BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – West Indies were facing a long road ahead after skipper Graeme Smith’s 21st Test century underlined South Africa’s dominance on the opening day of the second Test here yesterday.
The left-hander reeled off 132, a knock that propelled the Proteas to 296 for three at the close of a rain-marred day at Warner Park.
Seizing the opportunity to bat first on a benign pitch seemingly packed with runs, Smith cracked nine fours and three sixes in an innings that has so far lasted 238 balls.
The century was Smith’s third in eight innings this year and orchestrated three big partnerships that put West Indies under pressure and left them facing a mammoth total.
He first posted 99 for the first wicket with Alviro Petersen (52), before returning to add 112 for the second wicket with Hashim Amla who got 44.
Smith then partnered with Jacques Kallis (45 not out) in a third-wicket stand of 72 to ensure the Windies had sporadic success on a day where rain was a constant bother.
Off-spinner Shane Shillingford, who made his debut in the last week’s first Test in Trinidad, was the Caribbean side’s best bowler picking up two for 91 from another marathon spell of 31 overs.
There were ominous signs for West Indies from the opening exchanges. Neither Smith nor Petersen was bothered by the opening salvo from Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul, as both pacers struggled to get anything out of a flat surface.
Both openers gathered runs freely, with Petersen taking two boundaries off Rampaul in the day’s fourth over that cost 13, and Smith also collecting a pair of off-side fours in medium pacer Dwayne Bravo’s second over.
The partnership was broken when Petersen top-edged a sweep off the first ball of Shillingford’s fifth over with the century partnership beckoning. He faced 70 balls and struck three fours and two sixes.
Any hopes of another quick breakthrough were diminished as Smith and Amla cashed in on the easy surface, riding their luck in the face of sloppy Windies fielding.
Smith benefited from two chances, dropped at 79 by Shiv Chanderpaul at square leg off Shillingford at 173 for one and again by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin at 112 off the same bowler at 245 for two.
Amla, who struck five fours in an uncharacteristically nervy and unsettled 99-ball stay at the crease, also survived a chance to Chris Gayle at first slip off Roach when 14 at 142 for one.
His agony was finally ended when he edged a straight ball from Shillingford to first slip where Bravo took an easy catch at 211 for two.
Smith marched on, striking the ball powerfully and gathering runs on both sides of the wicket. He moved into the 90s with successive sixes off part-time off-spinner Narsingh Deonarine, the first sailing over long-on and the second going straight overhead to propel him to 7 000 runs in Tests.
He reached his century with a sweep for three off Deonarine with South Africa cruising at 200 for one.
Roach came back in a new spell to account for the heavyset batsman late in the evening, as he pulled at a wide ball but only succeeded in cannoning the ball into his stumps.
Kallis has so far faced 104 balls, striking three fours and a six over long-off off left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.

SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings
G. Smith b Roach    132
A. Petersen c Roach b Shillingford    52
H. Amla c Bravo b Shillingford    44
J. Kallis not out    45
AB de Villiers not out    7
Extras: (lb-2, w-2, nb-12)    16     
Total: (3 wkts, 86 overs)    296
Fall of wickets: 1-99, 2-211, 3-283.
Bowling: Roach 14-2-45-1, Rampaul 6-0-32-0, Benn 18-3-64-0, Bravo 14-2-42-0, Shillingford 31-1-91-2, Deonarine 3-0-20-0.