Holder gives Windies a lifeline with...

From page 28 on 143 for six and put on 31 for the ninth wicket with compatriot Kemar Roach before he and Motie defied the Proteas for almost 40 minutes to give the Caribbean side a lifeline.

“It was good to get a partnership,” Holder said in a TV interview after play. “The momentum was with us, and I thought (Motie) looked as comfortable as the top-order batters.

“The most important thing was to stay in the game, and we did that. We need some early wickets (on Friday) morning. It’s a pretty good pitch for batting.”

Holder added: “I want to get up the (batting) order, I have had an indifferent time the last year, but I want to bat at six. I think I am good enough.

“I have worked really hard on a couple of things and (this innings) was an example of that.”

West Indies will be hoping to carry the momentum from Holder’s redeeming innings into the third day and undermine the South Africa batting as they did in the second innings of the previous Test and at the start of the day.

The Caribbean side needed less than half-hour to polish off the remaining three South African first innings wickets after the hosts resumed from their overnight total of 311 for seven.

Pacer Alzarri Joseph snared two of the scalps and ended with three for 60 from 18.2 overs, and Mayers took the other wicket of Harmer to finish with three for 32 from nine overs.

West Indies got off to a shaky start when opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul was run out for one in the fourth over of their reply when he failed to beat a direct hit at the striker’s end from South Africa captain Temba Bavuma running around from mid-off to cover.

Three further wickets – two to pacer Gerald Coetzee – sent them slumping to 73 for four at lunch.

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite looked set to play with unaccustomed freedom, hitting a few crisp strokes before he gave more evidence that he has now become Kagiso Rabada’s bunny when the South African pacer got him caught at first slip for 17.

Three overs later, Jermaine Blackwood, Brathwaite’s deputy, was caught behind off Coetzee for six, nibbling outside the off-stump, and left-hander

Raymon Reifer helped the Ca- ribbean side cross 50 before he was caught at forward short leg off the same bowler for 15.

After lunch, Roston Chase and Mayers ensured West Indies avoided the ignominy of a double-digit total when they linked up for a solid 52-run stand for the fifth wicket that carried the total past 100.

But good fortune failed to smile on Chase when he was bowled for 28 after he played a delivery from Wiaan Mulder onto his back pad, the ball trickled back onto the stumps and dislodged the bails.

A near 45-minute period of defiance between Mayers and Joshua Da Silva was then broken when the left-hander fell to Rabada, and it looked like West Indies were going to concede a substantial lead, but Holder led the revival to ease the pain.

Coetzee was the most successful Proteas bowlers with three for 41 from 14 overs, while Rabada and Harmer snared two wickets apiece.

West Indies trail 0-1 in the two-Test series after South Africa won the first Test that ended last Thursday at Centurion Park in Pretoria by 87 runs.

Extras (lb5, w1, nb3) 9

TOTAL (all out, 92.2 overs) 320

Fall of wickets: 1-76, 2-192, 3-248, 4-278, 5-286, 6-309, 7-311, 8-312, 9-312.

Bowling: Roach 16-3-55-0 (nb2); Joseph 18.2-3-60-3; Mayers 9-0-32-

3; Holder 16-5-39-1 (nb1); Motie 19-3-75-3; Chase 14-2-54-0.

WEST INDIES 1st Innings

*K. Brathwaite c Elgar b Rabada

T. Chanderpaul run out 1

R. Reifer c de Zorzi b Coetzee 15

J. Blackwood c wkp Klaasen b Coetzee 6

R. Chase b Mulder 28

K. Mayers c Elgar b Rabada 29

+J. Da Silva b Harmer 26

J. Holder not out 81

A. Joseph c de Zorzi b Maharaj 4

K. Roach c Elgar b Coetzee 13

G. Motie c Bavuma b Harmer 17

Extras (b4, lb7, nb3) 14

TOTAL (all out, 79.1 overs) 251

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-22, 3-28, 4-51, 5-103, 6-116, 7-157, 8-162, 9-193.

Bowling: Rabada 12-5-19-2; Mulder 15-4-40-1; Coetzee 14-4-41-3; Harmer 17.3-2-63-2; Maharaj 21-4-77-1.

SOUTH AFRICA 2nd Innings

D. Elgar not out 3

A. Markram not out 1

TOTAL (without loss, 3 overs) 4

Bowling: Roach 1-0-2-0; Joseph 1-0-1-0; Holder 1-0-1-0.

Position: South Africa lead by 73 with all second innings wickets standing.

Umpires: Marais Erasmus, Paul Reiffel (Australia).

TV umpire: Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lank