BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) - Brian Lara slammed another brilliant century to again rescue West Indies on the opening day of the third Digicel Test against South Africa here yesterday. Lara, arguably the world's best batsman, plundered 176 - his 28th Test century and second in successive matches. It helped to lift the home side from a worrying 12-3 in the seventh over to 292-7 at the close on a hard, true Kensington Oval pitch after Shivnarine Chanderpaul won the toss for the third consecutive time. The 35 year-old Lara, who made 196 in the first innings of the second Test in Trinidad and his first of the series, featured in two-century partnerships. He added 138 for the fourth wicket with Chanderpaul (53), and 115 for the sixth wicket with all-rounder Dwayne Bravo (26). It was the 16th time Lara, the world record-holder with an unbeaten 400, had scored more than 150 in a Test innings. South Africa, however, hit back towards the close by removing Lara and Bravo in consecutive overs with the second new ball after Lara exploded in the first three overs from Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini, which yielded 24 runs. Lara was bowled off the inside edge by Nel as he essayed a forcing back-foot drive after occupying the crease for 344 minutes. He faced 225 balls and struck 21 boundaries and a six as he delighted a crowd of 6,000 on a hot, humid day. Bravo, who batted for 132 minutes, edged pacer Monde Zondeki to captain Graeme Smith at first slip. He faced 95 balls. Nel has 3-54 and Zondeki 2-48. West Indies started disastrously as Chris Gayle failed for the third time in as many innings. He edged the fifth ball of the match and his third from Nel as it moved away and provided wicketkeeper Mark Boucher with a regulation catch before he had scored. It followed scores of six and one in the second Test. His fellow left-hander and Jamaican Wavell Hinds, who made one, was a victim of Ntini in the day's sixth over. He groped, got a healthy edge and Smith gleefully held the catch. Ramnaresh Sarwan, fresh from an unbeaten century in the second innings of the second Test, scored 10 before cutting loosely at Nel to provide point in the diminutive Ashwell Prince with a head-high catch. The situation called for cool, level heads, which were duly provided by Lara and Chanderpaul. Lara's first boundary was a backfoot drive off Ntini, which took him to 10 in the 10th over. He and Chanderpaul played virtually every ball on merit until lunch as West Indies reached 60-3 off 25 overs. Both batsmen were on 23, Lara having faced 56 balls and Chanderpaul one less with three boundaries. Once the pair had assessed the nature of the pitch, batting looked easier, the bowling became ordinary and the spectators, who were glum-faced for most of the first session, were far more relaxed as they cheered and offered lots of advice. Lara started to reel off boundaries. He pulled Nel through forward-square to move to 30 and soon drove Ntini sweetly through mid-off and then much straighter off the first and fourth balls of the next over - his third in a second spell after sending down seven in the morning session. Kallis replaced Ntini from the Malcolm Marshall (southern) end and Lara quickly brought up his half-century, first turning through midwicket and driving to extra-cover for boundaries to bring up his half-century. It took 130 minutes from 79 balls and contained six boundaries. Then for good measure, he square drove, again to the boundary, in the same over. In Kallis' next over, Lara essayed a cut to the point boundary to move to 59. It brought up the century partnership in 133 minutes off 177 balls, inclusive of 13 boundaries. Chanderpaul was then 41 with five boundaries. Chanderpaul reached his 50 by flicking Nel through mid-on for two. It came in 166 minutes off 129 balls with five boundaries. Lara shifted gear in the following over from left-arm spinner Nicky Boje with a cut to the point boundary, which was immediately followed by a six over long-on to the roof of the Pickwick Pavilion. Chanderpaul fell to a disappointing stroke, edging a cut off a wide ball from pacer Zonde Mondeki to Boucher. He batted for just over three hours, faced 138 balls and struck six fours. At tea, the score was 167-4 off 52 overs with Lara on 87 and Ryan Hinds, nine. Hinds was soon snapped up by Boucher off medium-pacer Jacques Kallis as he pushed outside the off stump. Another rescue act was then required and it was provided by Lara and fellow Trinidadian Bravo as the former continued to dig in and play strokes at will. Lara moved to 97 by cutting a wide, short ball from Kallis to backward point and eventually got to his hundred by turning the same bowler to backward square for a single. It came in 245 minutes off 141 deliveries and contained 12 boundaries and a six. Lara greeted the second new ball which was taken with the score 256-5 off 80 overs, by driving Nel to the extra-cover boundary. It took him to 153 in 318 minutes, off 204 balls with 17 boundaries and a six. A few more boundaries led to Ntini's removal from the attack, but as the crowd braced themselves for more explosive strokes, Nel and Zondeki pulled South Africa back. SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES Ist Innings W Hinds c Smith b Ntini 1 C Gayle c wk Boucher b Nel 0 R Sarwan c Prince b Nel 10 B Lara b Nel 176 *S Chanderpaul c wk Boucher b Zondeki 53 R Hinds c wk Boucher b Kallis 10 D Bravo c Smith b Zondeki 26 +C Browne not out 3 D Powell not out 3 Extras (b1, lb3, w1, nb5) 10 TOTAL (7 wks, 89 overs) 292 Wkts fell at: 1-1, 2-12, 3-12, 4-150, 5-171, 6-286, 7-288. Bowling: Nel 20-3-54-3 (nb1), Ntini 17-2-61-1, Kallis 14-6-37-1, Zondeki 14-0-48-2, Smith 8-1-23-0, Boje 16-2-65-0. Umpires: Simon Taufell (Australia), Billy Bowden (New Zealand). TV Replays: Billy Doctrove; Reserve Official: Vincent Bullen. Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand). Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com