Windies face battle in Durban

The tourists closed on 23 without loss, openers Brenton Parchment (17 not out) and Daren Ganga (six no) seeing off 11 overs after the Proteas finally declared on 556 for four - a first-innings lead of 417 runs.

With the series level at one apiece before the decider, the Windies were hoping to claim a first series win since 2003.

Those hopes now appear to have been dashed, after Ashwell Prince, AB De Villiers and Proteas skipper Graeme Smith all registered centuries.

Smith (147) and Hashim Amla (69) started the day in aggressive fashion before the latter was dismissed by Darren Sammy, a leading edge well caught by stand-in skipper Dwayne Bravo at silly mid-off.

Six balls later Smith perished when Jerome Taylor lured him into an ambitious drive and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin dived in front of slip to catch a thick edge.

Jacques Kallis (74) was the only wicket to fall during the afternoon session when he edged Marlon Samuels to Runako Morton at slip while attempting a cut.

Prince (123no) and De Villiers (103no) then proceeded to dispatch the Windies attack to all parts of the ground, the run rate increasing to over four and a half runs per over.

Bravo will now need his side to show far more resilience than they displayed on the first day when they were skittled out for just 139.

With three days remaining, the visitors are likely to need some help from the weather to avoid defeat, although the pitch and the conditions are considerably more batsman-friendly than they were on the opening morning.