By Neil Manthorp.
Kagiso Rabada (18-3-56-3) claimed three late wickets and Keshav Maharaj (40-15-76-4) completed a four-wicket haul to help dismiss the West Indies for 233 before South Africa reached 30-0 on a rain-hit fourth day of the first test at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Saturday.
Play finally began only after tea after persistent rain, and when the only session was complete, the visitors led by 154 runs in their second innings with just the final day to play.
The home side finally resumed on 145-4 in reply to South Africa’s first innings total of 357 in which Proteas captain, Temba Bavuma, top scored with 86 from 182 deliveries with opener Tony de Zorzi scoring a patient 78 on the second day.
Rabada had Kavem Hodge (25) caught at slip by David Bedingham after Aiden Markram bowled Jason Holder (36) with a perfect off-spinner and Rabada trapped Kemar Roach (8) lbw after snaring Gudakesh Motie lbw for a duck.
Lungi Ngidi (1-26) wrapped the innings up by trapping Jayden Seales (4) lbw.
Opener De Zorzi galloped to 14* from 16 balls while Aiden Markram reached 9* as the tourists attempted to keep the pressure on the home side with just a day remaining and further inclement weather forecast.
A slow and unresponsive pitch has so far offered all of the bowlers little assistance and the tourists’ scoring rate of three runs per over was a reflection of the little pace there was for the batsmen to work with.
The West Indies run rate barely crept over two runs per over.
“Hopefully we can get a full day because that will obviously give us a realistic chance of getting a result,” said South Africa captain Bavuma after his team made the most of the limited playing time on day four.
“To use the old cliche, we will have to take care of the first hour to set it up and if it’s going our way then we can throw caution to the wind to see what happens.
“But it’s imperative that we set it up in that first hour,” he added.
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Mikyle Louis, Keacy Carty, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wkt), Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican
South Africa: Aidan Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.