Chris Gayle hit an explosive 15th ODI century as West Indies surged to a six-wicket victory as they chased 259 to win the Champions Trophy semi-final.

Gayle ended the match 133 not out at under a run a ball, hitting 17 fours and three sixes in a brilliant knock.

He was well supported by Shiv Chanderpaul, who completed a measured fifty before retiring with cramp.

Herschelle Gibbs top-scored for South Africa with four fours and a six in his 77, sharing 92 with AB de Villiers.

606 DEBATE: Join in the chat on this game

By Tom Fordyce

44th over: WI 262-4: There it is - after two singles and wide leave Gayle needing just one for the win, Gayle drives Peterson for four. He finishes on 133 not out off just 135 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes. Fireworks explode in the Rajastan sky as Gayle leaves the pitch to the most well-deserved of ovations.

So Sunday's final in Mumbai will see a reprise of Australia v West Indies. On the performances in the semis, it could be a cracker - if there are enough runs in the pitch...

43rd over: WI 253-4: Good shout, that one. Gayle clubs Smith for another four and then Samuels drives him for another. Gayle will now have the chance to polish things off with a boundary to win the match.

42nd over - WICKET - West Indies 244-4: Morton doesn't bother to hang around - he flicks a little Peterson looper straight to de Villiers at midwicket. Surely even the Windies can't blow this from here, can they? Or can they? Probably not, to be fair.

41st over - WICKET - West Indies 243-3: He'll have to wait until the final to hit his 1,001st. Smith tempts Lara into a little dolly and snags an easy caught and bowled. Still, with 16 runs needed from 56 balls, which skipper has won the big battle?

40th over - WI 241-2: Lara square drives Peterson to the boundary. That's Lara's 1,000th one-day four. Not bad, eh? Although not as good as Mr Tendulkar...

39th over - WI 234-2: Mr Lara comes to the crease. Gayle lets him rest easy by paddling Smith to fine leg for his 15th four.

38th over - WICKET - West Indies 226-2: Dwayne - what were you thinking? Bravo charges down the pitch at Peterson, sees the ball fly off his pad to Smith at slip and is then run out by Smith's direct hit as he fails to regain his ground.

37th over - WI 224-1: Torture for Nel. He's trying so hard that he falls over after one delivery, and what does he get for his hard work? 14 runs flayed off him, that's what, including two fours just wide of Boucher and a trademark battering to long on from Gayle.

36th over - WI 210-1: Bravo gives Ntini the same treatment - a circumspect block and then an almighty thrash through the off side. Bravo by name etc etc...

35th over - WI 204-1: Dwayne Bravo blocks his first ball from Nel and then, clearly confident that his eye is in, cracks the next one wide of backward point for four. The run-rate drops again - it's now hovering just above the 3.5 per over mark. Nel, of course, is still convinced that South Africa can win.

34th over - WICKET - West Indies 196-1: To widespread amazement, South Africa take their first wicket. Ntini's the man who does it, angling one into Sarwan's pads to claim a marginal lbw decision off Aleem Dar. Sarwan goes for a run-a-ball 27.

33rd over - WI 186-0: Four more singles off Nel. He can just about cope with that. It's the boundaries that hurt him personally.

32nd over - WI 182-0: Gayle moves to 99 with a nudge off Ntini. He survives three balls of tension before pushing a quick single to mid-off and trotting through for his century. What an innings - if you had to summarise it in one word, it would be this: kaboom!

31st over - WI 178-0: Nel continues his personal crusade against the world's expansive strokeplayers by whistling two short ones past Sarwan's nose. Sarwan has the last laugh, battering a full one through cover with hands so fast they were almost invisible.

30th over - WI 173-0: Ntini is brought back into the attack. Sarwan flays him over point for four, and a phalanx of drummers in the stands explode into funky life.

29th over - WI 167-0: Nel, to whom every opposition run is a mortal insult, comes blasting in at Gayle again and cracks him in the grille with another snorter. As Nel walks his follow-through down the wicket, his eyes almost pop out of his head. Gayle looks as troubled as a man asleep on a lilo.

28th over - WI 163-0: Sarwan jumps aboard the gravy-train with a beautiful clip through midwicket, followed by a lofted flick for four more. The run-rate required drops to 4.2 per over.

27th over - WI 155-0: Sarwan trots on to replace the stricken Shivnarine. Andre Nel is back on, and to absolutely no-one's surprise he flings a bouncer straight at Gayle's throat before giving him the Andre eyes.

26th over - WI 154-0: Good and bad news for South Africa. On one hand, Gayle smashes Kallis for two more fours to move on to 91. On the other, Chanderpaul's injury is so bad that he leaves the field for treatment. Graeme Smith laughs openly as Chanderpaul limps off.

25th over - WI 145-0: If things weren't bad enough for South Africa with this pair at the crease, there's now a third West Indian out in the middle. Luckily for them, it's Dwayne Smith, out there to act as a runner for the limping Chanderpaul.

24th over - WI 141-0: Peterson thinks he's got Gayle tied down. That's until Gayle cracks him through the leg side for his 12th boundary of his innings.

23rd over - WI 135-0: Four easy singles. Gayle's now up to 76, Chanderpaul 55. In the stands, three young boys in pink polka-dotted shirts engage in a spontaneous group hug.

22nd over - WI 131-0: Chanderpaul seems to be limping. Perhaps concerned about saving his partner's legs, Gayle smashes Peterson so high into the sky over mid-on that it's a shock to see the ball actually come back to earth. It's a massive hit.

21st over - WI 121-0: Smith's now bowled six overs for just 21 runs - less than half as expensive as Ntini and Nel.

20th over - WI 120-0: Peterson comes on for a twirl. It's the closest Smith can get to that cloning plan, and it works too - without the pace on the ball, neither Gayle nor Chanderpaul can get the ball away as easily. Chanderpaul brings up his 50 - it's taken him just 57 balls.

19th over - WI 118-0: If Smith could clone himself so he could bowl from both ends, South Africa might be able to get back into the game. Three off the over, which is peanuts by today's standards. Small peanuts.

18th over - WI 115-0: Who said slow-down? Gayle, clearly refreshed by his beverage, clouts Kallis's first ball high over midwicket for six. After the briefest of breathers, he stands up to a shorter ball and punches it down the ground for another boundary. Chanderpaul plays the wing-man role nicely by working a two after Gayle tickles a single.

17th over - WI 101-0: Three singles off Smith as the drinks trolley comes on. Despite the slow-down, the hundred is up and the run rate is below five an over.

16th over - WI 98-0: Kallis ties Gayle down again - he can only push a single, although that takes him to his half-century. Kallis glowers as he tosses the ball back to his skipper at the end of his over.

15th over - WI 97-0: This is virtual strangulation by the standards of what we've seen before - just three runs off the last two overs. The stands are now much fuller than earlier on, with the first signs of dancing from some of the less inhibited punters.

14th over - WI 95-0: Jacques Kallis comes on, and he succeeds where Nel was failing - beating the bat once and reining the Windies back to just one single.

13th over - WI 94-0: Smith's plan falls apart to a soundtrack of Gayle lashing more boundaries in the most casual of manners. 11 off the over, and South Africa desperately need a breakthrough.

12th over - WI 83-0: Here's your answer: another crashed four from Gayle over straightish midwicket. Seven off the over, and it's easy pickings for the Windies at the mo.

11th over - WI 76-0: Smith's big tactical plan was this: bring himself on. And to be fair to him, it works - there's just one off the over, and a shout for lbw against Gayle thrown in there too. But what about Nel at the other end?

10th over - WI 75-0: The Windies tactics seem to be this: smash a six early on in the over, and then relax for the remaining balls. Chanderpaul steps away to the off side and swings Nel high over deep fine leg. The television slow-motion replays capture the sight of AB de Villiers releasing an enormous spit as the ball sails over the ropes.

9th over - WI 68-0: Pollock, the best one-day bowler in the world, is being tonked around as if he were Rikki Clarke. Gayle leans into another massive drive and sends the ball smashing into the boundary boards at long-on on the full. More stony-eyed chin-stroking from Smith at slip.

8th over - WI 60-0: It's all too easy for the Windies. Angry Andre Nel comes on to try to staunch the flow of runs, but Gayle just leans back and slaps him through midwicket for four. Angry looks even angrier. At this stage, South Africa were 36-1.

7th over - WI 50-0: Chanderpaul is now seeing it like a luminous water-melon. He casually deposits Pollock back over his head for a four that's half an inch shy of a six, strolls a single and then runs a rapid two as Gayle helps himself on the leg side. The Jaipur crowd are loving it. Pollock isn't.

6th over - WI 43-0: If you're not South African, this is a pleasure to watch. Gayle flips Ntini away for four, takes a single with the field deep and then watches appreciatively as Chanderpaul strokes another sweet four through cover. That's 6,000 career ODI runs for Chanderpaul, in 202 matches.

5th over - WI 29-0: Pollock pitches one up to Gayle, and the tall left-hander responds by wafting it with the sweetest timing back past him for four. Graeme Smith is chuntering to himself at slip while stroking his chin.

4th over - WI 22-0: ...which could be a mistake. Chanderpaul gets a thick edge on a drive off Ntini for two, and then eases him elegantly through cover for four.

3rd over - WI 16-0: Tight from Pollock, but Gayle is still looking for quick runs. The fielders inside the circle are as deep as they can be to give themselves a fraction more time to react to his big shots. When Chanderpaul's on strike, they close in.

2nd over - WI 13-0: Ntini hits Chanderpaul on the hips and the Windies pair run two leg byes. Gayle then stands up and punches a back-foot drive through the covers for another couple. Night has fallen in Jaipur. It's warm-ish without a breath of wind - delightful batting conditions.

1st over - WI 9-0: Chris Gayle shows West Indies' intentions straight away with two lusty boundaries off Shaun Pollock with the first two legitimate deliveries of the over. But when was he ever going to hang around?

INNINGS BREAK

50th over - SA 258-8: Andre Nel comes in, backs away to square leg and misses the final ball completely before running a bye. That's an interesting final total - it's gettable, but it won't be easy. What I'm saying is that this one could go either way...

50th over - WICKET - South Africa 256-8: Bravo starts off with a shocker - a wide full toss that goes for four byes down leg. That brings up the 250. Peterson then slices a drive away for three to bring Gibbs back on strike - only for Bravo's slower ball to fool him completely. Lara takes a comfortable catch running back from midwicket, and he's gone for a solid 77.

49th over - SA 247-7: Taylor serves one up right in the slot, and Gibbs crashes him over long-off for flat, skimming six. He then takes two more and then gets back on strike for the final over. Taylor finishes with 2-48 off his 10 overs - a decent effort.

48th over - SA 237-7: As Gibbs and new man Peterson start swinging with abandon, Lara nearly strikes again with another run-out from mid-on - but misses by a fraction. Only five off the over...

47th over - WICKET - South Africa 227-7: Shaun Pollock comes in, hits a two and two singles and is then comprehensively cleaned up by Taylor. Gibbs, who is still there on 68 not out, looks distressed.

46th over - WICKET - South Africa 219-6: One ball after hoisting Samuels for a massive six, Boucher attempts to do the same again, gets a big top edge and is snagged by Sarwan running back from cover. He's out for 16 off just 11 balls.

45th over - SA 213-5: Boucher goes hard again against Bradshaw, and this time he connects - smashing him back past the stumps for a brutal boundary. Umpire Aleem Dar is forced to leap out of the way and does so in a rather camp manner.

44th over - SA 203-5: Mark Boucher joins Gibbs and chances his arm against Gayle, who under these lights is looking strangely like a "What's Going On" era Marvin Gaye. Four singles and a wide off the over.

43rd over - WICKET - South Africa 195-5: Kemp must be wishing he'd given Gibbs even more of the strike - Bradshaw squeezes one past his limp defence and he's clean bowled for just three. Delight in the Windies ranks - that's two wickets in three overs, and the brakes are on.

42nd over - SA 194-4: Four singles off Gayle, who's conceded 44 off his nine overs so far. Justin Kemp has joined Gibbs and is trying to give his senior partner the strike.

41st over - WICKET - South Africa 188-4: Tremendous work from Lara - he picks up a De Villiers push into the leg side and whistles down the stumps at the non-striker's end. At first glance AB looks in - but replays show he is out by the slimmest of margins. One more inch and he'd have been safe - as it is, he's gone for 46, just as South Africa were looking lively.

40th over - SA 182-3: The accelerator is officially down. Gibbs takes an enormous swipe at Gayle, misses the ball completely and almost dislocates his shoulder with the effort. He then plays a delightful lofted drive over cover for four and thrashes another two.

39th over - SA 173-3: 10 off the over, but Gibbs was never in control - he nicks Samuels through Baugh's legs and then nibbles another down leg for more runs. He's moved on to 48, but he's never looked that settled.

38th over - SA 163-3: There's one rocket from de Villiers at least - a sizzler pulled over midwicket as Gayle drops short.

37th over - SA 157-3: Samuels has done his job too. Three more singles, but not a sniff of a boundary. Visible on the boundary edge is an enormous pile of fireworks that have been confiscated from spectators. Have the stewards seized the South African fireworks too?

36th over - SA 154-3: Four more singles off Gayle, who once again has been very effective on these slowish wickets. The sun is beginning to set over Jaipur, and the anticipation in the crowd is growing.

35th over - SA 150-3: There's a sense that this is the calm before the storm. The Windies are quite happy to concede four an over, while Gibbs is starting to look for his shots. On come the drinks.

34th over - SA 146-3: Gibbs moves on to 35 as he brings the 50 partnership up with an on-drive for three off Taylor. There's wickets in hand for South Africa, but the run-rate is still under 4.5 an over - are we getting close to lift-off time?

33rd over - SA 139-3: Samuels tempts de Villiers into a big heave, but the ball falls just short of the fielder in the deep. Are the batsmen feeling the squeeze again?

32nd over - SA 134-3: Lara brings Taylor back on to halt the drip-drip of singles. The policy works well as Gibbs slips into cautious mode. On the Windies balcony, Clive Lloyd watches play intently. No internet shenanigans for that man. In contrast to the thick-rimmed black glasses he used to sport as a player, he's now wearing a thin-framed gold pair. They look rather delicate on his large face.

31st over - SA 132-3: That's better - singles are starting to flow more freely. Laughter on the South African balcony from the players gathered round the laptops. Surely they're not enjoying a joust round the internet instead of studying detailed statistical breakdowns of today's match?

30th over - SA 127-3: Big escape for AB - he aims a whippy drive at Gayle and gets an inside edge that just misses his stumps. Serious looks between the batsmen.

29th over - SA 122-3: 26 runs off 39 balls for this partnership, and the run-rate is tinkling along at just over four an over. You sense that Gibbs and AB will look to pick up the pace from this point on.

28th over - SA 117-3: Gayle drops short and de Villiers picks him up sweetly over wide mid-on for four. De Villiers apparently plays golf off scratch - he hit that one like a relaxed five-iron.

27th over - SA 109-3: A lucky outside edge from Gibbs off Samuels flies wide of the 'keeper and down to third man for three. Gibbs looks like he wants to get after the bowling, but with no pace on it he's struggling to time the ball.

26th over - SA 104-3: Three singles off Gayle's over, and South Africa are becalmed. Gayle's facial hair, which has burgeoned throughout this tournament, gives him an air of sophistication.

25th over - SA 101-3: Samuels and Gayle are rattling through these overs, and neither Gibbs nor de Villiers looks set yet. The Windies will be pretty happy with the way things are at the halfway stage.

24th over - SA 100-3: AB de Villiers joins the fray. Gayle keeps him tied down and looks very pleased with himself - at least until he accidentally walks into the stumps at the non-striker's end and almost falls over.

23rd over - WICKET - South Africa 96-3: Bosman's luck finally runs out. With Samuels new in the attack, Loots tries to flick one to leg but gets a leading edge straight to Gayle at extra cover. He's gone for 39.

22nd over - SA 94-2: On comes Chris Gayle. The crowd are delighted. So is Gibbs, as he smashes a short one square for four.

21st over - SA 89-2: Gibbs gets an inside edge for two that nearly castles him. He then works a single. More on those monkeys - they've got big old sharp teeth on them too. One leapt at my travelling companion, incisors bared, and then turned its head to reveal that - horrifically - the rest of its face was missing. There was just blood and sinew where cheek should have been. Stuff of nightmares.

20th over - SA 83-2: Smith is tiring - Bosman puts a leg-stump full toss away for four. A glance away from the pitch allows a glimpse of the Amber Palace up in the hills outside the city. If you ever find yourself up there, watch out for the monkeys. They might look charmingly cheeky from a distance, but up close they're vicious pickpockets who'll steal your sandwiches in the blink of an eye.

19th over - SA 76-2: No bravos for Bravo there - his attempted slowe ball is shovelled away by Bozzie for four, and after a single to third man Gibbs helps himself to another boundary as Bravo drops one short outside off.

18th over - SA 66-2: Smith stays on the money against new man Gibbs, and it's a maiden over. South Africa need some application from Gibbs and Bosman now.

17th over - SA 66-2: If Kallis isn't kicking himself in the pavillion, one of his team-mates should be. Sure, the run-rate had slowed a little, but there was no need for that sort of suicide-slog.

17th over - WICKET - South Africa 65-2: Jacques Kallis, what have you done? The Lara squeeze is too much for him - he aims a huge leg-side heave at Bravo, gets a steepling top edge and Sarwan runs in from third man to take the catch.

16th over - SA 65-1: Kallis crashes Smith into the covers, but a great diving stop denies him the boundary he thought he was guaranteed. Good pressure here from the Windies. Lara has a ring of fielders on the off side, and both Smith and Bravo are bowling well to this field. Frustration for the SA pair...

15th over - SA 63-1: Bravo fizzes one down leg for a wide but then keeps Kallis on the straight and narrow for the rest of the over. Kallis is looking set for a big innings, while Bos... hold on, what am I saying? Have I completely failed to learn the lessons of the Smith/mockers debacle in the 5th over?

14th over - SA 61-1: Smith comes into the attack, and Kallis says hello by smashing him back over his head for four. Smith continues the conversation with five dot balls.

13th over - SA 57-1: Change of bowling - on comes Dwayne Bravo. His first ball is too full and Bosman, who is perfectly happy as long as he doesn't have to move his feet an inch, flays him over mid-on for four. He repeats the trick through mid-off to the final ball, and South Africa are well and truly out of that mini-doldrum.

12th over - SA 49-1: That's more like it from Bosman - he takes on Taylor and hits him through cover for four with his sweetest bit of timing all match. Or his only bit of timing, to be fair.

11th over - SA 44-1: Kallis, perhaps growing bored of watching Bosman struggle, goes on the attack against Bradshaw and smashes him over point for four.

10th over - SA 38-1: Umpire Simon Taufel, standing in his 99th ODI, is having a shocker. Taylor has Bosman plumb but Taufel turns it down, just as he did with Kallis in the last over. That one was hitting middle stump - about halfway up, just to make it clear what a travesty we've just witnessed. Taylor then beats Bosman all ends up with one that arrows in and then leaves him at the last moment.

9th over - SA 38-1: Tight over again from Bradshaw. Just 11 runs off the 24 deliveries Bosman and Kallis have faced in this partnership. Bosman really doesn't look comfortable.

8th over - SA 36-1: Great little battle developing here between Taylor and Kallis. Kallis takes first blood with a meaty clump through midwicket for four, but Taylor hits back with a fast inswinger which replays show should have sent Kallis on his way, plumb lbw.

7th over - SA 31-1: Nice from Bradshaw. He ties up Bosman and Kallis, with only a quick single and a wide to add to the total. Kallis is looking to be aggressive (no surprises there) while Bosman, who bats with his feet splayed like a baby giraffe, is looking a little sketchier.

6th over - SA 29-1: Jacques Kallis comes in, edges his first ball to third man for two and then waves his blade helplessly at the next two deliveries from Jerome Taylor, who can't believe that he hasn't picked up another wicket.

6th over - WICKET - South Africa 27-1: Graeme Smith - I'm so sorry. There you were, easing along in fine style, and I have to make a stupid comment like that. Smith goes, clean bowled by Taylor for 19.

5th over - SA 27-0: Smith gets busy with two consecutive drives through the leg side as Bradshaw struggles with his line. The skipper has whistled along to 19 off just 22 balls and looks in good nick. Let's see if that puts the mockers on him...

4th over - SA 16-0: Taylor strays onto leg stump and Bosman clips him through midwicket for four. He responds with a vicious snakey bouncer of the sort that would leave you really quite scared if you had facing it.

3rd over - SA 10-0: Bradshaw goes wide again and Smith helps himself to a pushed four through cover. The pitch is behaving so far - the bounce looks even, but there's a bit in it for the bowlers. Tough to say whether the locals in the crowd are supporting the Windies or South Africa - at the moment there's just general applause at moments of interest.

2nd over - SA 4-0: Bosman and Smith get off the mark with pushes into the leg side off Taylor. Bozzie then nearly plays on as Taylor brings one back in. Smith watches through narrowed eyes.

1st over - SA 1-0: Bradshaw comes cantering in and flings down a wide with his first delivery. But after that he ties Graeme Smith down nicely, and there's no more runs off the over. Not many in the stands here yet, but it's early doors. What else is there going in in Jaipur on an ordinary November Thursday?

0850 GMT: We've just had a look at the pitch in Jaipur. It looks like a heavily-rolled mud version of the crazy-paving your mum and dad used to have on their patio. And as we all know, batting on crazy-paving is a nightmare - even against your dad's inconsistent twirlers.

"It looked a good pitch when England played here, but teams were unable to get big scores regularly so we will look to restrict South Africa. We're comfortable chasing - but it's important to shut South Africa out by limiting them to under 225."
Brian Lara

Ian Bradshaw, one of the heroes of the 2004 Champions Trophy final, is back in the side, as is all-rounder Dwayne Smith. Pacemen Corey Collymore and Fidel Edwards miss out.

"The decision boiled down to the wicket and the dew factor and we felt we wanted to have a go on this wicket and get some runs on the board."
Graeme Smith

South Africa bring in left-arm spinner Robin Peterson for Charl Langeveldt and top-order batsman Loots Bosman gets his first game of the tournament for Dippenaar.

0834: Graeme Smith tosses the coin on the edge of a baked-brown pitch, Lara calls heads but it comes down tails.