Robin Bailey: "Brian Lara was brilliant again" (BBC News 24)

They rang the changes after losing the first two Tests but it failed to pay off as support bowlers Jacques Kallis and Hansie Cronje picked up three wickets each.

Captain Brian Lara contibuted his fifty of the series before mis-timing a pull off David Terbrugge and wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs made 39.

But the last five wickets fell for 20 runs and South Africa pressed hoem their advantage by reaching 46 for nought by the close, despite batting under floodlights because of fading light.

Kallis: Benefitted from some loose shots

West Indies tried a new opening pair of Philo Wallace and Junior Murray and they responded with a half century stand.

But Wallace played a loose shot to a delivery for Kallis and was caught for 21 and Murray was lbw to Terbrugge two runs later.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul fell cheaply and Lara had a stroke of luck when he was trapped in front by Terbrugge, only for as no ball to be called against the red-haired seam bowler.

Carl Hooper helped Lara add 48 for the fouyrth wicket but then flashed at a wide ball from Kallis, who finished with three for 18.

Lara played some good strokes and was furious with himself when he got out for 51, leaving 19-year-old debutant Darren Ganga and Jacobs with the job of seeing them to a respectable total.

Ganga scored 28 before he was bowled by Pollock and South African skipper Cronje swept through the tail as the tourists were all out in 71.1 overs.

Home openers Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs failed in the Port Elizabeth Test but batted doggedly under the lights - a policy used in South African domestic cricket - to prevent any loss before the close.

Scorecard

West Indies 1st innings:

P Wallace c Cullinan b Kallis 21
J Murray lbw b Terbrugge 29
S Chanderpaul c Boucher b Kallis 4
B Lara c Cronje b Terbrugge 51
C Hooper c Cullinan b Kallis 10
D Ganga b Pollock 28
R Jacobs b Cronje 39
R Lewis c Cullinan b Cronje 0
F Rose c Kallis b Cronje 6
C Ambrose run out 0
C Walsh not out 0

Extras (5lb, 5nb) 10
Total (all out, 71.1 overs) 198

Fall: 1-50 2-52 3-57 4-105 5-133 6-178 7-179 8-185 9-186

Bowling: Donald 13.4-1-55-0, Pollock 23.2-8-45-1, Terbrugge 12-2-39-2, Kallis 10-3-18-3, Symcox 8-1-17-0, Cronje 4.1-0/19-3

South Africa 1st innings:

G Kirsten not out 15
H Gibbs not out 26

Extras (4b, 1nb) 5
Total (for no wicket, 16 overs) 46

To bat: J Kallis, D Cullinan, H Cronje J Rhodes, S Pollock, M Boucher, P Symcox, A Donald, D Terbrugge.