Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

THE WEST Indies and South Africa meet in Durban this morning (Ja time) for the start of the third and final Test match with the count, surprising to many, indeed to the majority of cricket fans around the world, reading one-one.

In other words, believe it or not, the third and final Test between the West Indies and South Africa in South Africa is not, as usual with final Test matches between the two teams, for statistical interest only: it is, to the everlasting credit of the West Indies, a winner-take-all shoot-out.

Starting the series as the underdogs after losing their first series in South Africa 5-0, after losing the second 3-0 with one ending in a draw, and with the home team ranked number two in the world, the West Indies, number eight in the world, stood up in the first Test, matched the team considered their superiors stroke for stroke, ball for ball, cornered them, and then defeated them by 128 runs to take a 1-0 lead.

Although they were hit by injuries to captain Chris Gayle, then to fast bowler Fidel Edwards, and lost the second Test, when it came to their new-found spirit, to their consistency, and especially so that of their fast bowlers, the West Indies were almost as good in Cape Town as they were in Port Elizabeth, and are expected to be as good in Durban where everything is on the line.

Chances

Unfortunately for the West Indies, however, chances are they will not be as good as they were in the first two matches, definitely not as they were in match number one, and for three simple reasons.

Reasons number one and two are that with Gayle injured and out of action, according to reports coming out of South Africa, the West Indies will miss their captain. And when it comes to hitting the ball, to driving the fear of God into South Africa's bowlers, they will also miss their most dangerous batsman.

Reason number three is that it is unlikely that Edwards, their fastest and arguably their most dangerous bowler, will play, and if he does not, the West Indies attack, in spite of the possible presence of Pedro Collins and his left-arm swing bowling, should not, or more than likely, will not be as deadly as it was in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

In the Windies' favour, however, is the fact that as far as the batting is concerned, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the left-hander who has so far scored 247 runs in four innings for an average of 123.50, and the man who, apart from scoring 104 in Port Elizabeth, scored 65 not out and 70 not out in Cape Town, is still around.

Also, Marlon Samuels, the man who has not only come up with scores of 94 and 40, 51 and 18 but who has also batted for 267 and 120 minutes, 204 and 85 minutes, is still around, and tha they are not as good as Chanderpaul, even though they are not as talented as Samuels, on their day, Daren Ganga, Runako Morton and Dwayne Bravo can score some runs.