Debutant off-spinner Simon Harmer took three wickets before West Indian captain Denesh Ramdin led a fightback against South Africa on the first day of the third and final Test at Newlands on Friday.
At stumps at Newlands, West Indies, who are attempting to square the series, were 276 for six.
Ramdin (53) and Jermaine Blackwood (45 not out) put on 94 for the sixth wicket to enable the tourists to finish with a respectable total after it seemed they had squandered the advantage of winning the toss and batting first on an easy-paced pitch.
Harmer took three for 67 and was mainly responsible for the West Indies slipping to 172 for five, dismissing Devon Smith, leon Johnson and Shivnarine Chanderpaul during an impressive first day of Test cricket.
Harmer, 25, replaced leg-spinner Imran Tahir in the only change from the South African team that played in the rain-hit drawn second Test in Port Elizabeth.
He made an early impact by taking a wicket with the last ball of his fourth over.
It was also the last ball before lunch and came from a disappointing shot by Smith, who made 47 and seemed to be settling down after being beaten several times early on by the South African fast bowlers. Smith tried to cut a ball which was too close to his body and chopped the ball onto his stumps.
Johnson played some handsome strokes in making 54 off 84 balls with nine fours.
Worse for the West Indies was to follow with the first ball after tea. In what appeared to be a planned move, Harmer fired the ball down the leg side and Chanderpaul was smartly stumped by AB de Villiers.
Ramdin’s previous highest score in eight Tests against South Africa was 32.
Brief Score
West Indies: 276/6 in 90 overs (leon Johnson 54, Denesh Ramdin 53; Simon Harmer 3/67 and Dale Steyn 2/59) at close of play.