Brian Lara made a sensational return to the West Indies team at Port of Spain on Friday, scoring an unbeaten 159 on the first day of the second Test against South Africa on his home pitch.
Lara's 27th Test century, which put him at the top of the list of West Indies Test centurions, helped West Indies reach 281 for six when bad light ended play three over early.
Previously Lara had jointly held the record with Garfield Sobers who scored 26 Test centuries for the West Indies.
By reaching 41 at lunch the charismatic batsman also leapfrogged Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar into third place on the all-time list of leading run scorers in Test cricket.
Lara, who along with six other players was left out of the drawn first Test in Guyana because of a dispute over personal sponsorship, came to the crease with West Indies wobbling on 13 for two after captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul had won the toss and elected to bat on a green-looking wicket.
Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini did the early damage for South Africa, first removing Chris Gayle in the sixth over when the opener top edged a pull shot to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher having scored just six.
He struck again in his next over when he induced an uppish pull shot from Ramnaresh Sarwan, on five, and the ball looped to Andre Nel at fine leg.
However solid batting from opener Wavell Hinds and Lara's aggression halted the slide.
RIFLED PULL
Lara smashed six fours as the hosts recovered to 71 for two at lunch, the pick of which was a rifled pull shot through mid-wicket off fast bowler Monde Zondeki.
West Indies moved to 140 for three when rain stopped play before the scheduled tea interval, Ntini claiming his third wicket in the third over after lunch when Hinds edged a drive to Graeme Smith at slip to be dismissed for 32. Hinds and Lara had put on 95.
Lara was joined by Chanderpaul and continued to dominate the South Africa attack after tea, hitting three crashing boundaries off Jacques Kallis in the 49th over of the day as he moved into the 90s.
The Queen's Park Oval crowd rose to acclaim their hero in the 54th over when he pulled a short ball from Zondeki to reach his century in 137 balls, including 14 fours.
South Africa fought back with Chanderpaul offering a meet return catch to left-arm spinner Nicky Boje after making a careful 35.
Eight balls later the West Indies slipped to 204 for five when Donovan Pagon played down the wrong line to a delivery from Ntini and was bowled through the gate without scoring.
West Indies then slipped to 225 for six when all rounder Dwayne Bravo edged a swinging delivery from fast bowler Nel on to his stumps for five.
Lara continued to time the ball perfectly, however, taking his tally of centuries to 20 as he was joined by wicketkeeper Courtney Browne.
Browne was 19 not out in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand before bad light stopped play.
Apart from Lara and Gayle, West Indies also recalled Sarwan and Bravo to their side. Batsman Ashwell Prince and Zondeki returned to the South African team.
Scoreboard:
West Indies 1st innings
W Hinds c Smith b Ntini 32
C Gayle c Boucher b Ntini 6
R Sarwan c Nel b Ntini 5
B Lara not out 159
S Chanderpaul c & b Boje 35
D Pagon b Ntini 0
D Bravo b Nel 5
C Browne not out 19
Extras (b-4 lb-6 nb-3 w-2) 20
Total (for 6 wickets, 87 overs) 281
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-13, 3-108, 4-203, 5-204, 6-225
To bat: P Collins, R King , D Powell
Bowling: Nel 20-6-43-1 (w-1), Ntini 19-2-59-4, Kallis 13-4-41-0, Zondeki 15-0-71-0 (nb-3 w-1), Boje 20-2-52-1
