Dav Whatmore:Morale boosting victory lifts the team

Victory in the final One-Day International has given the team a boost before the crucial final Test match at Centurion Park. We are all acutely aware of the fact that we are one match away from leveling the series. It won't be easy of course. In the past few months the South African's have proved that they are a world-class outfit. Whilst they may have injury problems, they are able to draw upon some talented reserves.

We too have injury problems. Both Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan have groin strains. Chaminda's condition is not as bad as it first seemed, but, barring a miracle, he will not play. He is though expected to recover in time for the New Zealand tour. His absence will be a big loss as he has been in great form during the past few matches.

Murali is 50-50 at the moment and is currently undergoing intense treatment from Alex Kontouri. Bowling is not a problem, but we have to make sure that he is not going to exacerbate the injury whilst fielding. We will have to wait until the morning of the match before we can make the final decision.

The big bonus to our preparations has been the arrival of Aravinda De Silva. He has fitted in well to the side and has been giving the guys plenty of encouragement. When he played his first game in Bloemfontein he looked in excellent touch and, although he may not have fully adjusted to the extra bounce and pace of the pitches here, he is capable of playing a major role at Centurion.

We expect the pitch to be similar in type to Newlands. It will have plenty of pace and bounce. However, most of the batsmen have now scored runs on the tour and have adjusted to the conditions. Marvan Attapattu is looking in good touch and Russel Arnold played brilliantly the other night. We now have to perform as a unit. One or two of the top order batsmen scoring runs will not be enough.

The victory in the final One-Day International was obviously welcome. When things are not going your way, it's really difficult to turn things around and gain some forward momentum.

Looking back on the series we missed opportunities for victory in the first ODI at Port Elizabeth and third ODI in Paarl. In Port Elizabeth we had the South Africans in real trouble on 143 for six, but let them off the hook. In Paarl the margin of victory was eight wickets, but it was actually much closer than that.

In the batting department we have lost wickets too frequently. To make match winning totals you need to have wickets in hand at the death. This did not happen throughout the series.

In the field, poor bowling and some dropped chances, meant that we were neither able to restrict them to manageable targets nor protect totals that were eminently defendable.

Nevertheless, lessons have been learned for the future and we have a better idea as to the right combinations for success in South Africa during the next World Cup in 2003. The players too will have learnt a great deal about the conditions and difficulties of playing under pressure. This is a young team and the learning process continues.

Now though, all eyes are focused on tomorrows Test match. Whatever has happened so far in the tour is now history. We must heed the lessons and grasp an opportunity to save the Test series. It will be tough, but the task is not beyond us.