BLOEMFONTEIN, (Reuters) - Nineteen-year-old Trinidadian pace bowler Ravi Rampaul took five for 55 but West Indies let Free State off the hook on day three of their four-day tour match yesterday.
Resuming on three for two in their first innings in reply to West Indies daunting 618, Free State battled from 114 for seven at lunch to 264 all out.
West Indies opted for batting practice instead of enforcing the follow-on and were 39 for two in their second innings when bad light stopped play 10 overs early.
A result inside three days looked possible when Rampaul cut a swathe through the Free State batting, reducing the provincial side to 86 for six before lunch with the first four wickets of the morning.
But the afternoon session belonged to the home side, led by Kosie Venter who struck 79 in a feisty riposte before swinging across the line at Chris Gayle.
Then Dillon du Preez clattered his way 56 on his first class debut, striking six fours and two sixes in his 66-ball stay.
West Indies management meanwhile confirmed they have called up Barbadian right-hand batsman Dwayne Smith, 20, as replacement for Marlon Samuels who has been forced to withdraw from the tour due to a knee injury.
WEST INDIES first innings 618 (S.Chanderpaul 245, R.Jacobs 149, B.Lara 72, R.Sarwan 51)
Free State first innings (overnight 3-2)
R.Arendse b Rampaul 1
J.Beukes c Baugh b Dillon 0
G.Liebenberg c Lara b Rampaul 34
R.McLaren b Rampaul 31
J.Schorn c Gayle b Rampaul 5
G.Botha lbw b Rampaul 6
J.Venter b Gayle 79
W.Deacon c Chanderpaul b Ganga 15
T.Tshabalala c Ganga b Hinds 18
D.du Preez c Sarwan b Dillon 56
T.Motsamai not out 9
Extras (lb-5 w-1 nb-4) 10
Total (all out, 78.1 overs) 264
Fall of wickets: 1-1 2-1 3-56 4-66 5-77 6-86 7-114 8-171 9-228