West Indies bid to avoid whitewash

Walsh, 36, and Ambrose, 35, are both struggling to recover from hamstring injuries but captain Brian Lara said Tuesday that intensive physiotherapy could result in the veteran new ball pair playing.

Walsh was Saturday named as one of five players who will return home before the start of a limited-overs series against South Africa. But he seemed to be making good progress when he bowled in practice on Tuesday.

Ambrose, who will stay for the limited-overs games, appears to have only a slim chance of being fit for Centurion.

The West Indies completed their programme of provincial matches when they drew a three-day match against Boland, one of the weakest provinces, in Paarl on Tuesday. Lara settled for batting practice instead of seeking the touring side's first win in a first-class match on tour.

Lara, Carl Hooper and Philo Wallace made half-centuries but no batsman went on to make a big score in a pattern that has become depressingly familiar to the tourists.

Going into the final Test, after losing the first four, the West Indies still do not have a settled batting combination. Lara indicated that Darren Ganga, 20, would open the batting at Centurion.

He has looked one of the soundest of the West Indian batsmen and could be the best option to stop the succession of early breakthroughs by South African fast bowlers Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock.

While the West Indies struggle to put a solid line-up together, South African hopes have been boosted by expectations that Donald will play after being listed as a doubtful starter after suffering a hamstring strain during the fourth Test at Newlands.

Although Lara said he hoped both Walsh and Ambrose would play, he said it was possible that replacement fast bowler Reon King would be drafted into the Test side. Lara said he was still not sure when King would arrive but said: ``Hopefully he will be available for selection.''

Centurion Park usually provides a hard, true pitch which favours batsmen but also provides bounce for fast bowlers.

Recent rain in the Gauteng area makes it likely conditions will be bowler-friendly.

At the start of the tour, the West Indies would have been confident of winning in conditions which suited fast bowling, but their struggling veterans Walsh and Ambrose have been outgunned by Donald and Pollock, while South Africa's batsmen have proved more reliable than the West Indians.

All South Africa's top order batsmen have shown good form, with opener Gary Kirsten making two half-centuries in a provincial match after being the only batting failure of the fourth Test.

Squads:

South Africa: Hansie Cronje (capt), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Daryll Cullinan, Jonty Rhodes, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher, Allan Donald, David Terbrugge, Paul Adams, Lance Klusener.

West Indies: Brian Lara (capt), Philo Wallace, Darren Ganga, Junior Murray, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Carl Hooper, Ridley Jacobs, Nixon McLean, Curtly Ambrose, Mervyn Dillon, Courtney Walsh, Rawl Lewis, Stuart Williams, Clayton Lambert, Reon King, Floyd Reifer.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (Rsa), Srinivas Venkataraghavan (Ind).
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka).