PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — West Indies failed to hold their nerve, and were unsuccessful in their bid to prevent South Africa from making a clean sweep of their One-Day International series, when they lost the fifth and final match by one wicket in a tight finish yesterday.

The Windies could not defend a target score of 253, as Jacques Kallis, later named Man-of-the-Match, hit 57 from 55 balls, and JP Duminy 51 from 75 deliveries to help the South Africans secure victory with two balls to spare.

The match was on a knife’s edge, when the Proteas entered the final over needing eight to win, but Roelof van der Merwe swung Kieron Pollard to the deep backward square leg boundary, and three balls later, Lonwabo Tsotsobe formalised the result, when he slapped an innocuous wide delivery through cover for another four.

The defeat condemned West Indies to a third straight loss in a bilateral ODI series against South Africa.

West Indies lost the rain-affected opening match by 66 runs, under the Duckworth-Lewis Method two Saturdays ago, at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, where they also fell to a 17-run defeat in the second ODI.

The Windies then lost the third ODI by 67 runs last Friday at Windsor Park in Dominica, where they also crashed to a seven-wicket defeat in the fourth ODI.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul had struck four boundaries in the top score of 67 from 104 balls, and compatriot Narsingh Deonarine supported with three fours and one six in an unbeaten, run-a-ball 53, as West Indies, choosing to bat, reached a respectable 252 for six from their allocation of 50 overs.

West Indies then bowled steadily, when the South Africans started their chase, and Dwayne Bravo made the breakthrough, when he claimed the Proteas captain Graeme Smith for the fourth time in the series, caught behind for 12.

West Indies copped a bit of fortune, when Hashim Amla was run out, advancing too far to steal a single, and failing to beat Kieron Pollard’s throw from mid-wicket to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin. The bearded batting wonder was later named Man-of-the-Series for his 402 runs, which made him the most prolific batsman in the series.

With Sulieman Benn sidelined, following his sending-off in the fourth ODI, embattled West Indies captain Chris Gayle was forced to bowl his uncomplicated off-spin, and had AB de Villiers caught inside the long-on boundary with the last ball of his first over, the 19th of the innings.

West Indies appeared to be out of contention when Kallis, who chopped a delivery from Pollard to backward point for a single to reach his 50 from 43 balls, and JP Duminy added 58 for the fourth wicket.

But Gayle had Kallis dubiously caught behind in the 31st over, and Pollard had Boucher caught at short third man for six in the 36th over to leave South Africa needing 78 from 84 balls.

West Indies were made to wait for their next scalp, when Duminy, who turned Dwayne Bravo away to mid-wicket for a single to reach his 50 from 73 balls, and Johan Botha added a useful 36 to stabilise their side’s innings.

The home team then put the skids on the South Africans, when they claimed four wickets — including Duminy and Botha — for 35 runs in the space of 34 balls between the 44th and 49th over, but ran out of steam in the end.

Earlier, Chanderpaul reached his 50 from 79 balls with a pull to the wide long-on boundary for four off Kallis, who Deonarine also drove straight for a deuce to reach his landmark from 49 balls.

West Indies wobbled to 45 for two in the 11th over before Darren Bravo joined Chanderpaul to put on 51 for the third wicket.

The younger Bravo was caught at cover for 17 off van der Merwe in the 25th over.

His elder brother Dwayne entered, and consolidated West Indies’ position with a stand of 41 with Chanderpaul before Tsotsobe bowled him for 26 in the 35th over.

West Indies also lost Chanderpaul lBW to Botha in the 40th over before Pollard joined Deonarine and hit one four and two sixes in 25 from 19 balls in a stand of 58 for the sixth wicket.

Pollard was caught at cover off Kallis in the 47th over to leave Deonarine and Darren Sammy to take West Indies the rest of the way, and raised 90 from their last 10 overs.

The two sides now play a series of three Tests, with matches in Trinidad (June 10-14), St Kitts (June 18-22), and Barbados (June 26-30).

The South Africans start a two-day tour match tomorrow against Trinidad & Tobago at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine ground.