BRIDGETOWN, April 23: A.B. de Villiers and Boeta Dippenaar kept South Africa in control on the third day of the third Test against the West Indies on Saturday. South Africa reached 335 for two at lunch, a lead of 39 over the West Indies’ first innings of 296.

De Villiers was 155 not out after hitting 15 fours and a six for his second century in his 10th test.

Dippenaar was run out for 71 from the third ball of the last over before lunch, ending a second-wicket stand of 143.

Playing in his first Test of the series, Dippenaar faced 158 balls and hit six fours and a six. South Africa had resumed on 253 for one and Dippenaar was the more aggressive batsman in the early overs.

He hit three boundaries in the first six overs. De Villiers faced 24 balls before adding to his overnight 122 not out and the first hour yielded just 34 runs.

Dwayne Bravo left the field holding a towel to his face after being struck by a ball driven into the covers by Dippenaar.

Bravo, who fielded in sunglasses, sustained a minor cut above his left eyebrow but did not need stitches.

On Friday, skipper Graeme Smith and de Villiers ground out centuries to sap the spirit from the West Indies.

Smith scored 104 –his 10th century in Tests — with the help of 13 fours and one six during his 202-ball innings.

Smith and De Villiers took an important step towards shutting the West Indies out of the match with an opening stand of 191.

The partnership started in the fourth over of the day, and endured until the 19th over before the close when Smith skied a drive off the bowling of off-spinner Chris Gayle to Wavell Hinds at deep extra cover.

Earlier, fast bowlers Andre Nel and Monde Zondeki needed just 20 deliveries between them to take three wickets and wrap up the West Indies’ innings, which resumed on 292 for seven.

In Thursday’s opening day, batting superstar Brian Lara hit his 28th Test hundred. The left-hander hit a sensational 176, his second hundred of the series.

He reached his landmark when he glanced Jacques Kallis off his hips to long leg for a single.

The left-handed batsman hit 21 fours and one six from 224 balls in just under six hours before Andre Nel, who had earlier put the skids on West Indies, claimed his wicket for the seventh time in a Test late in the day.

Scoreboard

WEST INDIES (1st Innings):

W.W. Hinds c Smith b Ntini 1

C.H. Gayle c Boucher b Nel 0

R.R. Sarwan c Prince b Nel 10

B.C. Lara b Nel 176

S. Chanderpaul c Boucher b Zondeki 53

R.O. Hinds c Boucher b Kallis 10

D.J.J. Bravo c Smith b Zondeki 26

C.O. Browne c Zondeki b Nel 5

D.B. Powell c Boucher b Zondeki 3

F.H. Edwards c Dippenaar b Zondeki 2

R.D. King not out 0

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-3, W-1, NB-5) 10

TOTAL (all out, 92.2 overs) 296

FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-12, 3-12, 4-150, 5-171, 6-286, 7-288, 8-292, 9-296.

BOWLING: Nel 21.2-3-56-4 (1nb); Ntini 17-2-61-1; Kallis 14-6-37-1 (1w); Zondeki 16-1-50-4 (4nb); Smith 8-1-23-0; Boje 16-2-65-0.

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings, overnight 253-1):

G.C. Smith c King b Gayle 104

A.B. de Villiers not out 155

H.H. Dippenaar run out 71

J. Kallis not out 0

EXTRAS (NB-5) 5

TOTAL (for two wkts, 113 overs) 335

FALL OF WKTS: 1-191, 2-334.

TO BAT: H.H. Gibbs, A.G. Prince, M.V. Boucher, N. Boje, M. Zondeki, M. Ntini, A. Nel.

BOWLING (to-date): Edwards 21-2-59-0 (2nb); King 20-3-51-0 (1nb); Powell 17-2-54-0 (1nb); Bravo 20-3-50-0 (1nb); R.O. Hinds 10-0-43-0; Gayle 16-2-54-1; W.W. Hinds 6-0-17-0; Sarwan 1-0-7-0.—Agencies