Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
THE WEST Indies open their 29th Test series against England at Lord's on Thursday with West Indians praying for a victory that has eluded them since 1998 when Brian Lara led them to a comfortable 3-1 win in the home series of 1998.
Although the Windies boast a record of 52 victories against 34 losses in the previous 130 Test matches, the odds, however, are against them, particularly after failing to win a Test series in England since Viv Richards team won 4-0 and after losing the last two series - 3-1 in 2000 in England, and 3-0 a few months ago at home.
Looking at both teams, England, with batsmen like captain Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Straus, Graham Thorpe, Mark Butcher and Paul Collingwood, the flambouyant all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, pacers Steve Harmison, Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard, left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, and wicketkeeper/ batsman Geraint Jones, appear a nicely balanced unit.
Not so, however, for the West Indies.
With a line-up that includes batsmen Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul plus world record holder Lara, and others like the promising Devon Smith, the exciting Dwayne Smith and Sylvester Joseph, the West Indies batting should be good enough to match England's. In fact, if it can be fairly consistent it could be better, and if it fires, it would be even better. The West Indies problem, it appears, will be their bowling.
At their best, pacers Jermaine Lawson, Fidel Edwards, Tino Best and Pedro Collins the left-arm swing bowler who could be the toast of the West Indies before the series is over, possess enough pace and aggression to make life uncomfortable for Vaughan, Trescothick and company; and there is also Omari Banks - the offspinner who could play a vital role in the bid for victory.
The problem is that in comparison to Harmison, Jones, Hoggard and Flintoff, the West Indies pacers, as was evident in the Caribbean, are relatively inexperienced and far too inconsistent in line and length.
From the look of things, therefore, the odds are on England to make it three in a row over a West Indies team that, after winning the first Test at Edgbaston by an innings and 93 runs in 2000, crashed for 54 in the second Test at Lord's and buckled for 61 while losing the fourth Test at Headingley in two days - a West Indies team that was nailed for 47 in the first Test at Sabina Park during the last series and for 94 in the third Test at Kensington Oval. That does not mean the West Indies, who scored 751 for five declared in the fourth Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground with Lara easing to 400 not out, do not have a chance.
NOT A ONE MAN GAME
Although cricket is not a one-man game, that chance, however, it will depend on one man and that one man is captain Lara.
As explosive as Gayle can be, as delightful a stroke player as Sarwan is, and depending on which one shows up on a given day, as solid as Chanderpaul is or as exciting as he can be, Lara, as a batsman, as the best by far and the most experienced by far, will have to lead from the front.
In the fight against Harmison and company in their own backyard, Lara's example with the bat could be an inspiration to the West Indies batsmen who will need more than talent to survive much more to score well.
The truth is that apart from leading from the front with his bat, Lara will have to come good as a captain. As important as Lara's own performance with the bat will be, the West Indies will not have a chance unless the main batsmen, the bowlers and the fielders perform.
Unfortunately, however, it does seem that they are capable of performing, most days, unless they are motivated, and it will be up to Lara to motivate not only himself but also the players - all of them. He has to find a way to make each player feel, really feel, that he is important to the success of the mission.
