Windies show they're also warriors

The life began leaking out of the opening day of South Africa's Test series against the West Indies at Port Elizabeth at 11.49am on Wednesday.

That was when Chris Gayle plonked a large foot too far forward as he tried to drive a delivery from left-arm spinner Paul Harris and steered a fat edge to slip, where Jacques Kallis was never going to drop the catch.

"Gayle blows, then goes," was one suggested headline.

Others wondered when last the home side had introduced a spinner almost 45 minutes before lunch on the first day.

Still others wanted to know whether Harris had broken some sort of record for South African spinners by taking a wicket with just his second ball.

By the close, which came six overs early due to bad light, such frivolity had faded with the sunshine.

The torrent of runs that had filled the morning session slowed to a mere trickle as the day wore on, and the Windies will resume their first innings on 281/4 on Thursday.

Marlon Samuels stood tall with a measured 94, an innings of grace, power and backbone. But as stumps were drawn, it was the ghost of Gayle's 66 that whispered loudest amid the shadows.

An age had passed, it seemed, since the tall left-hander made a nonsense of all the speculation about the state of his hamstring by swatting the Proteas' wayward bowling to all parts of St George's Park.

His first run was a sharpish single ending in a bellyflop that did not befit the laid-back machismo required of a man captaining - for the first time in a Test - one of the sport's great teams.

But after he had faced 42 balls and smote 10 of them for four with the disdain of a tiger ridding itself of flies with its tail, Gayle raised his bat to acknowledge the applause for his half-century. Who needs hamstrings when you can bat like that?

By contrast, it was a day in the twilight zone for South Africa, who had spent most of the morning chasing leather as punishment for the way they wasted the new ball.

Then Andre Nel had Daren Ganga caught behind for 33 to end the opening stand at 98, and two balls later Gayle was gone.

And then the South Africans' disciplines were severely tested as the visitors decided to bat properly for most of the rest of the day.

"It wasn't our best day for a while, but we know we're in a Test match now," coach Mickey Arthur admitted.

"But it's not the end of the world. We'll fight our way out of it."

None batted more properly than Samuels. At least, that applied to the period after he had been caught off a no-ball on 14 and, on 23, off a gloved hand that wasn't holding his bat.

Both times the bowler was Dale Steyn, and both of those decisions were made correctly by Pakistan umpire Aleem Dar.

By the time Samuels was dismissed, there was no questioning the authenticity of his innings, particularly not after having reeled six boundaries off consecutive overs bowled by Nel and Harris.

Just before the barrage, Nel exchanged hot words with Samuels.

"Off the field he has a very good personality, but on the field he's a warrior," Samuels said of South Africa's most demonstrative player.

"I'm also a warrior, so I'd like to thank him for saying a few words to hype me up a little more.

"They have written us off," Samuels said of critics who predicted that South Africa would dominate the three-Test series.

"But we are a bunch of talented guys. We've come out here to play some hard cricket and give South Africa a good challenge."

Warrior or not, Samuels cut a forlorn figure as he contemplated what might have been.

"I'm very disappointed to miss out on another century. I've missed out on a few," he said.

"I went out there knowing that South Africa's bowlers are consistent, and that's why I would have to be patient and dig in as much as possible. My work paid off well, but not well enough for me."

Samuels's dismissal put paid to a partnership of 111 runs he had shared with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who scrapped and scraped his way to an unbeaten 43 in three hours at the crease.

It is his wicket that will be the key for the home side this morning. Removing him early might well be the difference between a 320 and a 500 total by the Windies.

"We're aiming for 350 and up, because the pitch is going to get better," Samuels said.

Not for the first time, one of the Windies had things well sussed.