Shivnarine Chanderpaul after completing his century at the fag end of Day I of the first Test versus South Africa on Thursday. (Above) Wavell Hinds, who was unbeaten on 210 at lunch on Day II. (AP)

Georgetown: Wavell Hinds entered the record books as he reached 210 not out, the highest score by a West Indian against South Africa, as the first Test resumed after a rain delay on Friday.

The West Indies maintained their dominance of the first day to move to 386 for three at lunch with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, captain in the absence of Brian Lara, unbeaten on 117.

Hinds has batted for more than seven-and-a-half hours, faced 272 balls and hit 34 fours and two sixes.

The more subdued Chanderpaul scored his runs off 211 balls with 17 fours.

Lara?s 202, which he scored in Johannesburg in the 2003-04 series was the previous best score by a West Indies player against South Africa.

Hinds and Chanderpaul came together with the West Indies on 106 for three and their unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 280 is a record for any wicket for the West Indies against South Africa, beating the previous best of 174 set by Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle in 2003-04.

The morning session was reduced to an hour because of mopping up operations following overnight rain.

The West Indies resumed on 347 for three, and quickly picked up from where they left off on Thursday against a lacklustre South Africa bowling display.

Hinds went to his double century when he opened the face of his bat as he pushed forward to a delivery from Andre Nel, the ball scooting through backward point and across the fast outfield for four.

The closest South Africa came to taking a wicket was when Nel struck Hinds on the pads with a delivery that pitched in line with the left-hander?s leg stump.

The South Africans appealed loudly for a leg-before decision, but umpire Aleem Dar signalled four runs after the ball clattered into the thirdman boundary.

On Day I, Hinds and Chanderpaul came together after South Africa had reduced the hosts to 24 for two.

Hinds, who survived a difficult chance on 13 when dropped by Herschelle Gibbs in the gully off Charl Langeveldt, ended the day unbeaten on a career-best 188, his fifth Test century.

Chanderpaul, captaining the side for the first time, reached his 12th century in fading light, having struck 15 fours.

Despite being offered the light by the umpires, Chanderpaul and Hinds opted to stay out. The skipper reached three figures with a late cut off Langeveldt for four. Right after that, the players went off with 9.1 overs remaining.

South Africa squandered a sharp chance to dismiss Chanderpaul for 60 when the West Indies captain edged a hook off Nel to Boucher, who parried the ball but failed to catch it.

Later Hinds, vice-president of the West Indies Players? Association, denied reports that he was close to pulling out of the match because of the sponsorship dispute.

?West Indies cricket is bigger than all of us, without it we are nothing,? he said. ?I came to Guyana with all the intentions of playing and representing the West Indies to the best of my ability.?

(Reuters)