South African captain Graeme Smith and opening partner Herschelle Gibbs shared a world record third triple century partnership as the West Indies took a hammering on the first day of the fourth and final cricket Test at Centurion Park today.South Africa were 302/1 when bad light stopped play 22.5 overs early, two balls after Smith was caught behind off Corey Collymore for 139 when the stand was worth 301. Gibbs was unbeaten also on 139.It was a disastrous day for the West Indies, whose captain, Brian Lara, sent South Africa in after winning the toss for the first time in the series. There was early life on a pitch with a green tinge following morning rain but the batsmen soon took control as the surface lived up to pre-match predictions that it would be ideal for batting after the early exchanges.Smith and Gibbs were already the only opening pair in Test history to have posted two stands of 300. They put on 368 against Pakistan in Cape Town in 2002/03 and 338 against England at Edgbaston in 2003.When Gibbs pushed the ball to mid-off and the pair scampered through for a single to raise the 300 the two players celebrated as though they had reached individual hundreds, congratulating each other in mid-pitch after the run had been completed.Only one more run was scored before Smith tried to nudge Collymore to third man and edged a catch to Ridley Jacobs.The pair put on 301 runs in 300 minutes off 66.5 overs. Neither gave a chance. New batsman Jacques Rudolph scored a single off the first ball he faced but when fast bowler Fidel Edwards was brought back into the attack, the batsmen were offered the light after one more ball. There had been several discussions between the umpires earlier and the floodlights had been on since tea.The left-handed Smith hit his second century of the series and the sixth of a 21-Test career. He dominated the early part of the stand, reaching his hundred off 125 balls while Gibbs was on 57. But Gibbs, who had looked out of touch early on, found his form and unleashed a series of fluent strokes to catch up. Gibbs, who made his third century in successive matches in the series, scored his 13th career century off 183 balls, with the second fifty made off 66 deliveries. Smith’s 139 was made off 180 balls and he hit 21 fours and two sixes. Gibbs faced 229 balls and hit 18 fours and two sixes. Lara said before the match that he wanted his bowlers and fielders to match the improvement shown by West Indian batsmen in the series, which South Africa had already clinched with a winning 2-0 lead. But a reshuffled bowling attack was beaten into submission by Smith and Gibbs.
