Tony BeccaFROM THE BOUNDARY
THE WEST Indies versus England Test series gets under way at Sabina Park on Thursday with the home team fancied to win the first Test and to go on and win the series.
Looking at the teams, however, batting seems to be their strength and with the pitches expected to be generally docile and good for batting, with the bowling on both sides lacking in real quality, it could be a series of high scores and one that ends up in a nil-nil draw.
Starting with Christopher Gayle, the West Indies' batting will come from Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, captain Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith and Ricardo Powell.
England's batting will come from Marcus Trescothick, captain Michael Vaughan, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Paul Collingwood, and Andy Flintoff.
The difference between the two could well be Lara - the former world record holder and still, at his best, the most exciting batsman in the world.
As far as bowling is concerned, the West Indies attack will come from pacers Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Adam Sanford, Tino Best, Dwight Washington and left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed/.
England's will come from pacers Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, medium-pace allrounder Flintoff and left-arm spinner Ashley Giles.
Although youngsters Edwards and Best can work up a hostile pace and Washington, another youngster, could unsettle the batsmen with his bounce and accuracy, England's attack looks better.
Based on the two matches since their arrival, the England bowlers certainly bowl a good line and a good length more consistently than their West Indies counterparts and if it is true that bowling, along with fielding, win matches, then England should be the favourites to win the series.
Apart from the fact that the difference between the two attacks may not be enough to give one the edge over the other - particularly on the pitches in the West Indies, one reason why the West Indies are early favourites is because of the ability of their batsmen to score quickly, to dominate and to bat themselves into winning positions.
As good as Trescothick, Vaughan, Hussain and Thorpe are, none of them hits the ball as hard as Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Powell and Lara, and Jones or no Jones, Giles or no Giles, if they get going, England's bowlers will have a rough time bowling to them.
The problem that could face the West Indies in their bid for victory is that although England's batsmen are not as aggressive as the West Indies batsmen, they can bat and unless the West Indies bowlers produce some real pace, they will have a tough time getting them out twice in order to win a match.
Though the consensus seems to be victory for the West Indies, who have not lost at home to England since 1968 when Gary Sobers' declaration handed them a one-nil victory, and who, despite their pathetic record away, still boast a good record at home, with the batting on both sides so good, with the pitches around the region so good for batting, and with the bowling on both sides lacking in real quality, it could be a nil-nil draw.
One thing is certain, regardless of who win or who lose, regardless of whether it is a two-two draw or a nil-nil draw, it will not be a dull series - not with batsmen like Gayle, Devon Smith, Sarwan, Lara, Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith and Powell on one side, and Trescothick, Vaughan, Butcher, Hussain, Thorpe and Flintoff on the other side.
