Smith played some delightful drives at the Wanderers

A high-quality century from captain Graeme Smith propelled South Africa to a commanding position of 368-3 at stumps on day one of the first Test.

West Indies captain Brian Lara lost the toss on a perfect summer's day in Johannesburg and his team were on the back foot from the word go.

Three other batsmen compiled half-centuries and bat dominated ball throughout the day.

West Indies were further hampered by a hamstring injury to Chris Gayle.

The tourists would have expected to use the opening batsman as an auxiliary spin bowler. But he pulled a muscle while fielding in the first session and did not make a re-appearance all day.

If they were to look at the way they bowled, I think they would say that they bowled too many four-balls Graeme Smith

It meant the four seam bowlers had a lot of work on their plate and only on rare occasions did they trouble the South Africans.

The platform was set by Smith and Herschelle Gibbs, who put on 149 before Gibbs was bowled by Corey Collymore.

A studious forward-defensive shot prod a minute gap between bat and pad but it was enough for the ball to sneak through and hit the top of off stump.

This, though, was a pitch tailor-made for Smith's exquisitley-timed drives.

Anything remotely over-pitched got the treatment as he pierced gaps in front of square on either side of the wicket.

It was a tough day for bowlers

Jacques Rudolph made just two before giving Vasbert Drakes a wicket, Lara diving low to his left to collect an edged drive.

Then, on the stroke of tea, Smith was almost brilliantly caught by Lara at leg slip off part-time leg-break bowler Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Smith, on 110 at that point, went on to make 132 with 22 boundaries before chasing a wider ball from Fidel Edwards into Lara's safe hands in the slips.

Martin van Jaarsveld and Jacques Kallis had the rest of the day to bat in, and they showed some sublime strokeplay in what was the second most valuable partnership of the day.

The injury to Gayle meant Wavell Hinds and Daren Ganga had to do some bowling and they were severely treated on occasion by the two right-handers.

The only West Indian bowler who could really claim to be unlucky was Merv Dillon, who perhaps deserved a wicket with some dangerous deliveries to Kallis with the second new ball.

Kallis ended unbeaten on 87 with van Jaarsveld on 69, his first half-century in his fourth Test innings. Their partnership is already worth 128.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Daren Ganga, Ridley Jacobs, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards.