West Indies middle-order batsman Marlon Samuels ... chronic knee problem flared up again during Friday's fourth ODI. - File

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CMC):

Dogged from the very start of the tour by a succession of injuries and ailments, West Indian hopes of mounting a defiant last stand in the final one-day international (ODI) against South Africa today have been significantly compromised by more fitness worries.

Facing the very real prospect of a second consecutive 5-0 limited-over series whitewash at the hands of the Proteas, and with every local expectation that they will again be nothing more than cannon fodder in Shaun Pollock's final match, the tourists are struggling to field eleven completely fit players for a match that is almost guaranteed to draw a capacity crowd to The Wanderers.

Joining the list of players who have been on the treatment table at one time or the other during this two-month journey through southern Africa are Marlon Samuels and Sewnarine Chattergoon.

Samuels' chronic knee problem flared up again during Friday's fourth ODI in Durban, while Chattergoon, selected specifically for the shorter versions of the game, is hampered by a left thigh injury that required treatment during the course of his innings at Kingsmead.

Questions about preparedness

Neither player took the field in defence of a total of 263 for nine and it remains to be seen if they will be fit enough to play in the last match of a tour that has once again raised questions about the visitors' level of preparedness for top-level competition.

While head coach John Dyson has conceded that the South Africans have been the better all-round team, the Caribbean squad's failure to build on a shock victory in the first Test in Port Elizabeth must also be attributed to the fitness worries of the likes of stand-in captain Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jerome Taylor, all of whom are vital components of a West Indian side that was finally beginning to show signs of cohesion and consistency.

Taylor, whose blistering unbeaten 43 in Durban two days earlier confirmed his all-round potential, may also be in doubt for the Sunday showdown at 'The Bullring' as it is reported that he was complaining of painful soreness following his exertions with bat and ball on Friday night.

Given his history of serious injuries and the promise that he clearly shows, it is questionable whether the tour selectors will want to risk the 23-year-old in a match that holds interest only as Pollock's last hurrah in national colours.