Smith hits debut century as WI earn draw

Dwayne Smith, hit a spectacular century on debut as the West Indies earned a draw in the third Test against South Africa.

Dwayne Smith, plucked from relative obscurity by West Indian selection convenor Viv Richards, hit a spectacular century on debut as the West Indies earned a draw in the third Test against South Africa at Newlands on Tuesday.

HT Image

It was the first time in eight Tests over two tours of South Africa that the West Indies had avoided defeat, although the draw clinched a series win for South Africa, who lead the four-match series 2-0.

Smith, six days short of his 21st birthday, slammed 15 fours and two sixes as he reached his hundred off 93 balls. He finished with 105 not out in a West Indian total of 354 for five. They had been set an improbable 441 to win off 105 overs.

West Indian captain Brian Lara (86) and vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan (69) laid the foundation for the draw with a third wicket stand of 156.

The two senior batsmen were dismissed on either side of tea.

Thoughts that the West Indies would settle for playing out time were quickly dispelled by Smith, who played a dazzling array of strokes.

He drove, hooked and pulled his way to a half-century off 52 balls, reaching the mark with a straight six off left-arm spinner Paul Adams.

Smith dominated a stand of 72 with Wavell Hinds and was on 60 when Hinds was bowled by Shaun Pollock in the second over with the new ball.

There were still 22 overs to be negotiated but Smith continued to attack, hitting a straight four and an astonishing front-foot cover drive for six off Makhaya Ntini in the next over.

He reached his century with a flurry of three fours in four balls from Andre Nel.

Smith was a surprise choice as a replacement after Marlon Samuels returned home with a knee injury. He had played only 14 first-class matches for Barbados and had a modest career average of 22.80, which included a single century and no half-centuries.

But convenor Richards was watching when the unheralded Smith hit nine sixes in an unbeaten 92 for Barbados against Guyana in a one-day match and decided the youngster had enough potential to play international cricket.

He got his chance to make his Test debut when Shivnarine Chanderpaul pulled out of the Newlands Test with a thigh injury.

Lara, who vowed after the second Test that there would be no repeat of the whitewash defeat his side suffered in South Africa in 1998/99, played his second crucial innings of the match after making 115 in the first innings.

The Lara-Sarwan stand raised a slight possibility that the West Indies would seek a historic win, attempting to eclipse the world record 418 they made in the fourth innings to beat Australia in St John's, Antigua, last May.

There were 238 runs needed at just over five an over when Lara was caught behind by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher off a bottom edge when he tried to pull Nel. Lara made his 86 off 138 balls with 14 fours.

Sarwan fell 10 overs later when a ball from Ntini reared up and hit the splice of his bat before spooning to Herschelle Gibbs at gully.

Ntini took two early wickets, dismissing opening batsmen Daren Ganga and Chris Gayle after South Africa declared at their overnight total of 335 for three, giving themselves 105 overs in which to bowl out their opponents on a day extended because of time lost to rain on the fourth day.

Rain interrupted play briefly again Tuesday, causing the lunch break to be taken 10 minutes early.

Boucher took two catches, which took him into third position on the all-time list of Test wicketkeepers with 271 victims in 70 matches, ahead of West Indian Jeff Dujon (270) and Alan Knott of England on 269.

The only wicketkeepers ahead of him are Australia's Ian Healy (395) and Rodney Marsh (355).