The South African tour of the West Indies started amidst crisis and it was no different for the start of the first Test at Guyana. Even as Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle tendered in eleventh-hour termination letters with their principal sponsors, they missed the deadline for the first Test.

But Wavell Hinds blew away any dark, dispelling clouds with a magnificent double century and in the tremendous company of his new captain and fellow centurion, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and much to the joy of new coach Bennett King.

Andre Nel gave South Africa a headstart when he struck twice with the West Indian score on twenty-four. With Devon Smith and Darren Ganga falling in almost identical fashion, Donovan Pagon came to the crease and showed why he is so highly rated. Scintillating stroke-play saw him make a promising thirty-five as Wavell Hinds was weaving his magic at the other end. Pagon's brief but sparkling innings was ended by Nel caught at short cover, but then came the monumental partnership that decidedly changed things in the favour of the West Indies.

While Wavell Hinds displayed his majesty with a definitive straight bat repeatedly, Chanderpaul went about in clockwork fashion, nudging for runs and displaying his wide reach for anything loose of the off-side. The duo slowly but surely pulled West Indies from an on-the-fence situation to a situation of complete domination as the post-tea session brought a tremendous assault of 160 runs and a mammoth 284-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

South Africa had to wait for the lunch session to try and peg the opponents back, but by then Hinds had already notched a fine double century. Charl Langeveldt managed to get Hinds to nick the ball to Boucher behind the stumps, but at 213, four sharp dropped chances proved fatal. Chanderpaul meanwhile set up his own personal double century, the fifth by a West Indian captain. His unbeaten 203 also signalled the declaration on a challenging 543 for five, a move that backfired on the hosts as the umpires offered the light to the South African openers who gladly accepted.

Day three proved to be a drab affair, with play starting late due to a soggy outfield, but when it did an hour before tea, South Africa's horrors continued as they were quickly reduced to thirty for the loss of four wickets. Pedro Collins and Darren Powell used the new ball very well. Graeme Smith and Jacques Rudolph perished in the slips. But it was the wicket of Jacques Kallis that drove the Caribbean fans berserk as the batsman attempted a hook, only to hear the death-rattle behind the stumps. Herschelle Gibbs' lbw plunged South Africa into a precarious position.

AB de Villiers held fort despite the chaos, scoring a valiant forty-one before an unplayable delivery from Reon King induced an edge to Courtney Browne behind the stumps. Andrew Hall fared no better with a horrible miscued shot to leave South Africa up against it at ninety-five for six, leaving Boucher and Nicky Boje with an arduous task until stumps. South Africa are now fighting to save a Test that was until recently presumed to be a cakewalk!