Dynamic duo deflate tourists

West Indies 490-4 v South Africa

Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit a career-best 177 not out and Wavell Hinds a memorable 213 as the West Indies piled on the misery for South Africa's bowlers on the second day of the first Test here yesterday.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit a career-best 177 not out and Wavell Hinds a memorable 213 as the West Indies piled on the misery for South Africa's bowlers on the second day of the first Test here yesterday.

The home team, 347 for 3 overnight, took tea at 490 for 4 with Chanderpaul looking strong and Ryan Hinds unbeaten on 36 out of a 100-run partnership.

Wavell Hinds and Chanderpaul, the two left-handers with contrasting physiques and methods but identical purpose, got the West Indies off to a wonderful start in the morning session. Hinds, the tall, orthodox opener from Jamaica, advanced to the first double hundred of his career and carried his partnership with Chanderpaul, the slim Guyanese leading the team for the first time, to a new fourth-wicket record of 284 on this quaint ground. It was ended at 390 when Hinds edged a drive off Charl Langeveldt early in the second session with the score on 390 and was caught for 213.

The pair had surpassed the previous highest fourth-wicket stand for the West Indies at Bourda of 250. It was between two of the finest batsmen of any era, Garry Sobers and Rohan Kanhai, against England in 1968 but Hinds and Chanderpaul lost nothing by comparison.

The feature of Hinds' 188 on the first day was his driving and he was again in peerless form. Chanderpaul, resuming on 102, took over in the afternoon, batting with assurance on his home ground. He breezed past his previous highest Test score of 140 spanking 20 fours in the process.

Chanderpaul, who has been in fine form in the domestic Carib Beer Series, was thrust into the captaincy by the absence of Brian Lara over the lingering sponsorship row.

But the strong position on the field coincided with developments off it that have cleared the way for Lara and two other premier batsmen, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, to be picked for the second Test, starting in Lara's home town, Port of Spain, next Friday.

Gayle and Sarwan withdrew from their personal endorsement agreements with Cable & Wireless, direct rivals of team sponsor Digicel, on Wednesday. Cable & Wireless have now agreed to release all seven players from their books - the emerging young players Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Dwayne Smith and Ravi Rampaul are the others. The issue will go before chief justice Adrian Saunders for final arbitration that both sides have agreed will be binding.