PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Avoiding their third straight one-day series whitewash to South Africa will be West Indies’ main aim when the fifth and final One-Day International bowls off here today.
Short on confidence after four successive whippings in the current series, West Indies will need to dig deep if they are to escape another hammering at the hands of the Proteas at the Queen’s Park Oval.
The last time South Africa visited the Caribbean in 2005, Graeme Smith’s men inflicted a 5-0 drubbing on the hosts, a feat they repeated three years later in South Africa.
With his side facing embarrassment, captain Chris Gayle told reporters the problem was now a psychological one and stressed his side needed to haul itself out of the hole.
“It is a mental situation we’ve actually reached now, but we have to come out of the situation as quickly as possible because, unfortunately, losing is becoming a habit and it’s a bit difficult to get out of,” the Jamaican said.
“That means that you don’t know how to win games anymore, so we need to try and turn things around.”
West Indies lost the opening game in Antigua by 66 runs and went under in the second game of the doubleheader by 17 runs.
They encountered the same fate in Dominica last weekend, surrendering the series with a 67-run loss at Windsor Park and then crumbling to a seven-wicket defeat in the fourth match on Sunday.
Despite the losing slump, which also saw them beaten in both Twenty20 Internationals, Gayle said his side possessed the character to pull off a win.
“The guys are capable of winning games but they need to come with their best effort in order to turn things around,” he pointed out.
“They have worked hard during this series and we are hoping to start seeing the results of this hard work.”
West Indies selectors named an unchanged 14-man squad for the game but fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who missed the last game through injury, is now back to full fitness.
All eyes will also be on lanky left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn and if he will be included in the final XI following his on-field spat with Gayle.
South Africa, meanwhile, who practised yesterday at the Sir Frank Worrell Ground in UWI St Augustine, are expected to include a number of players who are in line to play in the opening Test here in just over a week.
Smith warned his side would not be easing up, however, as they were targeting a clean sweep.
“We would love to win this last game. It may be difficult, since we have been playing back to back matches in sweltering heat, but I think the guys have handled themselves well in the conditions,” said the left-handed opener.
“We have not bowled and fielded as well as we would like but we had a few days in between to regroup and we will see what we want to do as a team.”
The Proteas have played five ODIs against the West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval since 1992, losing the first two but winning the last three comfortably.
West Indies have won their last five ODI’s at this ground, including two wins over India in 2006 and another two over Sri Lanka in 2008.
TEAM : WEST INDIES – Dale Richards, Chris Gayle (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Jerome Taylor, David Bernard, Sulieman Benn and Ravi Rampaul.
SOUTH AFRICA – Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Alviro Peterson, David Miller, Johan Botha, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Charl Langeveldt, Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
