Jennings aims for whitewash, Pollock hopes to be fit

Ray Jennings has targeted a whitewash in the forthcoming Test and one-day series against West Indies and termed it as "the most crucial series of my career". Shaun Pollock was also upbeat about the team's chances and hoped to be fit for the entire tour.

The South African board expressed their concern over the sponsorship crisis in the West Indies, including Brian Lara being excluded from the first Test squad. But they acknowledged it is an internal matter and hoped it was resolved before the South Africans arrived. "We have sympathy for the board's predicament," Gerald de Kock, the media liaison officer, was quoted as saying in the Trinidad and Tobago Express, "but we don't have any control or influence over their affairs."

Shaun Pollock, who captained South Africa on the 2001 tour of the West Indies, wished that they played against the strongest team. "I'm sure they'll work something out before the first Test," Pollock told The Sunday Argus, a Durban based newspaper. "The missing guys form the core of their side and it would be silly if they missed out. From a personal point of view, I would be disappointed if we didn't play against their strongest team."

Pollock, who led his team to a 2-1 in the Tests and 5-2 triumph in the ODIs, added, "People need to understand that the West Indies are unique in that, strictly speaking, they're not playing for their country; they're playing for a collective entity made up of different independent islands. That makes a big difference to their outlook and can lead to complications."

Pollock, though, had his own worries with a left ankle injury and he had to pass a fitness test before being cleared to play. The injury had kept him out of the second Test against Zimbabwe last week. If the injury persisted, he might be forced to miss the first two Tests and fly out for the rest of the series. "It's still niggling me," he said. "I can run OK, although there's a little bit of pain, but it's slamming the left foot down that is the problem. It's basically a wear and tear injury that's been equated to patella tendonitis [tennis elbow] that's difficult to get rid of unless you rest it."

Nicky Boje, according to Pollock, would have a huge role to play in the series. Boje, the left-arm spinner, had a great time in the 2001 series picking up 15 wickets at 29.46. "The West Indies have a lot of left-handers and Nicky will be able to turn the ball out of the rough outside their off-stump."