THE West Indies roused themselves to play proper Test cricket here yesterday.

It was a day late and they had little option but damage-limitation after their dismal performance on the opening day effectively put them out of the match.

South Africa resumed in the all but invincible position of 363 for three and thoughtful and disciplined bowling from all concerned, in conspicuous contrast to the slovenly fare served up on Friday, chiseled away their last seven wickets for 193 from 58 overs.

It took the solidity of Jacques Kallis to hold the inn-ings together against the spirited West Indian revival. He converted his overnight 89 to 158, following his captain Graeme Smith as the second century-maker of the innings with his 12th in Tests.

The comparative statistics were revealing.

South Africa had raced along at just over four runs an over the previous day. Yesterday, they were kept to 3.32 an over, a rate only boosted by a frustrating last-wicket partnership of 41 from 8.4 overs.

Yet they lost no actual ground.

Their total of 561, the highest in the 12 Tests between the teams, left the West Indies with 31 overs to close and another three difficult days on a dry, wearing pitch to prevent a telling defeat.

The regular left-handed opening pair was separated by the torn hamstring sustained by Chris Gayle in the field on Friday that will restrict him going in No.7 with a runner.

So Daren Ganga, no stranger to the role, joined Wavell Hinds to take the new ball.

Hinds, perturbed by the pace and bounce, if not the glares and grimaces of first change Andre Nel, was out for 10 to a lobbed gully catch from an indecisive stab in the 16th over.

After an uncertain beginning in which the ball three times rolled off his body around the stumps like narrowly missed golf putts and he twice eluded the slips off the edge, Ganga held firm with Ramnaresh Sarwan to finish at 87 for one.

Ganga was unfazed by his several alarms and gradually found the confidence to produce delightful off-drives and a couple of upper cuts that brought half of his 10 boundaries in his unbeaten 49.

Sarwan sent West Indian hearts fluttering with one of the lofted hooks that have so often meant his downfall, but it cleared the infield on its way to the ropes and he finished unbeaten on 20.

The two start again this morning with still a few mountains to climb for the West Indies to avoid the follow-on that is first base on their way to safety.

The first steps were taken in the morning by Merv Dillon and Vasbert Drakes.

The two most experienced bowlers at Brian Lara's disposal had not bowled in tandem throughout the whole of the first day. Someone recognised the error overnight and it was immediately rectified.

Nagging away outside off-stump, they restricted South Africa to 30 from 14 overs in the first hour for the return of Martin van Jaarsveld's wicket.

Kallis' partner in a partnership of 128 in the last session Friday added only an on-driven boundary off Dillon's fifth ball of the first over before he was lbw, padding out a sharp off-cutter, the next.

It was a deserving first wicket for the tall Trinidadian who had gone without success although he was the best of the bowlers on the first day.

When he was replaced after his sixth over by Fidel Edwards, another wicket soon fell.

Neil McKenzie, whose backfoot stroke off Edwards fell on the half-volley to subsitute Dave Mohammed at cover, was then late on the hook to a bouncer off the same bowler that deflected to Ridley Jacobs on the leg-side.

Kallis arrived at his hundred soon afterwards by cutting his 108th ball, off Dillon, for his tenth four. Nine runs later, his miscued hook off Edwards almost brought a sensational catch by Dillon whose flying leap at mid-on just managed to touch the ball. Drakes' spell of 10 overs for 22 runs was not rewarded with a wicket but was instrumental in pegging South Africa back to 65 runs from 27 overs in the first session to lunch.

Afterwards, a few overs of Sarwan's hopeful leg-breaks helped up the tempo and, even after Mark Boucher was superbly snapped up in the gully by Ganga off Corey Collymore for 27 after a stand of 51 with Kallis, the first hour of the afternoon yielded 71 from 15 overs.

There was a fumble and overthrows by Edwards in the deep and more overthrows for a boundary by Carlton Baugh, briefly on as substitute, that suggested a loss of concentration.

Just when things seemed to be unravelling again through a partnership of 56 between Kallis and Shaun Pollock, Dillon intervened.

He had his second, and most satisfying, reward for his persistence when he found the toe of Kallis' defensive bat with one that kept a little low and cannoned into the stumps.

It brought an end to six hours, 50 minutes and 297 balls of diligent application by one of the modern game's most accomplished players.

Pollock's all-round reputation is based more on his bowling than his batting, the reverse of Kallis'. But the West Indies know better than most to respect the latter talent for his highest Test score, 111, was against them at Kensington two years ago.

He had made 30 from 51 balls with a couple of boundaries when Hinds, purveying his medium-pace with the accuracy commanded by the faster bowlers, had two wickets with successive balls.

He first found Pollock's inside-edge for a catch at the wicket and immediately passed Nel's ambitious drive between bat and pad to hit off-stump.

Six wickets had now been taken on the day for 150 but Ntini spoiled the afternoon.

He clouted Hinds for a couple of off-side fours and a long, straight six in an over that yielded 16 and remained half-hour before Hinds had his third wicket from Peterson's outside edge to Jacobs.