Barbados (CMC) - Down 1-0, but not out of the series, West Indies will be looking to avoid defeat in the crucial third cricket Test against South Africa, starting today. West Indies conceded the lead in the four-Test series, when they crashed to an eight-wicket defeat in the second Test in Trinidad, and are fully aware that another defeat would condemn them to their fourth straight series loss to the Proteas. "I don't think anyone has to worry about us recognising that we have got a real fight on our hands," West Indies coach Bennett King told reporters on the eve of the match. "The players understand the position in which we find ourselves, and the opportunities that were presented to them in the last two matches that we did not grasp." King however, was not too distraught about the defeat in Trinidad because he felt the side had played competitively for most of the match. "If you look at the intricacies of the game, I do not believe it was an easy win for South Africa," he said. "The end-result people would read in the paper in time to come and believe it was an easy win. But we felt we were in the game, right up until we came back out to bowl a second time with them needing less than 200 to win. "If we had bowled the balls, as we should have, in the right areas, I believe we could have put some pressure on them, and it would have been an interesting finish." Although King literally had only two days to work with the side prior to this Test, he revealed that the sessions were intensive and they got plenty done. "We worked very hard with the bowlers and eliminating the no-ball problem that has plagued us in the first two Tests," he said. "We had the two match umpires come to the training ground and officiate for us, and they were very happy. They told us it was one of the best training sessions, in terms of no-balls, because only one was bowled, so I am very happy there." He added: "We have been working technically with some of the batsmen on their shot selection, and also try to work hard on their concentration level. "Sir Garfield Sobers has been around and he has been very helpful with some of those things. He has been reinforcing some of the things we have been trying to tell the players." King outlined that the coaching staff had been reviewing the video footage of the first two Tests and recognised that the no-ball problem stemmed mostly from the stride patterns of the bowlers. West Indies have delivered 63 no-balls in the previous two Tests. "We recognised that the stride patterns were totally awry, particularly at the start of the bowlers' run-ups," he said. "We recognised they were not as regular as they were when they played in previous matches like in Australia. We reviewed and found out what were some of the main issues, and today we are comfortable with what we have been seeing in practice." Only two changes are likely to be made to the West Indies line-up. Left-hand slow bowling all-rounder Ryan Hinds and fast bowler Fidel Edwards should replace Donovon Pagon and the injured Pedro Collins respectively. Things are not so straightforward for South Africa, as they face two selection dilemmas. First, and most importantly, it surrounds the place of veteran fast bowling all-rounder Shaun Pollock, and secondly, left-hander Jacques Rudolph. Pollock, who has missed South Africa's last three Tests, including the first two of this series, with chronic inflammation of his left ankle, only arrived in the Caribbean on Monday. Admittedly, he is short of serious match practice, and the tour selectors face the difficult decision of whether to risk him or not. "Surely, if Shaun is picked, he would be an asset to the squad," remarked South Africa captain Graeme Smith. "The only question mark surrounding Shaun is to see whether or not he will last five days. It's a risk that we need to decide whether we will take into this Test. "It's tough to rate Shaun's fitness at the moment. He could easily get through the Test and bowl 20 overs in a day fantastically well, or he could not. It's a 50-50 risk because he has not had Test match bowling for some time, and all I can say is that it's a risk we will have to decide whether we want to take it." At the same time, Rudolph's place is also under the microscope. Apart from throwing his back out when bowling in the nets last Friday in Trinidad, his usually reliable batting has been poor in the two previous Tests. Should Rudolph fail to overcome his injury, or his lack of form weigh heavily against him in the selection room, Smith disclosed that Boeta Dippenaar seems ready to step in to take his place, following his 184 in the two-day practice match against the University of the West Indies' Vice Chancellor's XI last weekend. "Jacques place is also something that will be up for discussion when the selectors meet," Smith said. The South Africa captain is excited about the prospects of playing for his nation and leading them in his first Test at Kensington Oval, but knows it will not be easy. "It's a very important Test, in terms of the outcome of the series," he said. "We know that they will come back very hard for obvious reasons. They will be fighting hard and will be desperate, so it will be important for us to be focussed over the next five days." WEST INDIES (from) - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Courtney Browne (vice-captain), Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Ryan Hinds, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Daren Powell, Reon King, Fidel Edwards, Dwight Washington. SOUTH AFRICA (from): Graeme Smith (captain), Nicky Boje (vice captain), Mark Boucher, Abraham de Villiers, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Monde Zondeki. UMPIRES: Billy Bowden, Simon Taufel, TV Replays: Billy Doctrove. MATCH REFEREE: Jeff Crowe. Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com