Lara and co gatecrash the party and upset South African hosts

Brian Lara struck a peerless hundred but almost had his thunder stolen by a resurgent Lance Klusener as West Indies beat South Africa by three runs in an extraordinary opening World Cup Group B match yesterday.

The man of the match Lara, dropped first ball on the way to his 16th one-day century, helped West Indies rattle up an imposing 278 for five from their 50 overs after winning the toss.

When South Africa slumped to 204 for seven it looked more than adequate, but Klusener then cut loose, smashing five sixes and a four as he raced to 57 from 47 balls to give the tournament hosts hope of the most unlikely victory.

"Brian showed what a world class player he is," said the West Indies captain Carl Hooper. "I have seen Lance Klusener do that before. I always thought when he was there they still had a chance."

With Vasbert Drakes charged with the responsibility of bowling the final over, Klusener pulled the third delivery high to deep mid-wicket where Hooper took the catch to a stunned silence.

It left South Africa requiring eight from three balls but with only Makhaya Ntini and Allan Donald to come, it just proved too much as they finished on 275 for nine.

Lara showed barely a hint of rustiness in his first competitive innings since collapsing with a mystery illness during the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in September. Not only did he provide the focal point of what was a commanding West Indies total, but he did it after his side made a terrible start.

The South African captain Shaun Pollock struck twice in two overs to remove Wavell Hinds, caught behind for a 16-ball duck, and Chris Gayle, bowled off the inside edge after taking 21 balls to score two, to leave West Indies reeling at seven for two. Lara was immediately handed a piece of fortune when Jacques Kallis failed to hold on to a tough chance diving full length at second slip.

The let-off allowed Lara to set about reconstructing the innings with Shivnarine Chanderpaul but it was a slow process as West Indies crawled to 30 for two from 15 overs.

Lara gradually found his timing, however, and struck Allan Donald sweetly over mid off for six as he began to attack the South African bowlers.

He added 102 with Chanderpaul for the third wicket and 89 with Hooper (40) for the fourth. Slow left-armer Nicky Boje lasted only three overs, Lara crashing him to fence four times as well as lifting Klusener for six over square leg.

Lara finally top-edged a pull off Ntini as the overs ran out to depart for 116 off 134 balls, in cluding 12 fours and the two sixes. His work was then consolidated in spectacular fashion as Ricardo Powell (40 not out off 18 balls) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (32 not out off 15 balls) finished the innings in a blaze of boundaries, Pollock's penultimate over costing 23 runs and as West Indies plundering 110 runs off the last 10 overs.

Faced with such an imposing target and with one over docked because of a slow over rate, South Africa needed a good start. Although Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten put on 46 in good time for the first wicket, West Indies made the breakthrough when Gibbs (24) edged Mervyn Dillon to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.

The left-arm seamer Pedro Collins struggled for control but came up with the crucial wicket of Kallis, brilliantly caught behind by Jacobs for 13.

With Boeta Dippenaar and Jonty Rhodes also back in the pavilion the onus was on Kirsten to hold the innings together but on 69 he offered a simple return catch to Dillon off the leading edge.

Kirsten's departure looked to signal the end of any realistic South African chances of victory.

But Mark Boucher made 49 at a run-a-ball and then came Klusener to add his extraordinary flourish to a pulsating first match of the tournament.