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The first day of the third Test yesterday followed what has become a familiar and, for the West Indies, frustrating pattern at Kensington Oval.

Like all four teams batting first against them in the preceding five Tests on the ground, South Africa recovered from an uncertain start to reach a comfortable, if not commanding, 244 for five by close.

They owed their position to Daryll Cullinan's unbeaten 108, his second hundred in successive Tests and his 14th all told, and his fourth- wicket partnership of 149 with Neil McKenzie, who made 72.

Cullinan, 34 and in his 68th Test, came in 20 minutes to lunch and batted without blemish and perfect judgement through the remaining four-and-a-half hours, stroking 11 fours.

Vicious ball

Sent in after West Indies captain Carl Hooper won the toss, South Africa endured a difficult morning in which they lost Gary Kirsten to Courtney Walsh's third, vicious ball of the match and Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis to the erratic Merv Dillon just before lunch to be 58 for three. They would have been relieved not to lose more in the first session on a pitch with preparation moisture that encouraged bounce and movement. The bowlers simply didn't properly exploit the conditions.

As the surface dried in the hot sunshine, Cullinan and McKenzie made the most of the improving conditions, a missed catch and lifeless bowling and fielding to mount their rescue.

They had changed the course of the innings when Hooper summoned his partnership-breaker of the second Test, Wavell Hinds, deep into the day for the 73rd over. Once more, the left-handed opening batsmen, who trundles decent right-arm medium-pace when called on, obliged by dispatching McKenzie with his eighth ball.

Inviting long-hop

Hinds had taken a wicket with his third ball in Test cricket in the Queen's Park Oval Test. This time, he served up an inviting long-hop that McKenzie pulled hard and straight into square-leg's lap.

McKenzie is an attractive 25-year-old right-hander in his 13th Test. He had struggled in the first two Tests and his place was apparently in jeopardy. Perhaps he was inspired by the presence in the stands of his father, Kevin, himself an outstanding batsman during the years of South Africa's isolation and rebel series.

He responded with positive strokeplay that yielded a pulled six in an over from Dillon that also brought one of his ten fours (one all run) in just over the three hours he spent with Cullinan restoring the balance. His only chance came three-quarters-of-an-hour to tea, at 142 for three when he was 43, during the best spell of the day from the best and unluckiest of the bowlers, Cameron Cuffy.

The tall fast bowler, in his first Test for four years, induced a loose drive that reached Hinds at short extra-cover, two-handed and low to his right. It was not an easy catch but it was far from difficult. It certainly was deflating as the West Indies had to wait another hour-and-a-half and 65 runs before Hinds' golden arm struck.

Six overs later, Cuffy was within an inch of removing Cullinan, then 49, the uncertain edge arriving to Brian Lara at first slip on the half-volley.

He had also seen Gibbs put down at cover before lunch to a similar stroke to that which gave McKenzie his life. It was hit harder than McKenzie's but straighter to Marlon Samuels who let the ball burst through his grasp on the way to the boundary.

It meant Cuffy had to wait for his reward until the 85th over, with the second new ball, when he induced an edge to the wicket-keeper from Mark Boucher.

It brought in the left-handed Nicky Boje, two places above his advertised position but, for someone with a Test average of 27, hardly a night-watchman.With Cullinan still in and dangerous strikers Lance Klusener and captain Shaun Pollock to come, the kind of totals England, Australia and Pakistan have built after similarly shaky first-day starts over the last three years is on the cards.

In 1998, hundreds by Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe carried England from 53 for four to 403. A year later, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting were the three-figure men as Australia moved from 36 for three to 490. Last season, Pakistan were 37 for five yet reached 253.

The West Indies were more culpable in the recovery now than on any of the previous occasions. Hooper had done his homework on the pitch yet might have been surprised that it was as spirited as it was. He would also have been disappointed that his three fast bowlers could not make more of it.

Kirsten was startled by Walsh's first ball that flew over his back to Ridley Jacobs and had no answer to the third that spat at him from a length to find the fending gloves for a lobbed catch to third slip. While Walsh continued to cause problems with his usual control, Dillon wasted his opportunity and all day was well below his standards in the second innings of the previous Test. He was replaced after two overs by Cuffy but even though he checked the scoring, he was too often too wide and too short as Gibbes and Kallis carefully built a partnership of 53.

Hooper was forced into using leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine 17 overs into the match and South Africa appeared to have taken the early initiative when Dillon returned to remove both Gibbs and Kallis. The West Indies went to lunch at 70 for three with the clear advantage but, not for the first time, couldn't retain it.

© The Barbados Nation