Bravo enlivens drab final day

South Africa 588 for 6 dec (Kallis 147, Prince 131, Smith 126, de Villiers 114) and 127 for 1 (Smith 50*, Dippenaar 56*) drew with West Indies 747 (Gayle 317, Sarwan 127, Chanderpaul 127, Bravo 107)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Dwayne Bravo's maiden Test century was the highlight of the final day of the long-dead-and-buried Antigua Test, but he will hope that his next hundred comes in rather more memorable circumstances. His was the eighth three-figure score of the match - a new world record - as West Indies were finally extracted for a jumbo total of 747, leaving them just four runs shy of the ground record, as set by West Indies themselves against England last year.

In the 31 overs that were available before an early finish, South Africa reached 127 for 1, with both Graeme Smith and Boeta Dippenaar making unbeaten half-centuries. A match that had been played for the most part with a shrug of the shoulders ended on an unwarranted sour note, however, when Wavell Hinds and Graeme Smith had a very public disagreement as the last rites of the game were played out. The scene was untypical of a largely good-humoured series.

Given the circumstances of the match, South Africa's innings contained several moments of improbable excitement. AB de Villiers, with one century in the bag already, seemed intent on raising a second before the close, when he clobbered Tino Best for three fours from the first three balls he faced. But he then skewed his fourth - a optimistic bouncer - straight to Dwight Washington at mid-on. Four overs later, Smith came within a hair's breadth of a similar cock-up - but after a brief consultation, Narsingh Deonarine admitted that he wasn't sure if his catch at midwicket had carried.

The closing stages of the West Indian innings had been equally farcical, as all 11 South Africans were called upon to bowl - as had been the case when the Indians visited in 2001-02. Even the wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, with just 18 first-class deliveries to his name, turned his arm over, and, lo and behold, it was he who ended the innings, when Bravo slapped a rank long-hop to Ashwell Prince at cover. It was an undignified end to an important innings for the 21-year-old Bravo, whose marshalling of the tail was proof of a maturity beyond his years.

For the fourth day out of five, there were two batsmen celebrating centuries (yesterday, by way of contrast, it was one batsman - Gayle - celebrating twice). South Africa took to the field in the morning session like condemned men, and little wonder. Chanderpaul was 82 not out overnight, and as he continued to bat with a singular lack of urgency, it was left to Makhaya Ntini to keep his team-mates' spirits up, as he celebrated bringing up his "century" by borrowing a bail and holding it aloft to milk his applause.

Pollock, who might now wish that his ankle had not been passed fit for this game, later followed suit, and of the frontline bowlers, only Jacques Kallis (0 for 96) and Nicky Boje (0 for 76) managed to avoid the same ignominy. Boje, in fact, never took the field at all. He was examined by a cardiologist after suffering from irregular breathing during the tea interval on the fourth afternoon, and took no further part in the match. Haroon Lorgat, the convenor of selectors, later confirmed that they would be exercising caution and Boje was duly withdrawn from the one-day squad.

South Africa's first breakthrough of the day was a bolt from the blue, but an entirely appropriate one at that. An amble down to deep mid-on, a casual pick-up and a speculative throw, and Pollock pulled off a direct hit run-out to end Chanderpaul's 287-ball vigil and inject some fresh colour into the match. And, as so often happens, one wicket heralded two, when Smith struck the new batsman, Courtney Browne, flush on the toe and sent him on his way for a sixth-ball duck.

That wicket ensured a pleasing symmetry remained on the West Indian scorecard (century, single-figure, century, single-figure ... well, you've got to keep yourself amused somehow ...) and Bravo duly obliged with his maiden hundred to maintain the pattern and level the individual centuries tally at 4-4. Simple pleasures for the statistically minded, but little consolation for those who prefer their cricket to be a contest between bat and ball.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul run out (Pollock) 127 (665 for 6)
Speculative throw, direct hit from deep mid-on

Courtney Browne lbw Smith 0 (665 for 7)
Full toss, hit on toe in front of off stump

Daren Powell b de Villiers 12 (700 for 8)
Inswinging yorker - remarkably good delivery

Tino Best c Gibbs b de Villiers 5 (712 for 9)
Slogged high to midwicket

Dwayne Bravo c Prince b Boucher 107 (747)
Slapped rank long-hop to cover

AB de Villiers c Washington b Best 12 (14 for 1)
Three fours in three balls, then toe-ended slog to mid-on