Windies hopes flagging after AB ton

De Villiers' maiden one-day international hundred led South Africa to their highest total in this competition - and, despite the best efforts of Ramnaresh Sarwan, the hosts had to take too many risks to stay up with the asking rate in pursuit of 356 for four.

The upshot was a 67-run victory at Queen's Park to keep the Proteas on course for a last-four spot - while the Windies' ultra-slim prospects hang on wide-margin successes in their remaining two matches and a series of freakishly favourable results elsewhere.

De Villiers (146) marked his 38th appearance at this level with his first three-figure score, sharing a stand of 170 in 29 overs with Jacques Kallis (81).

De Villiers found the boundaries more and more regularly as the innings wore on - 12 fours and five sixes - despite having to bat with a runner because of severe cramp, suffering pain playing most shots through the last six overs of his stay.

De Villiers would twice have been short of his ground in the thirties going for quick singles if Chris Gayle or Devon Smith had managed to pick up cleanly and throw down the wickets. Kallis could also easily have been run out too - slow starting for a single on 48 - but again the stumps stayed intact as Bravo threw from cover.

The number three reached his half-century having hit five fours and a six - only to manage just one more boundary, before being bowled making room to drive Gayle.

When de Villiers finally did fall, chipping his 128th ball to short fine-leg off Collymore, Brian Lara at last had to take his long-delayed final powerplay. Gibbs and Boucher took advantage with eight sixes and six fours between them, the wicketkeeper smashing his way to a 22-ball half-century and a mammoth 134 runs resulting from the last 10 overs.

The Windies reply hit a near-immediate snag when Shivnarine Chanderpaul fell to a tame drive at Shaun Pollock into the hands of mid-off. A hectic stand followed between Gayle and Smith, and there was 65 on the board by the 11th over when the latter fell to an aerial cut off Andre Nel.

However, from then on wickets continued to fall around Sarwan and while he operated at a better strike rate than De Villiers, he had much too much to do on his own. He hit 10 fours and a six from only 75 balls before eventually holing out to mid-off from the bowling of Makhaya Ntini.