Test ambling towards boring stalemate

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC):

Rain and dour batting from West Indies combined to transform the fourth day of the second Test against South Africa into a humdrum affair at Warner Park yesterday.

Starting the day well poised to push on at 424 for four, West Indies were hampered by negative batting and then a long rain interruption before eventually being bowled out for 546, taking a slim three-run lead on first innings.

In the 11 overs available at the close, South Africa had reached 23 without loss, with the game ambling towards a boring draw.

All told, only 145 runs were scored in the day for the loss of six wickets, with 76.1 overs sent down.

In between, Shiv Chanderpaul carried his overnight unbeaten 151 to 166 and Dwayne Bravo completed his 12th half-century in Tests with 53, but they were both negative in their approach in the first session, and it set the tone for the day.

Late fireworks from Sulieman Benn, who was last out for 26, and Ravi Rampaul who got 31, brightened an otherwise dull day.

South Africa were kept wicketless in an extremely slow first session as Chanderpaul and Bravo, showing no signs of haste, added just 39 runs from the 26 overs bowled.

The left-handed Chanderpaul moved sluggishly to 163 in adding a mere 12 runs from 66 balls while Bravo, slightly more aggressive, was unbeaten on 44 after resuming on 21, as West Indies crawled to 463 without further loss.

Perhaps the only highlight of the morning's play - other than a sharp shower that caused a short break in play - was a sweetly driven boundary by Bravo off fast bowler Dale Steyn, which raced through mid-off.

Apart from that, both batsmen were content to be defensive on a pitch offering nothing to bowlers.

SCOREBOARD

SOUTH AFRICA 543-6 decl. (AB de Villiers 135 not out, Graeme Smith 132, Jacques Kallis 110; Shane Shillingford 3-193)

WEST INDIES 1st innings

(overnight 424 for four)

C Gayle b Morkel 50T Dowlin c de Villiers b Morkel 10N Deonarine b Steyn 65S Chanderpaul c & b Harris 166B Nash run out 114D Bravo c wkpr Boucher b Harris 53+D Ramdin c Petersen b Tsotsobe 1S Shillingford c de Villiers b Kallis 7S Benn c Kallis b Morkel 26R Rampaul c wkpr Boucher b Morkel31K Roach not out 1Extras (b1, lb7, w7, nb7) 22TOTAL (all out; 181.1 overs) 546

Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Dowlin), 2-106 (Gayle), 3-151 (Deonarine), 4-371 (Nash), 5-471 (Chanderpaul), 6-476 (Ramdin), 7-486 (Bravo), 8-486 (Shillingford), 9-545 (Rampaul), 10-546 (Benn).

Bowling: Steyn 29-4-105-1, Morkel 34.1-9-116-4, Tsotsobe 28-10-68-1, Harris 62-9-165-2, Kallis 23-7-65-1, Petersen 5-0-19-0.

SOUTH AFRICA 2nd innings

G Smith not out 13A Petersen not out 8Extras (w2) 2TOTAL (without loss; 11 overs) 23

Bowling: Roach 2-0-8-0, Rampaul 2-0-7-0, Benn 4-1-5-0, Shillingford 3-1-3-0.

Position: South Africa lead by 20 runs.

Umpires: Asad Rauf, Simon Taufel; TV - Steve Davis.

Match referee: Jeff Crowe.