Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARY THE WEST Indies next assignment will be against England at home, and looking at both teams, the West Indies record at home and particularly their record against England, it should be victory for the West Indies.
One thing is almost certain: England should not win it.
In spite of the inconsistency of the West Indies batsmen in South Africa, England's bowlers could be and should be easy pickings on West Indian pitches for the likes of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara; and if Christopher Gayle gets going, God help pacers Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, James Anderson, Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones if he makes it.
Batting, however, does not win matches. Even if a team makes a thousand runs in a match, unless there is a declaration or two it has to take 20 wickets in order to win, and although England's batting, despite the presence of captain Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe, is not comparable to either Australia's or South Africa's, that could be the West Indies problem.
Unless there is a sudden change in the thinking of the selectors and the captain, the West Indies attack is likely to include the likes of Mervyn Dillon, Vasbert Drakes and Corey Collymore, and if that is so, even though, because of their approach and their style, they may not rip it apart, England's batsmen could enjoy themselves.
FEARED FAST BOWLING
But for the brief interludes when spinners Sonny Ramadhin and Alfred Valentine and then Lance Gibbs dominated them, England's batsmen have always feared West Indies fast bowling, they have always fell to West Indies fast bowling and, if the West Indies hope to win the coming series, they will have to find a few with the pace, if not to scare the daylights out of Vaughan and company, at least to shake them up.
Right now, there are no Herman Griffiths, Learie Constantines and Manny Martindales, no Wes Halls and Charlie Griffiths, no Andy Roberts, Michael Holdings, Joel Garners and Colin Crofts, and no Malcolm Marshalls, Courtney Walshes and Curtley Ambroses in West Indies cricket, and it will take some time to produce fast bowlers of that quality.
There are a few, however, with enough pace to do a good job and as they plan for the series, the selectors and the captain should be looking their way and not in the direction of Dillon and company who, at their best, bowl at a nice, friendly pace and, apart from Collymore, without any real skill - certainly not the level of skill to upset batsmen born and bred on fast-medium bowlers who swing the ball.
Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor have done well so far, and although they appear too small, too frail to become really fast bowlers, and fast bowlers who can last, they, like Ravi Rampaul, must be in the West Indies plans for the future.
With the first Test against England scheduled to start on March 11 however, the West Indies need some strong, really fast and aggressive bowlers right now and their best bet is to look at Adam Sanford, Tino Best, Andrew Richardson, and although he seems to be forgotten, at Daren Powell.
