Agence France Presse

St John’s, May 3:

Chris Gayle became the fourth West Indies batsman to hit a Test triple hundred, to make the way safe for the home team in the fourth Test against South Africa.

Gayle hit 317, his highest Test score, to propel West Indies to 565/5, replying to South Africa’s first innings total of 588/6 declared, when stumps were drawn on the penultimate day.

Gayle captured the spotlight when he turned a delivery off Abraham de Villiers into the mid-wicket region to join the elite group. Teammate and former West Indies captain Brian Lara heads the list, with his world record 400 not out last year, and 375 in 1994 against England.

Gayle also had the privilege of scoring the 20th triple hundred in Test history before he was dismissed about half hour after tea, when he top-edged a lazy cut at a short, rising ball to slip to become the last of three wickets for 87 runs for Monde Zondeki. Gayle hit 37 fours and three sixes from 483 balls. By the close, captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul was also looking to enter the record books. He struck seven fours from 210 balls and was undefeated on 82, eyeing his 13th Test hundred and second for the series.

Resuming on 184, Gayle was called upon to deal with the second new ball, and almost did not survive it.

South Africa, however, got back into the match, when Zondeki removed century-maker Ramnaresh Sarwan for 127 and Lara for four.

South Africa lead the four-Test series 2-0, after winning the second Test by eight wickets, and the third by an innings and 86 runs. The first Test ended in a draw.