South Africa vs. West Indies, 2nd Test Winners and Losers

Although rain had the last word in Port Elizabeth, the second Test between South Africa and West Indies was not without the occasional bright moment.

Only 201 overs of play were possible in total, meaning the hosts will carry a 1-0 lead to Cape Town for the third and final Test in the series. That game gets underway on January 2, 2015.

The draw at St George's Park did see West Indies turn in a much-improved batting display, though they once again failed to make the most of winning the toss and putting South Africa in on the first morning.

We take a look at the winners and losers from the second Test.

South Africa will be delighted they managed to pass 400 in their one and only innings in the Test without major contributions from the dependable pair of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers.

Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis have both recently been pushed into new roles by the Proteas—the duo are seemingly coming to terms with the change in positions in the batting order.

On the opening day, Elgar made 121, his best score in his Test career so far, as he helped put on a second-wicket partnership worth 179.

It was the left-handed batsman's second three-figure score since being promoted to the top of the order. The other came during the tour of Sri Lanka in the first Test of the series in Galle. 

Du Plessis, meanwhile, had to wait to celebrate his milestone after ending day one on 99 not out. He returned the following morning to immediately get the runs he needed to reach his hundred, then he duly edged the second delivery of the day to depart for 103.

Alviro Petersen will end 2014 with an average of 20.54 in seven appearances after making just 17 in the second Test.

The opening batsman had made 27 in the first match of the series, and his lack of runs is the one real concern for South Africa ahead of the final match.

What will be even more worrying is the way he was dismissed in Cape Town. Petersen was gifted a short, wide delivery from Kenroy Peters and duly returned the present by handing the debutant his first Test wicket.

Rather than cut hard, he attempted to guide the ball up over the slip fielders. Instead, he just lobbed it up in the air for Leon Johnson to catch moving backwards from his position in the covers.

As Antoinette Muller pointed out in her feature for Bleacher Report after the opening day, time is quickly running out for Petersen to find some form and prolong his Test career.

West Indies lasted 102.5 overs in total in the first Test. Therefore, they could be forgiven for fearing the worst when they found themselves 55-2 when Devon Smith and Leon Johnson departed in successive deliveries.

However, the tourists had no need to panic that history was about to be repeated. Their score was moved on to 231 by the time they next lost a wicket.

Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels made sure there was no danger of being asked to follow on for a second straight Test—both batsmen hit hundreds in between the delays for bad weather.

Opener Brathwaite made his third Test century, though this was his first outside the Caribbean. He made 106 from 186 deliveries with 12 boundaries. It was good enough for him to be named man of the match.

Samuels' sixth three-figure score in his Test career included a six and 14 fours. He fell first, and when Brathwaite followed soon after, the West Indies lost their way to slip to 275-9.

The frontline spinners were denied the chance to have a bowl on a wearing pitch due to the weather in Port Elizabeth.

Sulieman Benn would have expected to play nothing but a supporting role once West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl first. It gave their four-pronged pace attack the chance to exploit any help from both the surface and the overhead conditions.

Instead, the slow left-arm spinner had to work his way through 28 overs. His only wicket was that of lower-order batsman Dale Steyn, who by then had made 58 runs from just 28 deliveries.

At least Imran Tahir, recalled to the Proteas team after Robin Peterson was ruled out of the series with a hand injury, did have runs to play with when it came to his turn to bowl. The leg-spinner picked up 3-108 to help spark a West Indies collapse.

However, he went at more than four runs an over, and his place is under threat after the home team called up fellow slow bowler Simon Harmer, per Firdose Moonda of ESPN Cricinfo, for the third Test.

No one was busier during the course of the match than the groundsman and his willing team of staff at St George's Park.

The covers were too often to be seen, and even with the potential for South Africa to push for an unlikely victory on the final day, Tuesday saw play washed out without a single ball being bowled.

A saturated outfield forced the umpires to make the decision to call off proceedings early in the afternoon. The draw does at least mean the series is still in the balance heading to Cape Town for the final Test.

The Boxing Day Test is a sporting spectacle in South Africa—at least it is when the weather allows it to be.

Those who turned up on the opening day were entertained by the batting exploits of Elgar and Du Plessis. They were to be the lucky ones, however, as rain ruined the festive occasion.

Cricket South Africa will hope for better luck at Christmas next year—England, along with their sizeable numbers of travelling supporters, will be the visitors next summer.

The first Test against England gets underway on December 26 at Kingsmead in Durban.