PROVIDENCE, Guyana (AFP) — South Africa defeated the West Indies by 40 runs on an eventful third day of the second and final Test on Saturday to extend their dominance over the Caribbean side.

Set a challenging target of 263 after fast bowler Jayden Seales’ Test-best figures of six for 61 dismissed the Proteas for 246 in their second innings in the morning session, the home team lost wickets at regular intervals to be dismissed for 222.

In a cruel twist of fate, Seales was the last wicket to fall just minutes before the scheduled close of play. He fell to Man of the Series Keshav Maharaj who claimed his 13th wicket of the two-match duel via a short leg catch by David Bedingham.

The win extended South Africa’s unbeaten Test series run against the West Indies from the first-ever series meeting between the two teams in 1998/99 when Shaun Pollock’s men demolished the visitors, led by Brian Lara, 5-0.

West Indies had defeated South Africa in a one-off encounter in Barbados in 1992, their first-ever official Test encounter which marked the Africans’ return to the Test fold after 22 years in isolation because of the country’s apartheid policy.

Maharaj’s left-arm orthodox spin earned him figures of three for 37.

Kagiso Rabada shared bowling hours in the innings with three for 50, leaving the 29-year-old fast bowler one wicket away from claiming 300 victims in Tests.

Wiaan Mulder took the Man of the Match award, the seam bowling all-rounder making the most of a rare opportunity to play Test cricket by claiming six wickets in the match and also contributing an important 34 runs in the second innings.

Mulder’s was the first wicket to fall at the start of the day when Warrican had him leg-before.

After that it was the Seales show as he ripped through the lower order to claim the second five-wicket innings haul of his fledgling Test career.

For West Indies Captain Kraigg Brathwaite, one of Mulder’s two wickets in the innings, the fate of the match hinged on the failure of the batting line-up in the first innings.

“We did well to dismiss them for 160 but then didn’t put up enough runs in reply. That was crucial,” he emphasised.

“Our mindset today was to have intent at the crease. And even though myself and the other top-order batters didn’t deliver, it was good to see the fight from Motie and others lower down the order.”

Maharaj, whose three wickets lifted him one above Hugh Tayfield’s 170 as the most successful spinner in South Africa’s Test history, said for a team that he describes as being in a transitional phase, South Africa did well to win.

“Getting ready for Test cricket is always part of my plan, no matter what other formats I play. I always have a red ball in my bag.”

South Africa’s only period of anxiety came during a 77-run, seventh-wicket partnership between Gudakesh Motie — who top-scored with a Test-best effort of 45 — and wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva (27).

West Indies lifted their team from the depths of 104 for six in mid-afternoon but the reintroduction of Maharaj brought the vital breakthroughs when he trapped Motie and da Silva lbw in successive overs.

Bavuma then held a stunning, leaping catch at mid-on off Shamar Joseph to give Rabada his 299th Test wicket, before Maharaj completed the job despite a few lusty blows at the other end by Jomel Warrican (25 not out).

The first Test in Trinidad last week ended in a rain-affected draw.

SCOREBOARD

SOUTH AFRICA 1st Innings 160

WEST INDIES 1st Innings 144

SOUTH AFRICA 2nd Innings

(overnight 223-5)

T de Zorzi c Da Silva b Seales 39

A Markram lbw b Motie 51

T Stubbs c Da Silva b Seales 24

*T Bavuma lbw b Motie 4

D Bedingham b Seales 0

+K Verreynne b Seales 59

W Mulder lbw b Warrican 34

K Maharaj c Motie b Seales 0

K Rabada c Hodge b Warrican 6

D Piedt not out 7

N Burger c&b Seales 0

Extras (b4, lb 13, w5) 22

TOTAL (all out, 80.4 overs) 246

Fall of wickets: 1-79, 2-120, 3-134,

4-134, 5-139, 6-224, 7-227, 8-232,

9-244, 10-246.

Bowling: Seales 18.4-4-61-6, Holder 12-4-24-0, S Joseph 18-2-53-0, Motie 22-5-61-2, Warrican 9-2-21-2, Hodge 1-0-9-0.

WEST INDIES 2nd Innings

*K Brathwaite lbw b Mulder 25

M Louis c Mulder b Rabada 4

K Carty b Mulder 17

A Athanaze c Markram b Piedt 15

K Hodge b Rabada 29

J Holder c Mulder b Piedt 0

+J Da Silva lbw b Maharaj 27

G Motie lbw b Maharaj 45

J Warrican not out

S Joseph c Bavuma b Rabada 11

J Seales c Bedingham b Maharaj 4

Extras (b11, lb5, nb4) 20

TOTAL (all out, 66.2 overs) 222

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-54, 3-62, 4-99,

5-103, 6-104, 7-181, 8-182, 9-205, 10-222.

Bowling: Rabada 16-5-50-3, Burger

13-3-34-0, Mulder 14-2-35-2, Maharaj

11.2-2-37-3, Piedt 12-1-50-2.

Man of the Match: Wiaan Mulder.

Player of the Series: Wiaan Mulder.

Toss: South Africa.

Umpires: Ahsan Raza, Sharfuddoula.

TV umpire: Richard Illingworth.

Match referee: Andy Pycroft.

Reserve umpire: Gregory Brathwaite.