Smith has warned his South Africa side they must do better

The hosts held the upper hand for the first three days and Smith does not want to have to chase the second Test which begins in Trinidad on Friday.

"We weren't at the levels we needed to be," said Smith. "We've learnt a lot and the next three days are crucial.

"There is a lot of improvement needed in the next Test."

South Africa fell apart in their first innings, which was disrupted by a three-hour rain delay, as AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis failed to get off the mark.

Kallis made up for his poor display by carving out a crucial century in the second innings on a tired pitch.

We came in as underdogs and we nearly pulled this one off so it's a positive for us West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul

But Smith expects his entire team to be fully switched on in Trinidad, especially as the West Indies could welcome back star batsman Brian Lara and a host of regular players.

"A lot of us hadn't switched on to the West Indies pitches and at times we let ourselves down," said Smith.

"In Test matches you can't underestimate any team or any pitch. Hopefully we can get a result in Trinidad."

West Indies stand-in captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul was not downhearted with the draw despite watching victory slip away.

The home side had a lead of 270 runs going into the final day but fielding errors did not help the West Indies' cause.

"We came in as underdogs and we nearly pulled this one off so it's a positive for us," said Chanderpaul, who was named man-of-the-match.