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Smith’s ton put South Africa in commanding position
Shane Shillingford celebrates West Indies
By Sean Devers
Under mostly overcast skies on a hard, flat Warner Park pitch which looked like a straw-coloured road, South Africa reached 296-3 before bad light stopped play with four overs remaining yesterday on the opening day of the 2nd Digicel Test against the West Indies in St Kitts.
Graeme Smith led from the front with a magnificent 132 with 9 fours and three sixes in his 21st Test century and 7th against the West Indies.
This was after he had won the toss and gleefully elected to bat as South Africa played the same team which won the opening Test last Sunday in Trinidad by 163 runs with over a day to spare.
Smith batted carefully to reach 45 by Lunch while Alviro Petersen looked confident in only his 3rd Test before he top-edged a sweep at off-spinner Shane Shillingford and was taken at short-fine leg for 52 at 99-1.
Petersen, who scored a century on debut against India in February, hit 3 fours and 2 sixes in his innings and along with Smith batted without bother against an ordinary new-ball attack of Kemar Roach (who replaced Nelon Pascal) and a sub-standard looking Ravi Rampaul.
Left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn was introduced in the 6th over and after a few overs from Dwayne Bravo, he and Shillingford operated in tandem until rain stopped play five minutes before the scheduled lunch break.
At Lunch, Hasim Amla, who dominated the ODI series, was yet to score, his Captain, who scored 90 in the first Test, five away from his 28th half-century and the West Indians, beaten 8 times in succession in this series, looking deflated and void of passion in murky conditions. After the Interval, a small working day crowd watched as Smith and Amla progressed confidently on a nightmare of a pitch for the bowlers at a venue where the only previous Test it hosted ended in a high-scoring draw against India four years ago. On that occasion 1,412 runs were scored and 30 wickets fell as Ramnaresh Sarwan and Daren Ganga scored tons for the West Indies who made 581 in the first innings of the contest.
Gayle, at slip, put down a regulation catch off Roach to let Amla off on 14 and Smith soon reached his ton on the ‘graveyard’ track.
Smith and Amla set the record for the highest 2nd wicket stand by South Africa against West Indies with their 199 partnership in Durban in 2008 but the impressive Shillingford, who took 2-91 from 31 overs, ensured their partnership only reached 110 yesterday when he had Amla (44) taken at slip by Bravo to leave the score on 211-2.
Jacques Kallis smashed 22 from 16 balls by Tea and along with Smith, who was unbeaten on 106, saw their team to 237-2 by the break.
After Tea, Shillingford got one to pitch leg-stump and spin across the left-handed Smith only to watch in horror as Denish Ramdin floored the simple catch with the South African Skipper on 112.
The Dominican off-spinner toiled hard and long and every now and then got the ball to really spin, but on pitches like the one here catches like the ones Gayle and Ramdin grassed must be taken.
Smith was eventually bowled by Roach at 283-3 but Kallis (45), who has scored 7 of his 34 Test hundreds against the West Indies, saw his team to the close in fading light. AB deVilliers was with him on 17.
Shillingford, who made an auspicious debut in Trinidad, has been the pick of the bowlers and could have a lot more work to do today as South Africa hope to pile on the pressure even as the prospect of more rain looms.
Scores: South Africa 296 for 3 (Smith 132, Petersen 52, Amla 44) v West Indies.
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