AS is well established, even as recently as Sunday, anything is possible once Brian Lara is involved but only another of the West Indies captain's wonders is likely to prevent a South African victory in the first Test here today.

After striving desperately to claw their way out of the hole dug by their haphazard bowlers on the first day, when South Africa amassed 368 for three, the West Indies' tenuous grip on the match slipped in the last 10 overs of the fourth yesterday.

Challenged to score 378 off a minimum of 100 overs on South African captain Graeme Smith's second innings declaration at 226 for six, West Indians sought inspiration from the famous last innings heroics that beat Australia at Kensington Oval in 1999, with captain Lara to the fore, and at the Antigua Recreation Ground last May.

Makhaya Ntini, fast and direct, promptly deflated their optimism.

His three wickets from 22 balls as the shadows stretched across the Wanderers Stadium left them 31 for three when play ended.

Only the unbeaten presence of Lara, miracle worker and first innings double-century maker, kept up overnight spirits.

Ntini, whose two wickets at the end of the West Indies first innings in the morning gave him figures of five for 94, virtually set the seal on the match with his spell that closed out the day.

Charging in like a man with a mission, he ripped out left-hander Wavell Hinds' off-stump with a wicked first ball of his second over, bowled nightwatchman Vasbert Drakes between bat and pad as he drove at the last ball of his third and gained a just lbw verdict as Daren Ganga went far back to the fourth ball of his fourth.

It meant Lara had to come in for the last two overs. He kept out five balls from Ntini and walked off with vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan to carry the West Indies' slim hopes into the last day.

Their worries are compounded by the first day hamstring injury that has reduced Chris Gayle, the regular opener, to a painful hobble and obliged him to go in No.9 in the first innings and bat with a runner, as he will if he has to today.

Although Lara earlier converted his overnight 178 into his sixth Test double before the West Indies were all out for 410 an hour and 10 minutes into the day, Ntini's late burst was the most telling factor of the day.

All that went before was simply a sometimes baffling preamble.

On another hot, cloudless day, the difference on first innings that would dictate later tactics depended on Lara, as it had done since his entry early on the previous day.

Ntini made his first impact of proceedings by taking out Merv Dillon's leg-stump after 35 minutes and having the immobile Gayle snapped up at second slip 25 minutes later.

By this time, Lara had added four more boundaries to the 28 he already had.

All were off the quick and persevering Andre Nel - two fierce cuts, one a straight drive and the last an exquisite drive through extra-cover to raise yet another double.

Next ball, Lara drove Nel into extra-cover's lap to end an innings that lasted seven hours 20 minutes and required 274 deliveries.

Nel deservedly added the wicket of Fidel Edwards to a fended gully catch and the deficit was finalised at 151, leaving South Africa ample time to make the most of it.

The tactics that followed were often difficult to follow.

Of the 21 captain Smith and Herschelle Gibbs raised off the eight overs to lunch, three were no-balls and two were wides from the pacy, but wayward, Edwards. He added more wides on resumption with a bouncer that sailed over Ridley Jacobs' head to the boundary and was predictably replaced by Drakes.

Immediately Gibbs, who had been bothered by Edwards' speed, mistimed a hook off Drakes and took a blow on the nose as the ball squeezed between his helmet's peak and grill.

He fell to ground, blood oozing from his nose that was clearly broken. He left for nearby Rosemont clinic where he will have surgery on Thursday but, according to doctors, should be fit enough for the second Test starting on December 26.

Smith appeared to be setting the example of quick runs with seven fours in 44 from 70 balls.

After he was smartly caught at gully by his substitute namesake, Dwayne, making his first appearance in West Indies colours, the two Jacques, Rudolph and Kallis, pottered around with no clear purpose.

Kallis, century-maker of the first innings, managed to score five from 32 balls by tea, the left-handed Rudolph 18 from 62. South Africa, it seemed, was the team seeking a draw.

On resumption, Edwards worked up pace that was clocked at top speed of 97 miles an hour. He struck both batsmen with particularly vicious bouncers, the rebounds off the bat's shoulder flying into no-man's land in each case.

But Edwards did not match his hostility with accuracy and came off with 53 runs taken off his 13 overs, along with five no-balls and two wides.

By now, Collymore had left the field, troubled by his strained hamstring, after sending down six miserly overs that cost five, and Dillon and Drakes, the two most experienced bowlers, were allowed to rest in the outfield for the remainder of the innings after each sending down 10 overs.

Lara entrusted the bowling instead to Hinds' medium-pace that claimed three wickets in the first innings, and now added another two, and Sarwan's leg-spin.

Hinds' victims were Kallis for 44, lbw playing around a straight ball, and Rudolph, whose sliced drive was taken by Sarwan at backward point.

As more and more risks were taken in an effort to raise the rate, Mark Boucher became Sarwan's fourth Test wicket, charging down to be stumped.

Martin van Jaarsveld soon followed, thrown out by Sarwan from mid-off as he tried to steal a sharp single, and Collymore returned to the field long enough to find a gap between Shaun Pollock's bat and pad to hit off-stump.

It was soon clear that Smith intended to allow his bowlers 10 overs at the end of the day and a minimum 90 on the last day to try to settle the issue.

By the time that moment arrived at Smith's declaration, Ntini and the other South African bowlers would have been champing at the bit to take advantage of batsmen with nowhere to go by stumps.

None was more eager than Ntini who was soon in among the wickets again.

Although the cracks on the parched, hard pitch have widened with each passing session, they have not made conditions treacherous.