South Africa 357 (Bavuma 86, De Zorzi 78, Warrican 4-69, Sales 3-67) and 173 (Stubbs 68, De Zorzi 45, Warrican 2-57) by 3 December. West Indies 233 (Carty 42, Holder 36, Maharaj 4-76, Rabada 3-56) and 201 for 5 (Athanaze 92, Holder 31*, Carty 31, Maharaj 4-88)

There may also be some scrutiny on the pitch at Queen’s Park Oval. It lacked pace and bounce and did not allow a free flow of runs, obviously the square has already been used extensively for club cricket this season. Whatever the reason, it made for a hard-hitting style of play, with an emphasis on wasted time and both teams doing their best to turn much of the final day into a cat-and-mouse battle. What four outcomes were possible?

South Africa came out on the fifth morning with a clear intention: to score runs and get them fast. Tony de Zorzi and Markram put on 48 runs in the first 10.2 overs and Jayden Sales’ 13 in the third over epitomized their approach. De Zorzi looked to defend the first ball but somehow managed to get enough time to get to mid-off and almost to the boundary and the pair made it three runs. Markram then smashed a short ball through mid-wicket and drove a full one over mid-on for two boundaries. Timing, power and finesse all went into his opening stand of 78 runs.

De Zorzi tried to be creative when Jommel Warwick was introduced in the 16th over and paddled him well but ended his 60-ball stay by gloved Joshua Da Silva on a leg-stump delivery. He fell five runs short of scoring back-to-back half-centuries in that Test and put a peg in the ground as an enterprising opening option.

Temba Boma stayed in his No.4 spot and provided a foil for Stubbs, who was given license to sensationalise. He reverse-swept and advanced on Warwick to hit him on the leg-side and scored 36 off the 25 balls he faced. In the process, he reached his maiden Test fifty off 42 balls – the second fastest by a South African after Dudley Norris’s 40-ball half-century on debut. Stubbs also faced senior seamer Kemar Roach, and Roach made 13 off three balls before Roach took out his leg stump, and South Africa declared half an hour before lunch.

They gave their bowlers 20 minutes in the first session but only had 15 before the rain started. Maharaj opened the bowling and with his third ball, tried to hit a big full ball to the normally unfazed Craig Braithwaite and had the sweeper caught at cover. Stubbs gauges his run from the boundary to take the catch.

At the other end, Rabada tested Casey Carty by beating his outside edge, almost playing it out, and thought he had caught it back but didn’t. He then reviewed the LBW appeal which hit Carty’s front pad according to the off stump. Ball tracking showed she clipped the top on the umpire’s call and Carty escaped but then the rain came.

An hour was lost and when play resumed, Rabada came back with a plan. He set up Mikael Lewis with a series of full deliveries including a brilliant yorker that was well kept outside and then bowled a short one. Lewis got a top edge at midwicket where he found Stubbs, who took another good catch.

With Carty and Athanase at the crease, South Africa hoped to capitalize on their inexperience but the young pair survived and thrived. Athanaz showed a clean sweep and Carty scored 12 runs off Ngidi’s second over. The third-wicket stand extended to 46 before Carty Maharaj hit it towards cover where Mulder fell forward to take a low catch.

South Africa could not open the West Indies in the second session and wasted two chances. Hodge offered a return catch to Markram when he was on nine and Markram failed to catch. Hodge escaped again on the last ball before tea when, on 24, he gloved Maharaj’s ball towards Bavama at second slip. Bauma goes to his right but the ball eludes him. Hodge’s dance with danger ended in the first over after tea when Maharaj found turn and bounce and Hodge found the lowest of the edges to Kyle Varian.

But Athanaz was not easily moved and was at his best against the short ball. He scored quickly, reaching 50 off 58 balls and taking on South Africa’s leading bowlers. He scored 18 off 19 balls from Rabada and 47 off 62 balls from Maharaj and had three figures in his sights until he swept Maharaj to Ryan Rickleton at deep backward square leg. What did By then, West Indies were in safe territory and it was too late for South Africa to make a difference. The captains held on for a draw in dim light with 6.4 overs to play.