Brian Lara drives en route to his 176 on the first day of the third Test against South Africa on Thursday. (AFP)

Bridgetown: Andre Nel and Monde Zondeki ended West Indies? first innings in clinical fashion on the second day of the third Test against South Africa on Friday.

The two fast bowlers finished with four wickets each as the home team subsided to 296 all out. South Africa, in reply, were 50 without loss at lunch, with Graeme Smith batting on 22 and A. B. de Villiers 28.

Nel and Zondeki needed only 20 balls between them to wrap up the innings after West Indies had resumed on 292 for seven.

Zondeki struck with the fourth ball of the day when he had Daren Powell (3) caught behind by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher before a run had been added to the overnight score.

In Zondeki?s next over, Fidel Edwards (2) attempted to hook a bouncer but the ball went into the hands of Boeta Dippenaar at short leg.

Nel took the final wicket when Courtney Browne (five) hooked a catch to Zondeki at fine leg.

Zondeki finished with figures of four for 50 while Nel picked up four for 56.

Edwards took the new ball for West Indies and his first delivery, an attempted yorker to Smith, came close to bowling the South Africa captain.

But the openers suffered no further scares as they settled in on a good pitch for batting.

On the opening day, Brian Lara struck a defiant 176 to rebuild the West Indies innings.

The hosts slumped to 12 for three before Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul stopped the rot with a stand of 138 that helped the home side reach 292 for seven at the close.

Lara batted fluently to hit a century for the second consecutive match ? his 28th Test hundred.

He played his naturally aggressive game and scored his runs off 225 balls with 21 fours and a six, an arcing drive off left-arm spinner Nicky Boje that clattered on to the roof of the Pickwick Pavilion beyond the long-off boundary.

He was eventually dismissed just before the close when he dragged a delivery from fast bowler Andre Nel on to his stumps.

Courtney Browne and Daren Powell were both unbeaten on three when play finished for the day.

Chanderpaul kept the ball on the ground for most of his innings of 53, which ended in the fifth over before tea when he attempted to cut a wide delivery from fast bowler Monde Zondeki and was caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

The West Indies captain batted for three hours, faced 138 balls and hit six fours.

Lara admitted he is enjoying the freedom of batting without the poisoned chalice of being West Indies captain to burden him.

The batting superstar was stripped of the job following the sponsorship row that threatened to derail the current series against South Africa, and the West Indies cricket board handed it to fellow left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

?I relish the opportunity of going out there and assessing the situation, and trying to get the team in a strong position,? Lara said Thursday.

?It does not matter whether or not I am captain. I am 35-year-old, soon going to be 36, so I am a leader in the team indirectly. I have got to lead the way with the bat, on the field, and anything that ?Shiv? wants in terms of help, I have to be able to assist him with it.?

However, despite his brilliant century, Lara said he was disappointed with the West Indies? performance on the first day.