AP Photo
South Africa's Ashwell Prince (left) after hitting a ball, while West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin (partly hidden) and skipper Chris Gayle (right) react during the third day of the second cricket Test match in Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CMC):

Faced with a potentially tricky deficit of 78 runs, the West Indies faltered badly in the final 90 minutes of the third day of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands yesterday.

In a collapse that was reminiscent not as dramatic, of their second innings on the third evening of the first Test in Port Elizabeth, the tourists lost four wickets for 34 runs to limp to the close at 96 for four.

It came after a makeshift opening partnership between Daren Ganga and Denesh Ramdin seemed to have set them on the way to ensuring that they would be faced with a challenging target in the final innings of an absorbing contest.

The huge difference in the two situations is that a week ago the Caribbean side already had what proved a match-winning first-innings lead of 213. Now, just 16 runs ahead with only six second- innings wickets in hand, they will be relying heavily on their most experienced batsman and their captain to drag them towards a respectable total.

Crucial dismissal

Batting down the order for the first time since a similar hamstring injury four years ago on the last tour of South Africa, Chris Gayle would have hoped to come to the crease on the fourth day, thereby giving himself more time for further treatment and rest. But the crucial dismissal of Marlon Samuels forced his appearance and he will resume with Shivnarine Chanderpaul this morning seeking to defy a determined South African pace attack throughout the first session.

With his captain still receiving treatment after the home side were eventually dismissed for 321 less than an hour after lunch, Ramdin reportedly volunteered to open the batting with his national team captain. It was an expression of purpose from the wicketkeeper-batsman - who had previously been struggling desperately for runs in the series - typifying the entire West Indies attitude since the start of the series on Boxing Day.

Early assault

Though making laborious pro-gress, the pair defied the early assault from the South Africans, which included Dale Steyn, who had batted with a runner earlier as a precautionary measure.

The complicated rules relating to injuries and allowing substitutes and runners for players were further tested when Gayle strode out to the middle in the late afternoon with Runako Morton as his runner his original hamstring injury had been sustained more than a month earlier in Zimbabwe.

Ramdin was dominating the partnership with Ganga, taking the score to 59, before he fell for a fighting 32, caught by his South African counterpart, Mark Boucher off the bowling off Jacques Kallis.

Prince played one of the finest knocks of his international career in pulling his side to what has now proved to be a significant first- innings advantage. After being dropped twice in the 90s, he proved to be his own worst enemy when he ran himself out on 98 seeking a suicidal second run, only to be found well short of his ground by Jerome Taylor's powerful throw from third man to Ramdin over the stumps.

On a pitch offering enough seam movement to make run-scoring difficult against disciplined bowling, the West Indies top order struggled to establish momentum without Gayle there to take on the South African seamers and the new ball in his usual spectacular fashion. The scoring rate was painfully slow throughout the afternoon as the 96 runs came off 50 generally accurate overs on a warm, gloriously sunny day.

SCOREBOARD

WEST INDIES 1st Innings 243

SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings

(overnight 218 for five)

G Smith c wkpr Ramdin b Taylor