Fierce fast bowling from Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel set them up and captain Graeme Smith then plundered an unbeaten 79 to put South Africa in command of the opening Test against the West Indies on Saturday.
Steyn captured five wickets for 29 runs from 14 overs, while Morkel supported with four for 19 from 13 overs, as the West Indies were dismissed for their lowest total against South Africa of 102 about 45 minutes before tea.
“Morne bowled fantastically well,” Steyn said. “He set the standard in the morning session with three early wickets for us. Once the ball started reverse swinging, we came back into the game, myself and the low skiddy bowlers, but I thought we bowled fantastically well.”
The Proteas, with a first-innings lead of 250, chose not to enforce the follow-on to rest their hardworking and sore fast bowlers in particular and Smith profited to lead his side to 155 for two at the close on the third day at the Queen’s Park Oval.
They have a lead of 405.
South Africa lost Alviro Petersen leg before wicket playing across to Sulieman Benn for 22, following an opening stand of 56 with Smith, and Hashim Amla, caught at extra cover off Shane Shillingford for 5.
Smith reached his 50 from 78 balls when he chopped a delivery from Benn to backward point and Brendan Nash mis-fielded to allow him the luxury of a single.
He and Jacques Kallis, not out on 40, then spent the remainder of the evening in an unfinished stand of 76 for the third wicket that further broke the spirit of their opponents.
“We’ll try to keep them out in the sun for a little bit longer,” Steyn said. “We will bat until we feel comfortable that we have enough runs with which to play, and go out there and do the business again with the ball.”
Steyn transformed the complexion of the match after the West Indies continued from their lunchtime position of 65 for three.
The 27-year-old sliced through the middle and lower order to become the fifth South African bowler to take 200 wickets in Tests behind Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Allan Donald and teammate Jacques Kallis.
“It was another great day to be South African again,” Steyn said. “Individually, it was great to have the honor of a five-for and picking up my 200th Test wicket, but it was a day about our team.”
Before lunch, Morkel had run through the top order in a decisive opening spell when he ripped out makeshift opener Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, in controversial circumstances, and West Indies captain Chris Gayle in successive overs to leave the home team on 12 for three.
After lunch, Steyn had Shivnarine Chanderpaul caught at short fine-leg by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for 26 fending a fast, short, rising delivery, which marked the end of a flourishing stand of 59 for the fourth wicket with Narsingh Deonarine.
That triggered a dramatic collapse that sent the West Indies plunging from 71 for three to 75 for nine in the space of 28 balls spanning close to half an hour.
When Steyn, playing in his 39th Test, breached Benn’s feeble front-foot defensive stroke and bowled him for a duck, it was his landmark dismissal. Only three bowlers have achieved the milestone in fewer Tests — Clarrie Grimmett of Australia holds the record of 36 matches, his compatriot Dennis Lillee and Pakistan’s Waqar Younis needed two more Tests.
Jacques Kallis put the West Indies out of their misery when he had Nelon Pascal caught at mid-wicket for 2.
Earlier, Morkel benefited from a questionable decision from video umpire Simon Taufel of Australia that removed Nash for 1.
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