Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada led the way as South Africa’s pace attack ripped through the West Indies to win the first Test at Centurion inside three days on Thursday with an 87-run triumph.

The fiery Rabada took six wickets for 50 runs as South Africa bowled out the visitors for 159 after the West Indies had been set a target of 247 to win.

Victory came despite solitary resistance from Jermaine Blackwood, who scored 79 of his team’s runs in a one-man effort to give the Windies a chance.

It proved a Test where the bowlers had the upper hand for most of the contest and wickets fell freely throughout the day as South Africa, who had a 130-run first-innings lead, resumed on 49/4 in their second innings and lost six wickets just before lunch as they were dismissed for 116.

Aiden Markram, who scored a century in the first innings on his return to the Test side, top scored again with 47 while Kagiso Rabada and debutant Gerald Coetzee were the only other home batsmen to get to double figures.

Kemar Roach returned the best bowling figures for the Windies with 5/47.

After dismissing South Africa cheaply, the West Indies were forced to face one over before lunch and saw captain Kraigg Brathwaite feather the third ball of the innings down the leg side to be caught by wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen off Rabada in an immediate blow to their hopes.

The Windies then slumped to 33/5 in the second session as Rabada, Coetzee and Marco Jansen tore through the top order. Jansen took two wickets off successive balls removing Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Roston Chase.

Blackwood led a fight back in a 58-run partnership with Joshua da Silva for the sixth wicket to offer a faint glimmer of a potential chase for glory but once Da Silva departed, the outcome looked inevitable.

Despite the defeat, Windies ’keeper Da Silva claimed a record for himself. He took seven catches in Proteas’ second innings to join Wasim Bari (Pakistan), Bob Taylor (England), Ian Smith (New Zealand) and fellow West Indian Ridley Jacobs at the top of the list for most catches in an innings.

The second and final Test of the series starts next Wednesday at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Brief scores: South Africa 342 & 116 (Aiden Markram 47; Kemar Roach 5/47). West Indies 212 & 159 (Jermaine Blackwood 79; Kagiso Rabada 6/50). South Africa won by 87 runs.