BRIAN LARA has maintained all along that, in spite of much of the evidence, his West Indies could beat South Africa.
They waited until the last few days of the tour to verify the captain's confidence. But the grand manner of their victory in the fourth one-day international at Centurion on Sunday demonstrated what was possible and, even more so, what is in the fifth and last match at the Wanderers here tonight.
It is a virtual final for the West Indies. A second successive triumph would earn them a 2-2 share of the series and lighten the burden of disappointment they, yet again, carry back home from another dreadful overseas tour.
Lara's assertion was always likely to be upheld more in the shorter form of the game than in the Tests where a combination of unpenetrative bowling, unresponsive pitches and missed catches meant South Africa could never be bowled out twice.
Even though they haven't taken all 10 wickets in the one-day series, and even after their collapse to their all-time low 54 all out and defeat by 209 in the first match in Cape Town, the West Indies had every chance to be now 2-1 up, rather than the reverse.
The hapless run outs of Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ridley Jacobs denied them in the second match in Port Elizabeth.
After their bowlers and fielders performed with the discipline and purpose expected of an international team for the first and only time over the past six weeks to limit South Africa to 179 for seven, the misjudgement of the three senior players left them 16 runs short of the target.
In the victory at Centurion, the bowlers were as culpable with their no-balls and wides as Lara, Sarwan and Jacobs were with their run outs, presenting South Africa with 27 unearned runs and three and a half additional overs with their extras.
It was overweight Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ricardo Powell, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Lara made light of an ideal pitch in the only all-day match of the five, rattling up 300 for three to win by seven wickets with five overs to spare.
But the West Indies cannot afford such inconsistency tonight. Batsmen, bowlers and fielders have to be at their best against opponents so stung by the defeat that captain Graeme Smith suddenly turned to exhaustion as an excuse.
In the end, it is unlikely to be either inconsistency or exhaustion but the toss that will determine the outcome.
Lara made the undeniable point after Sunday's match that, as both teams batted in daylight, it was the only fair contest of the series.
"It's a bit disappointing that we will play four of the five games under lights," he said. "It's unfair to both teams. Conditions are so much in favour of the side bowling second, it's ridiculous."
"We're going to the Wanderers (next) and you wonder what's going to happen come 6.30 or 7 pm," he added.
He hopes that what would happen come 5.30 or 7 pm is that he will be setting the field for his bowlers to utilise the conditions.
Lara has had slim pickings with the toss, calling wrong three times out of four in both Tests and ODIs. If he does again this afternoon, the West Indies start at a psychological, as much as actual, handicap.
The scores in the four matches to date and the record from last year's World Cup, in which the teams batting second lost seven of the 10 matches under lights, support Lara's contention.
When the lights were on in Cape Town, the West Indies were skittled out for their 54.
They were used throughout the second encounter in Port Elizabeth where the combined totals were 342.
In the third, rain-spoiled no result match in Durban, they were again used throughout. The West Indies were kept to 147 for eight from their 40, thrice interrupted overs. South Africa were 15 for one off five and hardly able to put bat to ball when play was abandoned.
Yet, in the blazing sunlight at Centurion on Sunday, the teams amassed 597 runs for seven wickets from 95 overs.
The fact is that, at most grounds in South Africa, the white ball swings and seams markedly more at night than in the day.
It was especially so under heavy cloud covers in the earlier matches, an unlikely situation here as the forecast is for fine weather.
"Finally, we got a game where the toss didn't matter," Lara said of Sunday's match. "Cricket was the winner, and the spectators loved it."
The spectators who loved it most were the couple of dozen flag-waving West Indians who have come in mainly from Jamaica, Barbados and neighbouring Botswana, where there is a large Caribbean community on teaching and nursing contracts.
It was a welcome change for them and they will be at the Wanderers again today, with their one steelpan, their flags and their voices, urging a repeat of Centurion.
The West Indies had a lengthy net session in 30 degrees sunshine at the Wanderers yesterday, their first since Port Elizabeth a week earlier.
The rain in Durban kept them indoors and they confined themselves to physical gym work on Saturday, prior to the Centurion match, and on Monday.
With seam and swing aided more at night than spin, there is a strong case for replacing off-spinner Ryan Hurley with Vasbert Drakes, his cousin, in the final eleven.
Hinds has bowled adequately but his repeated overstepping cost nine no-balls in his 10 overs on Sunday. His batting had also been well below potential.
South Africa might have to make an enforced change, bringing in either Morne van Wyk or fellow left-hander Ashwell Prince for Jacques Rudolph who has a groin strain.
South African captain Smith yesterday put a novel interpretation to the West Indies' success on Sunday.
"I think they've reached the point on this tour where they've got nothing to lose and probably feel that South Africa has everything to lose," he said. "
"When you feel like that you can play with such freedom that you either make 350 or you get dismissed for next to nothing," he added.
Teams:South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Mark Boucher, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Rudolph (or Ashwell Prince or Morne van Wyk).
West Indies (probable): Brian Lara (captain), Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs, Corey Collymore, Mervyn Dillon, Ravi Rampaul, Dwayne Smith, Ryan Hurley (or Vasbert Drakes), Ricardo Powell.