PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Chris Gayle led an improved West Indies batting performance that failed to spare his side from a 163-run defeat inside four days at the hands of South Africa in the first Test yesterday at Queen’s Park Oval.

The West Indies captain struck nine fours and one six in the top score of 73 from 106 balls in just over 2 ½ hours, Dwayne Bravo made 49, and Sulieman Benn got 42.

But West Indies, chasing 457 for victory, were bowled out for 293 in their second innings about nine minutes before the rescheduled close on the fourth day.

Nelon Pascal was bowled, when he dragged a delivery from Dale Steyn into his stumps to signal the end, after South Africa claimed an additional half-hour to ensure they won’t have to return on today.

The defeat meant that West Indies now trail 0-1 in the three-Test series, with the second Test starting on Friday at Warner Park in Basseterre, St. Kitts.

West Indies were always under pressure, after South Africa had declared their second innings about an hour and 20 minutes before lunch on 206 for four, with their captain Graeme Smith leading the way with 90.

West Indies were then setback early, when Travis Dowlin was adjudged lbw to Morne Morkel’s first delivery for one in the second over of the innings, after submitting a challenge to TV umpire Simon Taufel.

The hosts were further rocked, when left-hander Brendan Nash was caught behind for 13 off Steyn edging a flat-footed drive to leave West Indies 39 for two.

West Indies hopes of saving the Test then took a nosedive before tea, when Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Gayle were dismissed.

Chanderpaul and Gayle are the two most accomplished batsmen in the West Indies line-up, and were making a fight of it, when they added 55 for the third wicket either side of the interval.

But Chanderpaul was caught at second slip off Jacques Kallis for 15 to leave West Indies on 94 for three.

Gayle had reached 50 from 62 balls, when he whipped Lonwabo Tsotsobe through square leg for his fifth four, but he was undone, when Morkel trapped him lbw, and West Indies subsided to 114 for four.

West Indies were fortunate twice in the last half-hour before tea, when Taufel gave reprieves to Narsingh Deonarine and Bravo.

Deonarine survived an lbw shout to Morkel for a ball clearly heading down the leg-side, but Bravo seemed to gain the Taufel’s sympathy.

Moving down the pitch to left-arm spinner Paul Harris, the West Indies vice captain appeared to be caught at forward short leg off a thin edge that ricocheted off the pad, when he playing a defensive stab at a well-flighted delivery.

To the chagrin of the South Africa, and the bowler in particular, Taufel was not convinced after viewing several video replays.

Deonarine and Bravo carried West Indies to 139 for four at tea, but they were carried away in a wave that sent the home team sliding to 194 for seven.

Deonarine was lbw for 23 playing back and across to Steyn bowling around the wicket, Bravo was outfoxed and was caught at mid-wicket whipping a delivery from Harris, and Denesh Ramdin was caught at short extra cover for nine off Tsotsobe essaying a flashy drive.

West Indies earned some respectability, when Shane Shillingford joined Benn, and put on 66 for the eighth wicket to extend things into the final hour.

Both entertained with some meaty strokes, but Benn outshone Shillingford, when he pulled three successive short balls from Jacques Kallis over mid-wicket for three of his eight boundaries.

The two West Indies spin bowlers looked like they were prepared to force South Africa into another day of toil, when Alviro Petersen, a last gasp from Smith, made the breakthrough, with Benn lbw playing down the wrong line.

There was token resistance from the remainder of the batting before Steyn claimed Pascal to finish with three wickets for 65 runs from 15.3 overs to earn the Man-of-the-Match award for match figures of eight for 94.

Earlier, Benn was the most successful West Indies bowler in the South African second innings with three wickets for 74 runs from 25 overs, including the scalp of Smith, bowled behind his leg sweeping, after striking seven fours from 172 balls in just over 3 ½ hours.

Benn had removed Kallis lbw for his overnight score of 40, following the batsman’s challenge of the decision to the TV umpire.