innings after being forced to follow on.

South African batsman Jacques Kallis’s extraordinary capacity to score a glut of runs against the West Indies continued unabated on Saturday as he reached his fourth consecutive Test century and moved within a breath of shattering a 93-year-old record.

Correy Collymore claimed a wicket eight balls from the close to marginally ease the West Indies’ woes on Friday after the South African openers rode roughshod over their severely limited attack. At the end of the day, South Africa had rushed to 302 for one, scored at better than four-and-a-half to the over.

South African opening bowler Shaun Pollock dismissed on Wednesday persistent suggestions that he has slowed dramatically, claiming instead that he was never particularly quick. ”I think it’s a bit of a fallacy that I was some sort of tearaway fast bowler,” said Pollock.

The West Indies suffered a calamitous lower-order collapse on Sunday to present Easterns with a genuine chance of winning their four-day tour match at Willowmoore Park. The Windies lost their final five wickets for the addition of just 27 runs to be all out for 263, a lead of 284.

The West Indies cricket side finally recorded a first-class win on their South African tour after Easterns squandered a prime position at Willowmore Park in Benoni on Monday. Having not won a top-flight game in 1998/99, the win represented their maiden first-class win on South African soil.

Far from the rigours and intense pressures that is Test cricket, the touring West Indies have been presented with an ideal opportunity in Benoni to improve dramatically on two crucial aspects of their game. Their undisciplined bowling and staggeringly poor fielding have been highlighted by skipper Brian Lara as needing attention.