Lara half-century high point in West Indies poor batting display

South Africa, leading the five-match series 2-0, took the initiative thanks to the medium-pace swing of Jacques Kallis and Hansie Cronje, who both took three inexpensive wickets. South Africa had made 46-0 in their first innings by the close of play.

Fast bowlers Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock, the destroyers in the first two Tests, took only one wicket between them for 100 runs. Donald had to limp off before completing an over because of a thigh strain. He returned to the field but did not bowl again.

The West Indies made five changes from the side that was beaten by 178 runs in the second Test in Port Elizabeth but the only improvement was an opening stand of 50 between Philo Wallace and Junior Murray, the new opening pair=2E

Lara made 51 and wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs a fighting 39, while Wallace, Murray and 19-year-old new cap Darren Ganga all topped 20.

Kallis twice made crucial breakthroughs and finished with three for 18, while Cronje, whose first ball was pulled for six by Jacobs, claimed a Test-best three for 19.

With his side needing a win to stay in with a chance of taking the five-Test series, Lara seemed set to play an influential innings after the opening stand was followed by a mini-collapse in which three wickets fell within 25 balls.

Lara posted his first fifty of the series with a pulled six off David Terbrugge but miscued to mid-on when he tried to repeat the shot. He hit eight fours and a six in a 91-ball innings.

Wallace and Murray batted soundly after Cronje won the toss and sent the tourists in on an overcast day.

Wallace missed the second Test because of a fever, while reserve wicketkeeper Murray was picked after seeming to be the forgotten man of the tour when he did not play in any of the first seven matches.

Kallis struck with his eighth ball when Wallace edged a drive to Daryll Cullinan at first slip. It was the first of a series of loose shots as the West Indians again made a significant contribution to their own downfall.

Murray fell in the next over when he played across a ball from David Terbrugge and was lbw. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who made 182 in the match against South Africa A last weekend, made only four before driving at a wide ball from Kallis to reduce the tourists to 57 for three.

Lara and Hooper put on 48 for the fourth wicket before Hooper drove loosely at the third ball of Kallis' second spell and gave Cullinan his second catch.

Ganga batted for almost two hours and faced 94 in an innings in which he showed a calm temperament before he went back on his stumps against Pollock and was bowled off an inside edge. The tail subsided rapidly before Jacobs was the last man out, edging an extravagant drive against Cronje into his stumps.

South Africa also enjoyed easily their best opening stand of the series as Gary Kirsten and Herchelle Gibbs made a confident start, although Kirsten was dropped by Ganga at gully off Walsh when he had made just four runs.

The last two hours of the day were played under floodlights following a late agreement between the West Indian and South African boards. The use of floodlights to augment natural light did not apply in the first two Tests.