Prince was named man of the match for his first-innings 98

South Africa won the second Test against West Indies by seven wickets late on day four in Cape Town to take the series to a decider in Durban.

Graeme Smith hit 85, his first score of note in six Test innings, as his team easily chased down 185 to win.

West Indies had produced a valiant rearguard with the bat, but not enough.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit 70 not out, putting on 70 for the final wicket with Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain hitting 38 despite a broken thumb.

The day began in the worst possible way for West Indies - who resumed on 96-4, with a lead of just 18 - as Andre Nel rapped Gayle's left glove with a short-pitch delivery.

The batsman was in obvious pain and had to leave to have his hand X-rayed.

With Chanderpaul unwilling to take any risks, West Indies' lower middle order and tail had to trust their attacking instincts.

606: DEBATE I think it was a brilliant positive strategy by South Africa's batsmen medium-pacer

Dwayne Bravo hit 12 but got a brute of a delivery from Nel - which he gloved to slip.

That left the tail exposed and when Rawl Lewis pushed a ball from Paul Harris to short-leg the score was 133-6.

West Indies' lead was only 55, and three of the remaining batsmen were injured so an easy win for the hosts - perhaps before tea - looked likely.

But the first chink of hope for West Indies appeared when Smith grassed an easy chance at slip to give Jerome Taylor a life on one.

Gayle overcame a broken thumb with a belligerent innings

Taylor continued until after lunch, hitting two fours and one big six off Harris, before edging Steyn to Jacques Kallis at second slip.

Daren Powell was swiftly disposed of by Steyn, but Edwards bravely matched Taylor's efforts with the bat - his six coming off Kallis - as West Indies battled on.

Only a dubious catch by Harris ended Taylor's innings - replays suggested he may have dragged the ball across the turf in his dive.

But Gayle came out and treated the crowd to an extraordinary cameo.

Barely gripping the bat with his injured bottom hand, he hit one six off Nel, and two off Steyn, all in front of square on the legside.

He even roused Chanderpaul from his slumber and when Gayle finally holed out for 38 - Steyn taking his fourth wicket - South Africa's chase looked far from straight-forward.

Starting their innings straight after tea, Smith and AB de Villiers began in one-day mode, with a dazzling array of drives, pulls and cuts.

We went 1-0 down but have come back strongly and the momemtum is with us South Africa's Ashwell Prince

Inevitably, risks were taken and Smith was dropped on 18 by Marlon Samuels standing at point off Taylor.

The pitch, so awkward to bat on early in the day, seemed to have flattened out and with one eye on the dodgy weather forecast for Sunday, South Africa continued to play their shots.

De Villiers (23) pulled Bravo to square-leg, before Smith added 83 with Hashim Amla (37).

Both men were acrobatically caught by Gayle - with his right hand - fielding at slip off the bowling of Lewis, entrusting the final stages of the chase to Kallis and Ashwell Prince.

They hit some brutal shots off the flagging Powell, and the winning hit came when Kallis drove Lewis through the on-side for his third boundary.

Prince was named man of the match after his first-innings 98, while Smith was fined 10% and his team 5% of their match fees for a slow over-rate.

"But we still have a lot of room for improvement and hopefully we can get it together in Durban."

"All credit to Chris and his team but I'm really proud of the way the boys came through and showed character.

"Kingsmead [the third Test venue] is a track that suits us and hopefully we can get some good weather there.