Windies on the brink

De Villiers' maiden one-day international hundred powered his team to their highest Cup total in Tuesday's crucial Super Eight match.

He marked his 38th appearance with his first three-figure score, sharing a stand of 170 in 29 overs with Jacques Kallis (81) on the way to 146 for himself - and 356 for four for his team. West Indies therefore needed to bring off a tournament record run chase and, at the 25-over point, they were close to the pace but leaking wickets on 144 for five.

Their 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 Chris Gayle and Devon Smith, and there was 65 on the board by the 11th over when the latter fell to an aerial cut off Andre Nel. Gayle went in the next over, run out by a direct hit from Ashwell Prince after calling for a single to midwicket.

Brian Lara and Sarwan did not panic, though, in a stand of 50 which ended when the captain chopped on off Kallis - leaving his chief adjutant needing to play a heroic innings to keep the Windies in with a realistic chance of making the semi-finals.

That was still more true when Dwayne Bravo pulled Pollock to be athletically caught in the ring, one-handed above his head by Gibbs.

South Africa had earlier shown what could be done on a flat pitch and small ground, having been put in.

De Villiers found the boundaries more and more regularly - 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.

When the opener finally fell, chipping his 128th ball to short fine-leg off Collymore, Herschelle Gibbs (61no) and Mark Boucher (52) took advantage with eight sixes and six fours between them, the wicketkeeper smashing his way to a 22-ball half-century, with a mammoth 134 runs resulting from the last 10 overs.