South Africa's cricket team has won the second test of its three-match series against the West Indies after Graeme Smith hit 85 runs off 79 balls in the home side's second innings at Newlands in Cape Town.
The West Indies looked on the verge of winning the match thanks to Shivnarine Chanderpaul's unbeaten 70 and team captain Chris Gayle's 38 runs.
But Gayle was injured in his time at the crease, suffering a broken thumb from a ball bowled by Andre Nel. The Caribbean squad finished at 262 all out in its second innings.
After tea, with the home side needing 185 runs to win, Smith and A.B. de Villiers provided the necessary offense, with an opening stand of 57 runs in nine overs. Hashim Amla also added to South Africa's run total with 37 runs. The final score: West Indies 243 and 262, South Africa 321 and 186-3.
The victory evens the three-match series at 1-1 after the West Indies won the first match by 128 runs. The third test starts in Durban on January 10th. The two sides will also play five one-day international matches starting at Centurion on January 20th.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
