Sometimes Test cricket is a war of attrition and this first day of the First Test was a perfect example. After easily losing the first session, when the West Indies were 101/1 at lunch, South Africa won day one, with the West Indies closing on a somewhat disappointing 232/7 after being 203/3 at one stage.

Brian Lara played some fine strokes in his 47, but also showed his lack of cricket when his concentration was broken by the bowler, Lance Klusener, after Lara had hit the bowler back over his head in the previous delivery for four.

Kluesener must have smiled to himself as he had his revenge the very next ball. Lara tried the stroke again, this time holing out to mid-off to be caught by Allan Donald. For once, the great batsman had been outfoxed.

Chris Gayle, the tall Jamaican opener, played like a champion and a batsman in form, displaying tremendous poise and elegance, playing with great assurance to get to 81, his highest Test score, before he swiped desperately at a wide Jacques Kallis delivery to be caught by wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.

Gayle's innings was so good, so pure, that even though he did so well, he would have been disappointed at the end, since he may have given away a century. The way he batted, he deserved it.

Seldom, perhaps not since Clive Lloyd in his heyday, has such straight driving, with such effortless ease, and then some with tremendous power, been seen at Bourda from a left-hander. It brought tears to the eyes.

Gayle and Marlon Samuels, who also played a wonderfully mature knock, for his 40, put on a partnership of 88 for the second wicket, before Samuels was completely beaten, baffled and bowled by one that turned from by Nicky Boje. That delivery was the best of the day. If Boje or Dininath Ramnarine could produce many of those, all of these Test matches will last no more than two days. Luckily for us, those deliveries are few and far between.

The great South African fast bowler, Alan Donald, showed how great he really is, coming back late in the evening when things were just going away from his team. He shot out Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ridley Jacobs in consecutive deliveries, both pitched nearly in the block-hole, to set the West Indies wobbling. He finished with 2/31 from 16 overs. That in itself was a good effort with the Bourda pitch playing with such bounce-less slowness.

Donald was helped considerably by the tireless Klusener, who has only recently had reconstruction surgery on his knee. Not unlike England's Tony Greig in 1974, Klusener, more from necessity than design, must now run a shorter distance for delivery, but still commands respect, since about 95% of his deliveries have to be played by the batsmen. That spell on day one, bowling almost unchanged for the last two sessions, to finish with the magnificent return of 2/31 from 26 overs, shows what being a professional cricketer is all about.

Wavell Hinds, Sarwan and Jacobs all failed, and from being 101/1 at lunch, the West Indies will now have to depend heavily on their captain and the rest of the bowlers, to perhaps see their team to over 300.

Yes, it was a scramble and a bit scrappy at times too, but, all things being equal, South Africa probably had the better sleep after the first day.

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