As the curtain is gradually drawn on the great career of Courtney Walsh, a compelling Test match is also drawing to an intriguing close at Sabina Park. It should surely be beyond South Africa to win this match, as they chase 386 to win - what would be the third highest fourth innings score to win in Test history.
By the close of a day on which 72 minutes were lost to rain on a damp Kingston carnival Sunday, South Africa had knocked off 140 of the runs for the loss of three wickets - still requiring another 246 for victory - with the not out batsmen Neil McKenzie on 40, and Jacques Kallis 5. It will take something very special indeed on the final day.
Walsh made sure the big Sunday crowd could let their hair down in style, with the prized wicket of Daryll Cullinan (18), the batsman adjudged leg-before to an in-swinger. First impressions from television replays were that Cullinan hit the ball, but magnification by the producers confirmed that umpire Steve Bucknor was absolutely spot on.
Walsh was not so happy shortly before the close when a huge appeal for leg-before against McKenzie (40 at the time) was turned down by Bucknor. McKenzie earlier survived an equally concerted appeal also for lbw to Carl Hooper.
Gary Kirsten (14) has had a desperate run since scoring 150 in his first innings of the series in Guyana, and despite a compact, tidy start was undone by a delivery from first-change Mervyn Dillon. Looking to leave it well alone, Kirsten saw the ball leap off a length and brush his inside edge as he held the bat horizontal to the ground.
The departure of his opening partner was the cue for Herschelle Gibbs (51) to demonstrate the kind of strokeplay which sees him averaging over 50 for the series. He was particularly murderous on Dillon, smashing him for two consecutive boundaries through the on-side, but a square cut off Walsh was the kind of cavalier extravagance normally associated with West Indian opponents of yesteryear.
It was not to last though, as shortly after reaching his half-century, Gibbs aimed a slog-sweep at Hooper, missed and was bowled. He faced 120 balls and struck five fours.
Earlier, Walsh made an emotional final walk to the wicket in Test cricket as the West Indies built on their mountainous second innings lead.
Coming in at his customary number 11, Walsh received a standing ovation from his home fans and a guard of honour from the South African players as he approached the middle.
Every ball he kept out was rapturously received by a partisan crowd, enjoying every moment in the middle from the only man ever to take 500 test wickets.
When Walsh fell slogging at Paul Adams for three, the West Indies were all out for 301 on the stroke of lunch, Cameron Cuffy remaining unbeaten on 13.
Ridley Jacobs did more than anyone to make sure the South Africans have only the faintest glimmer of a chance of winning the match and the series 3-0. Jacobs rotated the strike intelligently in the morning session to move to 85 off 191 balls, including seven boundaries, before he mis-timed his favourite hook shot and was comfortably taken by McKenzie in the deep.
Dinanath Ramnarine lasted just three balls after the resumption, although his departure was cause for controversy over what constitutes a 'fair catch'. Ramnarine clearly edged Pollock to Cullinan at first slip, who took a clean catch, but then threw the ball in the air as he staggered backwards and groped at and fumbled the ball as it came back down.
Ramnarine stood his ground, waiting for a decision from umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan, who duly sent him on his way. Law 32.3 states that a catch shall be considered fairly made if 'the fielder obtains complete control both over the ball and (crucially, in this instance) over his own movement'.
In other words, the catch was only half completed.