Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARYTHE TEST series between the West Indies and England opens at Lord's on Thursday and according to the bookmakers, England are odds on favourites to win the first Test and to go on and win the series.
The bookmakers, however, are not the only ones who tip England to start well and to finish well. It seems that all England, including resident West Indians, believe that the home team will be too hot for the visitors.
SWEET REVENGE
In fact, the consensus, it appears, is that England will win all four matches and enjoy sweet revenge for the 'blackwash' at home in 1984 and for the one in the West Indies in 1986.
It is, however, even worse than that: to many an Englishman the series is simply a dress rehearsal for England as they prepare for their next two opponents for the big boys South Africa and Australia.
As solid as the England batting appears, however, as deadly as their attack seems, as brilliant as they were in the Caribbean, and although the weather must be in England's favour, the West Indies are in with a chance even though there is probably only one man in England who believes so.
Clive Lloyd, the brilliant former Windies captain, is the one with a little faith a faith, however, that, in his opinion, will depend on one man.
CAPTAIN'S INSPIRATION
According to Lloyd, a captain must so inspire his players that they will always try and want to do their best for him, and if Brian Lara can achieve that he will be on to a winner.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Lloyd said that the performances of the Under 15 and the Under 19 teams suggest that cricket in the Caribbean is in the ascendancy and that he is reasonably confident that the West Indies will do well, providing Lara can unite the team.
The truth, however, is that with the West Indies batsmen up against pace bowlers like Steve Harmison, Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff a set of bowlers which includes two who bowl in excess of 90 miles an hour, one who swings the ball, one who gets the ball to reverse swing and to skid onto the batsman, and two who get it to bounce awkwardly, unity, as important as it is, may not be enough.
For the West Indies to have a chance, their pace bowlers will have to rise to the occasion, and although they are young and lacking in experience, even though, but for a spell here and there, they have been far too inconsistent in line and length, like offspinner Omari Banks, they possess the talent to do so.
Fidel Edwards is fast, so too is Tino Best, and at their best they could make life difficult for England's batsmen especially if they are supported in the field.
TRUMP CARD
On top of that, there is Pedro Collins the left-arm pacer with the ability to swing the ball both ways and the one who, at his best, could well be the West Indies trump card in a summer that, based on the weather forecast, could be typically English and therefore ideal for swing bowlers.
With the first Test just a few days away, the Windies concern is the weather.
If the weather remains as it is, the West Indies attack may well be four pacers Edwards, Best, Collins and Jermaine Lawson who is still not yet back to his normal self. If the sun comes out by Thursday, however, it could well be the ideal attack of three pacers and one spinner with Banks in and Lawson out.
Whatever the weather, what ever the combination, the bowlers will have to come good to give the West Indies a chance of victory. They will have to do to the England batsmen what the people in England believe the England bowlers will do to the West Indies batsmen.
