THIS was another day of familiar torture for the West Indies and for all who care about the sorry state of our cricket.
As South Africa's openers Graeme Smith, the left-ha-nded captain, and Herschelle Gibbs, the stylish right-hander, comfortably accumulated a towering partnership of 301 on the opening day of the final Test - a record in a series already littered with high-scoring records - a fresh element added to the distress.
For the first time in the four Tests, Brian Lara had the benefit of the toss and, deceived by a healthy grass covering on the pitch and overcast weather, chose to bowl.
It proved to be unjustified trust in bowlers who had long since lost the self-belief and the ability to maintain even a modicum of discipline and who had conceded totals of 561, 658 for nine declared, 532 and 335 for three declared in the previous Tests.
Yet Lara was not alone in his reading of the conditions.
Darryl Cullinan and Ian Bishop, two former Test players from either camp, said in their television pitch report that they would have bowled, as did Smith himself in the post-play media conference.
As it turned out, the pitch offered neither movement nor pace, although there was an irregularity in bounce that is likely to become more pronounced as the match progresses.
The four fast bowlers - of whom Merv Dillon returned for the first time since the second Test and Corey Collymore for the first time since the first - again found consistency, control and concentration impossible.
There were the customary offerings of short and misdirected deliveries off which Smith and Gibbs helped themselves to four sixes and 39 fours - 180 of their stand in boundaries.
It was the third triple-century stand over the past year between the two who are challenging Australia's left-handed combination of Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer as Test cricket's most voracious opening pair.
They put on 368 against Pakistan in Cape Town last January and 338 against England at Edgbaston in last summer's series, both also on the opening day.
Just as he did in his hundred on the first day of the series, and in all his previous five, Smith thrived on anything close enough to him to exercise his strength through the leg-side.
He gathered 89 of his 139 runs on that side of the wicket, with powerful punches, pulls and hooks. It was if no West Indian had ever seen him bat before.
The bowlers' generosity was typified in one over by Vasbert Drakes.
The wily old campaigner was the most economical of the lot, conceding 57 from his 18 overs but he was stroked to the boundary twice through mid-on and once through square-leg from successive balls in his seventh.
Finally, with the fifth ball of the 67th over, Collymore finally found the delivery always most likely to remove Smith. From over the wicket, it pitched middle, went away and found the edge into wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs' bright new gloves.
By then, Smith had two sixes, a hook off Fidel Edwards that just cleared Ramnaresh Sarwan on the midwicket ropes, and a hit over long-on off Chris Gayle, and 21 fours entered into the computer.
Two balls, and one run, later, his replacement Jacques Rudolph persuaded Gibbs to accept the umpires' offer to suspend play at 302 for one, although the floodlights had illuminated the overcast gloom for nearly an hour.
With another 22.5 overs available, it was a relief for the beleaguered West Indies for whom a first day total in excess of 400 loomed.
Gibbs was 139 at the end, his third hundred in the last three matches and his 13th overall.
Like Smith, he did as he pleased once settled against the purposeless bowling, favouring the off-side as usual but also quick to pull short balls and glide those on his legs.
His two sixes were both pulls off Dillon, the first over long-on, the second from a meaty top-edge over square-leg that cracked the bat. He also had 18 fours .
Gibbs especially came through some anxious moments after the start was delayed by half-hour by light rain but the openers were in command by lunch, when they had scored 70 from 20 overs.
After his first ball back, and the first of the match, was a gentle long-hop smashed to the point boundary by Smith, Dillon presented an opening spell that severely tested Gibbs.
He somehow managed to keep out two maidens, once edging just short of Gayle at second slip and, at 12, gaining umpire Venkataraghavan's favour on an lbw appeal as he pushed forward.
The pacy but erratic Edwards' claim for lbw against Smith at three was even closer than Dillon's against Gibbs but umpire David Shepherd correctly ruled he was struck minimally outside off-stump.
The most glaring chance of separating the two came at 54 through confusion over a single on Smith's push into the covers.
Both batsmen were sliding around in mid-pitch, seeking to regain their grounds, when Sarwan swooped on the ball, ran a few paces with it and then missed the stumps with his underarm flick at the stumps with Smith, then 23, at his mercy.
Immediately afterwards, Dwayne Smith, who had an otherwise flawless day in the field, little finger splint and all, gifted Gibbs four overthrows. There were the first signs of things to come.
In the 35 overs of an extended second session, Smith and Gibbs scored 171 at the rate of 4.88 runs an over, both passing three-figures.
When Smith got there, Gibbs was trailing a long way behind with 57 but he quickly made up ground in the last session so that he was level when Smith departed.
He resumes this morning with his appetite no doubt replenished by the overnight rest.
As for the West Indies, there are four tough days to the end of a series in which a hopeful dream has turned into a nightmare.