THIS was the stuff of which nightmares are made.

The images that would have had Brian Lara tossing and turning in the lead-up to his first Test back in South Africa as West Indies captain, all materialised on the first day of the series at the Wanderers Stadium here yesterday.

On a sweltering day of 35 degrees sunshine, his incorrect call at the toss gave South Africa the clear advantage of using a dry, unforgiving pitch.

Only Merv Dillon of the four fast bowlers measured up to the responsibility placed on them to exert a measure of control that leads to pressure on the opposition and the reward of a few wickets.

Although he passed the bat more than all the others put together, Dillon went wicketless for 20 overs, the last five with the second new ball, as South Africa amassed 368 for three from their 90 overs The major difference between him and the rest was the infrequency of his deliveries which could be dispatched to the boundary.

Of the 50 fours, and two sixes, struck by uncompromising batsmen, he yielded only five fours.

Fidel Edwards was regularly clocked at over 90 miles an hour, and once at 95, but his inexperience was obvious in his erratic direction that brought 12 fours from his 19 overs.

Corey Collymore, unre-cognisable as the West Indies' best bowler in the four Tests since his return to Test cricket last June, was taken for 13 fours, and a six, from 17 overs and the generally dependable Vasbert Drakes 11 off 19.

Given nine successive overs in the final session, Wavell Hinds' nine overs for 39 included seven fours.

Midway through the day, with South African captain Graeme Smith halfway towards his eventual 132 and his opening partnership with Herschelle Gibbs already worth 124 out of its 149 - a new record for South Africa against West Indies - the bad dream became uglier.

Chris Gayle, the one tolerable spinner available to Lara, joined Hinds in pursuit of a pull by Gibbs off Collymore towards the midwicket boundary.

As Hinds reached the ball, Gayle suddenly broke into a hobble before crashing to the grass, writhing in pain and clutching the back of his left thigh.

As he was helped from the ground leaning on the shoulders of teammates and physiotherapist Sunit Liebenberg, it was obvious it was another serious injury to add to those that have sent three West Indians back to the Caribbean.

Gayle, who was already nursing a bruised finger that forced him out of his usual position in the slips into the outfield, did not return.

The damage was later confirmed as a torn hamstring, the recovery time of which is a week to 10 days. It is enough for him to be ready for the second Test starting in Durban on December 26 but not for him to bat without a runner and great discomfort - and no higher than No.7 - in this match.

Without him Lara turned to Daren Ganga, no more than a practice bowler, to fill in with his own alleged off-spin that went for 26 from four overs in two spells.

As he did in England last summer, when he started with two double-centuries, the 22-year-old Smith put an immediate stamp on his first home series as South African captain.

The strapping left-hander's dominant innings, his fifth three-figure score in his 18th Test, laid the foundation for his team's formidable total.

Punching the ball with power and an unerring sense of placement, especially through the leg-side, he took 22 fours from the 184 balls from the mainly one-dimensional bowling.

His solitary chance was at 110 from the last ball before tea when he turned a leg-break from Ramnaresh Sarwan off his hip. Two yards behind him at leg-slip, Lara couldn't hold on to either of the two grabs he had at the difficult offering.

With so much in his favour and bowlers seemingly unaware of his strength off his legs, as compared to outside off-stump, Smith set the pattern for the day, possibly the series, in his stand of just under three hours with Gibbs.

Gibbs 60, with eight fours, was unusally measured. He appeared to be just finding the right gear when Collymore gained reprisal for a pulled six into the stand at mid-wicket by sneaking an off-cutter in between bat and pad to hit off and middle stumps.

The left-handed Jacques Rudolph spent 20 tortured minutes in the No.3 position he is unlikely to keep before Drakes found the outside edge on his drive and Lara swooped low to his left to gather the first of his two slip catches.

With a couple of wickets within 11 runs of each other, the West Indies might have sensed the chance of a significant breakthrough. But, instead of recalling Dillon or Edwards, Lara stuck to Hinds and Smith and Jacques Kallis settled in, adding 91 for the third wicket.

Smith could see another double-century in the making when he cut at one wide of the off-stump from Edwards 25 minutes after tea and Lara went low to his left at first slip to end the threat.

His partnership was worth 91 with Kallis who was then 31 and had just got the measure and conditions and the bowling.

Over the remaining two hours, 10 minutes, Kallis, who ended unbeaten 87, and Martin van Jaarasveld, 69, tightened the screws of the inadequate opposition in an unbroken stand of 128, also a wicket record for South Africa against the West Indies.

Van Jaarsveld just managed to keep out his second ball, a rare yorker from Edwards, but then revealed several handsome strokes, most off-drives and cuts that brought him 12 fours, outscoring the solid Kallis in the process.