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The forewarning of the latest West Indian debacle here last night was provided by the match captain himself even before a ball was bowled.

Asked in the perfunctory TV interview, after losing the toss in the sixth One-day International, whether he would have preferred to bat or bowl first, Carl Hooper replied: ``At this point, it really doesn't matter.''

After three months in which their spirit has been conclusively broken by a succession of humiliating defeats, it has long been clear that it makes no difference whether they take on South Africa or South Korea.

Their every movement reveals their state of absolute submission. They are on the field in body. In spirit, they are in outer space.

South Africa made four changes to their XI, introducing the black fast bowler Victor Mpitsang, who turns 20 on March 28, as their youngest international cricketer by 26 days. They could just as well have brought in Nelson Mandela and his cabinet for all the difference it would have made to the outcome.

As it was, Mpitsang, given the honour of using the new ball with Shaun Pollock, overcame the tension of seven wides in his first six overs to claim two wickets with successive balls. As Pollock did the same thing at the opposite end, there was the rarity of each simultaneously on a hattrick although neither materialised.

The West Indies captain called wrong for the sixth time in six matches and on a sunny, searing hot day South Africa comfortably compiled 273 all out.

The West Indies yet again folded after an opening stand of 40 between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Junior Murray to be 82 for eight. Then on his home Springbok Park ground, Hansie Cronje took pity on the packed crowd of 18,000 that was in danger of being significantly short-changed.

He allowed Rawl Lewis, Curtly Ambrose and Reon King to bat for 23 overs between them against part-time spin. When he reckoned they had had enough, he recalled Jacques Kallis who bowled Lewis with the third ball of his second over. Whatever the circumstances, the leg-spinner's contribution was a gallant and attractive 49.

The total had reached 159 but the margin of victory was still a commanding 114. There is just one more match to go, at Centurion tomorrow, and Heaven only knows what final embarrassment that has in store.

Every day so far on this tour has yielded some depressing sight or other for West Indian eyes. One of the saddest-among the proliferation of wides and no-balls, the fumbled fielding, the weak throwing, the convoluted order and the wretched batting, was of Ambrose, the past master of controlled and incisive fast bowling, so distracted that he was reduced to a spin bowler's run-up and belted around for 60 from eight overs.

The mediocrity has now affected even the greatest.

It began yesterday in the very first over, from Nixon McLean, that yielded nine runs without the ball once striking the bat. They are all from wild wides, over-the-shoulder and over-the-crease no-balls and byes.

Later, Lewis, a leg-spinner mind you, started his brief spell with three successive no-balls, Ambrose sent down four wides and Reon King five in an otherwise impressive bowl (10-1-34-2) in two spells so that South Africa's total was boosted by 37 extras and 25 additional balls.

It was centred around captain Cronje's 82 off 79 balls with three sixes and six fours and his sixth wicket partnership of 94 off 90 balls with Dale Benkenstein.

Cronje had been allowed to escape at three when the usually flawless Ridley Jacobs missed a straightforward stumping chance off Keith Arthurton.

Arthurton, Hooper and McLean later restricted South Africa to 51, for six wickets, off the last 10 overs.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Junior Murray then gave the West Indies a promising start of 40 in nine overs and the crowd a false sense of anticipation.

But once Pollock removed Chanderpaul (19) and he was replaced at No.3 by McLean, whose highest score in ODIs is 11, the die was cast.