Pollock in line for recall in Lara's den

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West Indies have been here before, all too many times in their troubled recent history. The series has been lost, and there is nothing but pride to play for as the fourth and final Test gets underway in Antigua on Friday. And yet, there remains a frisson of excitement surrounding the fixture. When there's a certain Brian Charles Lara waiting to make his next statement of intent, no match can be entirely written off as a dead-rubber.

Antigua has long been Lara's favourite hunting-ground. In April 1994, he exploited a typical St John's featherbed - and an insipid English attack - to post the then-world record score of 375. Almost ten years to the day later, shortly after Matthew Hayden had whipped the record from under Lara's nose, he was back again, with a stupendous unbeaten 400, again against England. That particular innings staved off a 4-0 series whitewash and reaffirmed Lara's waning position as the darling of the Caribbean.

The difference on this occasion is that Lara is already in a golden run of form, and consequently, the expectations could not be higher as he arrives back on an island where he averages 90.44 over the course of 12 matches. If his comeback 196 at Port-of-Spain was breathtaking in its own right, then his scintillating 176 was a class apart, even by Lara's loftiest standards. It was, arguably, his greatest innings since the apex of his career - against the Australians in 1998-99 - and it put every one of his team-mates in the shade.

Nevertheless, it is somewhat ironic that West Indies' finest team performance came in the one match that Lara missed. Without his overbearing presence in Guyana, West Indies enjoyed much the better of the first Test with Wavell Hinds and Shivnarine Chanderpaul both making double-centuries. It leaves one wondering what sort of ill-effect Lara's superstar status has on the West Indies dressing-room.

The entire team will have to be playing at the top of their game in Antigua, however, because an already rampant South African side is set to be further reinforced by the belated return of Shaun Pollock, their allrounder and leading strike bowler.

Pollock has missed South Africa's last five Tests due to an inflamed left ankle, although he has not been missed, thanks to the sterling new ball efforts of Makhaya Ntini (who took a South African record 13 for 132 in the second Test) and Andre Nel (who wrapped up the third Test with 6 for 32 in the second innings). Pollock is likely to come in for Monde Zondeki, who has been suffering from a thigh niggle, although Nel, who has a sore back, is also a slight injury worry for the South Africans.

South Africa have scented blood since sealing their series win at Barbados. The coach, Ray Jennings, has come under friendly fire from one his own selectors, Omar Henry, but is nonetheless focused on finishing in style, especially with a five-match one-day series to follow after the Tests. Meanwhile Graeme Smith, the captain, has expressed his satisfaction at the progress his side has made in a gruelling nine-month itinerary. "We have worked very hard for our two victories under some trying conditions," said Smith. "We should never be satisfied with our position, and we should look to take our game up a level or two each time."

West Indies can at least look forward to a more spirited performance in the field, now that their pocket battleships, Fidel Edwards and Tino Best, have been reunited for the first time since the tour of England last summer. Best, who possesses the sort of ebullient spirit that all struggling sides need, has been sidelined since July 2004 with a back injury. "I think I'm fit," Best was quoted in the Jamaica Observer. "I'm 100%. I've been working hard. The physical trainer is doing a great job so far."

West Indies' only other change is the return of Narsingh Deonarine, the Guyanese allrounder who stepped in during the contracts dispute and performed admirably in his one outing, at Bourda. He returns in place of Ryan Hinds, although if West Indies hope to stop South Africa becoming the fourth nation - after Australia, England and the Windies themselves - to record 100 Test victories, they will need the whole team, and not just Lara, to be firing on all cylinders.

West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt), 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Narsingh Deonarine, 8 Courtney Browne (wk), 9 Tino Best, 10 Daren Powell, 11 Fidel Edwards.

South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 AB de Villiers, 3 Boeta Dippenaar, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Herschelle Gibbs, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Nicky Boje, 9 Shaun Pollock, 10 Andre Nel, 11 Makhaya Ntini.