South Africa v West Indies, 3rd Test

Jacques Kallis pulls another boundary. Jacques Kallis smacked 74 as South Africa's domination of the Durban Test continued

Modern-day cricket very rarely sees teams all square heading into the final match of a Test series. One team usually dominates the series and wraps it up well before the final game and, if we are lucky, we usually see some sort of fight-back from the losing team in the finale as they bid to salvage some pride.

Graeme Smith began the day in positive style

Well, this has not been the case for the South Africa-West Indies Test series and, while it may not have been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons - like Bhajjigate Down Under - it's been good, hard Test cricket.

If the first two matches are any indication of what to expect, we could be in for another gem of a Test in Durban.

Gayle - won't play in Durban.

The sleeping giant that is the West Indies appears to be stirring into wakefulness. They might not have a Brian Lara, a Malcolm Marshall or a Curtley Ambrose in the team, but they are operating extremely well as a unit. Some might say the reason is exactly because they don't have a superstar dominating the team. Even if they fail to win the third Test, the West Indies can take plenty of positives from the series.

Sammy to Amla, OUT, out of nowhere a wicket, on the stumps and Amla closes the face of the bat as he tries to turn into the leg side. The edge flies to silly mid-off where Dwayne Bravo holds a sharp catch to end a stand of 199

The Windies will be without their inspirational skipper Chris Gayle for the game in Durban. Their captain certainly led by example in Cape Town and PE, and it is a triple setback for the visitors in that they lose their skipper, their opening batsmen and the one man who can put South Africa's bowlers on the back foot from the word go.

"Even worse than losing the match was the expected prognosis that my thumb injury will necessitate another layoff of two to three weeks," Gayle said, "so I'm definitely out of the final and deciding Test match. I'm not sure about Fidel (Edwards) though. I hope he can play because having him is a significant advantage for us."

Dwayne Bravo will take over the captaincy from Gayle. Bravo was relatively successful when he captained the West Indies during the one-day series against Zimbabwe. But the South Africans are a different kettle of fish entirely.

The home side have played better as the series progressed. Graeme Smith and Ashwell Prince were among the runs in PE while Dale Steyn and Andre Nel have found their rhythm again after sluggish performances in the first game.

On the downside, the form of Herschelle Gibbs, who will come in for the injured Neil McKenzie, is still a major headache. The third Test may well be his last chance to show that he still has a place in Test cricket. Makhaya Ntini has also flattered to deceive in the first two games.

South Africa will make changes to the bowling line-up, according to their coach Mickey Arthur. Dale Steyn, who is struggling with a hamstring injury, or spinner Paul Harris could make way for Shaun Pollock.

"It's sometimes necessary to introduce fresh legs into a team for a particular match," Arthur told The Mercury.

Fresh legs or not the South Africans - who are no doubt already looking towards the series against England later this year - need to show why they are the No 2-ranked team in the world. They've been distinctly average in the two games and need to pull the finger out in Durban. Nothing but a convincing victory will silence a chorus of doubt amongst fans and media alike, especially those calling for Smith's head in the wake of a bad run of form and some dubious captaincy.

Key men:

West Indies: There will be added pressure on Shivnarine Chanderpaul with Gayle out of the picture. Good ol' Shiv contributed his obligatory half-century in Port Elizabeth, but he will need to convert that into triple figures if the West Indies want to stand any chance of upsetting their hosts again.

South Africa: If their openers, be it Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs or Smith and AB de Villiers, get off to a good start you can see the South Africans dominate the rest of the game.

Last Five Results:

2008: Second Test: South Africa won by seven wickets in Cape Town

2007: First Test: West Indies won by 128 runs in Port Elizabeth

2005: Fourth Test: Match drawn in St John's

2005: Third Test: South Africa won by an innings and 68 runs in Bridgetown

2005: Second Test: South Africa won by eight wickets in Port of Spain.

Prediction

South Africa definitely have the momentum going into the final game and they will want to prove that they are the best of the rest. It should be a comfortable victory for the hosts against a Gayle-less Windies team.

Probable teams:

South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Dale Steyn, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini

West Indies: Devon Smith, Daren Ganga, Runako Morton, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo (captain), Denesh Ramdin, Rawl Lewis, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards / Pedro Collins

Dates: 10 -14 January

Morning session: 10:00-12:00 local time (8:00-10:00GMT)

Afternoon session: 12.40-14.40 local time (10:40-12.40 GMT)

Evening session: 15:00-17.00 local time (13:00-15.00 GMT)

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama
Umpires: Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel