Kallis century sets up crushing South African victory over West Indies in third ODI

A tenacious and unrelenting effort in the field ensured South Africa capitalised on Jacques Kallis' seventh limited overs century as they beat the West Indies by 132 runs in the third one-day international on Saturday.

South Africa now take a 2-1 lead into Sunday's fourth match, at the same venue here in Grenada.

The West Indies were dismissed for 155 in 39 overs as they fell woefully short of South Africa's 287-4.

From the moment captain Carl Hooper passed up the opportunity to bat first on a flat pitch on winning the toss, it seemed the West Indies had handed the initiative to the tourists. South African openers Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs made a flying start, and the West Indians were already chasing the game.

Their own batting effort could not have got off to a worse start as Chris Gayle chipped Shaun Pollock straight to Kirsten at mid-on to be on his way for one.

Pollock struck twice more in his opening spell, despite seeing Ricardo Powell (15) heave a ball off middle stump and into the grandstand for an enormous six. Powell tried the same shot shortly afterwards and ballooned the ball to Makhaya Ntini at mid-on and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (16) top-edged a pull and was well caught by Boeta Dippenaar inches inside the ropes at fine-leg.

Cameos from Brian Lara (31) and Hooper (29) followed, but the West Indies needed more than walk-on parts from their main men. Lara misjudged one from Ntini which castled his leg stump and then Hooper was run out in controversial circumstances.

Turning for a second, Hooper appeared at first to be well short of his ground as Mark Boucher broke the stumps - an opinion television umpire Evelyn Jones upheld. But replays showed the bail took an age to fall, rattling on top of the stumps before falling to ground. The law states that the wicket shall not be considered down if the bail is only partly or temporarily dislodged. The debate was still running when the final wicket was taken.

The rest was a foregone conclusion. Marlon Samuels (20) was caught plumb in front by Lance Klusener, Ridley Jacobs (11) was run out by a brilliant piece of fielding by Gibbs and Justin Ontong got his first wicket in international cricket when Wavell Hinds pulled him straight to long-off. Ontong made it two as Neil McGarrell (8) offered him a simple return catch and Ntini provided the final blow, bowling Mervyn Dillon (4).

Earlier, Kallis picked up where he left off in Antigua, the runs coming in a steady flow as he worked the ball around in the middle overs before launching a more serious assault towards the end. He brought up his hundred off 105 balls with his second six, struck mightily over long-on off Samuels, who together with Gayle played the role of the West Indies' fifth bowler.

Kallis' first six which took him from 85 to 91 was less emphatic and was also his only real slice of luck in an otherwise chanceless innings. Another powerful blow looked to be sailing over the ropes before Dillon plucked it out of the sky, but as the fielder tossed the ball infield to Cameron Cuffy to complete the catch, television replays showed his foot brushing the ropes and six it was.

The innings got off to a rollicking start, Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten piling on 88 runs from the first 15 overs. Gibbs perished on 46 from 44 balls, just as the field restrictions were set be lifted, although not before he had straight driven both Dillon and Cuffy for straight sixes.

Kirsten passed 50 for the first time since his century in the first Test but was promptly run out by a direct hit from Gayle and Jonty Rhodes (47 from 51 balls) then added 90 for the fourth wicket with Kallis.

Rhodes and Kallis showed all their one-day experience as they kept the runs flowing while the boundaries dried up. Only Hooper could stem the tide, taking 1-32 from ten exemplary overs. Rhodes somehow allowed a Hooper delivery to squirm through his pads and dislodge a bail, but until Kallis smashed one back to Gayle to be caught and bowled for 107 in the 50th over, it was the only further West Indian success.