Kallis and Prince steady South Africa

South Africa 525 for 4 (Kallis 127*, Prince 114*) v West Indies
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

On the first day in Antigua, South Africa owed their ascendancy to their captain, Graeme Smith, and their most junior batsman, AB de Villiers, who exploited a typical Recreation Ground featherbed to produce a double-century partnership that left West Indies ruing their first lost toss of the series. Aside from an uncharacteristic wobble in the morning session, the second day followed an identical pattern, as South Africa's senior batsman, Jacques Kallis, combined with the relative rookie, Ashwell Prince, to carry their side pass 500 for the second innings in succession.

Antigua is, quite justifiably, regarded as Brian Lara's spiritual home - the venue at which he has twice claimed the individual batting world record. Today, however, it belonged to another giant of the modern era, albeit one whose place in the pantheon will be begrudgingly granted via the tradesman's entrance. Kallis is not a player who aims to please. His 22nd Test hundred, from 212 balls with 11 fours and a six, carried him clear of his old team-mate, Gary Kirsten, at the top of South Africa's all-time list of centurymakers and run-scorers. It was not an innings to stir the soul. But it was mighty effective nonetheless.

And it was mighty timely as well. Kallis began his innings amid an improbable panic in the South African ranks. After their stately progress on the first day, Smith and de Villiers had been parted in the space of four balls, and when Boeta Dippenaar was needlessly run out soon afterwards, three wickets had tumbled in 21 balls. Herschelle Gibbs's dismissal on the stroke of lunch made it four wickets for 50 runs in the session, and at 295 for 4, West Indies were a quick strike or two from parity.

But no situation could have been better laid out for Kallis. All three of his favourite factors - time to build an innings, a pitch on which to do so, and most pertinently of all, a West Indian attack to get stuck into - were in place and he set his stall out for two sessions of inevitable accumulation. In 12 consecutive innings against West Indies, dating back to the beginning of the home series in 2003-04, Kallis has compiled an astonishing run of scores: 158, 44, 177, 73, 130*, 130*, 0, 109*, 39, 19*, 78 and now 127*. That is a total of 1084 runs at an average of 154.86. Not even Lara's Antiguan love-in (19 innings at 90.44) can match that.

It wasn't a one-man show, however, and Kallis had to share top billing with a man at the opposite end of the career ladder. In the second Test against Zimbabwe earlier this year, Prince had registered his maiden Test century but was omitted for the early part of this series to accommodate an extra bowler. Today, that slight was writ large across this performance, not least in the understated manner in which he celebrated his first overseas hundred for South Africa. By the close, Prince had done his utmost to ensure that he will never again be the fall guy in the batting order.

He had one stroke of luck early in his innings. At 313 for 4, South Africa had still not recovered from their morning wobble when Prince, on 9, appeared to have been caught behind off Chris Gayle. The West Indians were certainly convinced but umpire Billy Bowden was unmoved. After that, the fight appeared to go out of West Indies, as Chanderpaul delayed the introduction of the new ball to allow the part-timers, Wavell Hinds and Narsingh Deonarine, an extended spell. It seemed excessively negative, but as soon as he switched his strategy, Kallis and Prince climbed into the bowling, and ensured that Antigua lived up to its reputation as a batsman's paradise.

A fifth wicket in quick succession might have made the difference for West Indies, for South Africa's collapse had come quite out of the blue. Both Smith and de Villiers began the day by tucking into some generous bowling and fielding, but when Tino Best decided to come around the wicket to de Villiers, he immediately induced a leg-side tickle off an attempted bouncer. Smith mistimed a drive to mid-on, Dippenaar was run out, and Gibbs squeezed a bat-pad chance to short leg. It was not panic stations, but the tremors were plain to see. Kallis and Prince, however, could not be deflected from their task, as South Africa moved inexorably towards their third overseas victory in a row.

AB de Villiers c Browne b Best 114 (245 for 1)
Round the wicket, gloved short ball to keeper

Graeme Smith c Washington b Powell 126 (245 for 2)
Mistimed drive, lobbed to mid-on

Boeta Dippenaar run out 5 (251 for 3)
Ran two to midwicket, thought about a third, sent back by Kallis

Herschelle Gibbs c Deonarine b Gayle 23 (295 for 4)
Regulation bat-pad chance to short leg