PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (AP):
THE WEST Indies has the ability to win matches even without Brian Lara. But having the left-hand Trinidadian batting maestro is an additional headache for the opposition, captain Carl Hooper said yesterday.
After years of being dismissed as a has-been side, the West Indies are now re-emerging as an international force, a change that Hooper said was the result of years of hard work, trial and error and disappointments.
Lara couldn't have returned to the team at a better time, Hooper said on the eve of the West Indies-New Zealand Group B match of the World Cup.
He praised the selectors for showing confidence in Lara and asking him to bat at No. 3. Lara was out of the team with a mystery illness during the September 2002 ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka.
"Brian is a world-class player. The earlier he can get in in these games, the better for us. He has the ability to win games for us like he did against South Africa," Hooper said.
Lara's scintillating 116 set the stage for a West Indies score of 278 before its bowlers dismissed the South Africans for 275 to snatch a thrilling three-run victory.
Hooper admitted that the victory gives the West Indies a slight edge over New Zealand, who come into the game after a 47-run loss to Sri Lanka.
"But it is important not to be complacent. We have had recent clashes with New Zealand and we know how good they are," Hooper said.
Asked if the West Indies can win matches without Lara, Hooper said: "Actually we have done that. Having Brian back is just an extra plus for the opposition to think about."
He said that in the West Indies' last series in India the team had a lot of big scores by the younger guys.
"So having Brian back in the fold is an additional headache for the opposition, one that we welcome."
Another reason for optimism for the team is the way they managed to beat South Africa, which showed that the team is beginning to believe that it can achieve big victories.
"We could have easily crumbled in the first hour or hour and half of the game and towards the end again," Hooper said.
"We showed a lot of nerve to come through in the end. You can see we are actually beginning to believe that we can do it ... get into the position to win and finish the job. We should get stronger as the competition goes on."
The change in the team has been happening over the years and it will only get better, he said. The team is now beginning to analyse the weaknesses and strength of its players and plan accordingly.
"What you are seeing is a lot of hard work, a lot of trial and error. Lot of disappointment. The most important thing is that more or less we are beginning to play as a team."
