A second, crushing defeat in the space of two weeks for the West Indies gave South Africa an unassailable two-nil lead in the four-Test series and left the home side in firm possession of the Viv Richards trophy at Kingsmead yesterday.
Facing a first-innings deficit of 394 and the prospect of batting for at least 12 hours to save the match, the tourists crashed from their overnight 18 without loss to 96-4 at lunch and that was effectively that. They were dismissed for 329 to lose by an innings and 65 runs. South Africa won the first Test by 189 runs.
Ramnaresh Sarwan (114) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (109), batting with a thigh strain and a runner, scored centuries on a belter of a pitch but to no avail.
Brian Lara was, as always, the key wicket. The openers were gone with just 32 runs on the board when the captain joined Sarwan at the crease. For 70 deliveries he did not play a shot in anger and then, to his horror, he half-heartedly turned a nothing ball from Andrew Hall to square leg.
Sarwan was clanged on the back of the head by a Makhaya Ntini bouncer on 29 which added an element of bravery to his third career hundred.
The inspiringly strong, forceful Ntini eventually bowled Sarwan off a bottom edge and finished 2003 as the world's leading Test wicket taker with 59 when he had the last man Fidel Edwards caught in the second over of the extra half hour. Chanderpaul was ninth out belting a half-tracker to cover where Neil McKenzie held an astonishing catch high above his head.
Lara continues to insist that his team are undergoing a revival and, to be fair, they do seem more united than for many years. But the bowling attack lacks gums, let alone teeth, and as the captain proved himself in Johannesburg a fortnight ago, even double centuries do not prevent defeat.
"There is no chance of a whitewash," Lara said ahead of Friday's third Test in Cape Town."A whitewash is a possibility but I'm ruling that out. It's not going to happen."
· Pakistan need only 28 runs this morning to beat New Zealand in the second Test in Wellington and claim the two Test series 1-0. The Kiwis collapsed to 103 all out in their second innings as Shoaib Akhtar took six for 30 in 18 devastating overs. Pakistan's captain Inzamam-ul-Haq guided the visitors to 246 for three at stumps but did not ask for the extra half-hour to complete the game despite just 28 runs being required.