Thank goodness for Jason Holder. This second Test match still has life because the former West Indies captain on Thursday finally added some aggression to their batting, hopefully providing an example for how the front-line batters should approach things. The West Indies don’t owe anything to Test cricket. They have a deep and rich history that includes many of the greatest practitioners of the format. But where once they were pioneers, the current generation is finding itself getting left behind by the likes of England. Which is why Holder’s knock was so important. Having ended South Africa’s first innings at the Wanderers in less than 20 minutes on Thursday, the West Indies’ top order fell apart, leaving the tourists 73/4 at lunch. It’s what happened after the break that was bemusing. Kyle Mayers may argue he was attempting to up the ante, but it was more a case of looking spooked against Kagiso Rabada than any kind of controlled counterattack. The West Indies scored at just over two runs an over in that afternoon session, which is just not the way of the modern game. It made for some painful viewing. At one stage Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar, standing in the slips engaged in a round of ‘rock, paper, scissors’ (for the record, Elgar’s rock beat Markram’s scissor); and later, while fielding at silly point, the former Proteas skipper, seemed intent on inventing a new move for tiktok, leaving Kemar Roach in stitches. The school children who made up the majority of the 1,747 crowd that came through the gates here, were quiet — at least those not engaged on the jumping castle. Then came Holder and the West Indies lower order. He wasn’t interested in pushing back the spinners. Instead, using those long levers, he deposited Keshav Maharaj into the Taverners Stand for a couple of sixes, one of which woke up a patron who had to assist Simon Harmer in locating the ball under one of the seats. There was a spectacular swatted drive over cover and another six into the Memorial Stand that everyone, bar Holder didn’t see. He finished on 81 not out, an inspirational knock that included eight fours and four sixes. The West Indies lower order, much maligned, showed guts and in the case of No 11 Gudakesh Motie plenty of resourcefulness, scoring 17 as part of a 58-run 10th-wicket partnership with Holder. In fact from 116/6 when Mayers was out, to have reached 251, reducing the Proteas' lead to 69, the lower order is deserving of credit. There will be questions, understandably, about the Proteas’ selection of two spinners. Under normal circumstances Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer would not be expected to make an impact in the first innings, but given what the Proteas anticipated about the surface, their efforts will be concerning. Holder chose to attack both of them, with Maharaj’s second spell in particular, lacking imagination, while he struggled with his control, which is very unusual. Harmer too battled with his control, though he did manage one of the deliveries of the day that breached Joshua da Silva’s defences. Gerald Coetzee was the best of the Proteas bowlers, producing some fiery spells, which brought him 3/41 in 14 overs. The Proteas ended the day with a lead of 73 runs. They will feel they are still in the ascendancy, and will hope the pitch will deteriorate more from Friday. However, the West Indies will not fold and as Holder showed, there’s plenty of spirit in the visiting dressing room. Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times . Just R20 for the first month. .