Tym Glaser

SUCH IS the fickle nature of one-day cricket that a single loss can turn high praise into wailing and gnashing of teeth, but you've got to hand it to them, the West Indies look real fine to date at the ICC Champions Trophy in India.

Two wins from two games over the world champs, Australia, and the hosts have advanced the defending champions from Group A to the semi-finals and now they can fine tune today against ousted England.

The wins haven't been particularly emphatic - 10 runs against the Aussies and three wickets against India, but a win's a win and it doesn't really matter how ugly it comes just so long as it comes.

The outstanding thing is that the Windies finally appear to be working as a cohesive unit under Brian Charles Lara.

The top order, for the most part, is batting well. Ian Bradshaw and Jerome Taylor appear as good as any opening bowling combination at this mini-World Cup and the fielding has been exemplary.

There seems to be unity now and winning breeds that most wonderful of sporting attributes - confidence. However, before we get too carried away and hand the soon-to-be hosts next year's World Cup, there remain some serious flaws in the side.

Firstly, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, who has apparently become a bowling all-rounder nowadays, are relishing the sluggish Indian tracks with their 'spin'.

Out here on moderate pitches in small grounds they could become cannon-fodder. That means another specialist bowler (Corey Collymore?) needs to be chosen in place of either Dwayne Smith, woefully out of form Dwayne Bravo or Samuels.

Woeful middle order

Secondly, after Gayle, Shiv Chanderpaul, Ram Sarwan, Lara and the impressive Runako Morton, the rest of the batting order falls away dramatically with the likes of Wavell Hinds, Bravo, Smith, Samuels and 'keeper Carlton Baugh barely able to make a run between them.

If there's a top-order collapse, which has been known to happen, say goodnight to any reasonable score. Good sides like Australia and South Africa (as they showed yesterday against Pakistan), can battle out of dire situations. Not the Windies, unless Lara drops down the order to act as a sheet anchor and my belief is the team's best bat should get the most opportunity to make runs and that mean number three or number four for 'The Prince'.

Finally, can Lara and coach Bennett King keep the 'Good Ship Windies-pop' sailing along all they way to the Cup? We've seen corners turned before and they've just turned out to end up dead ends.

Still, let's enjoy the overdue success for now and hope it's finally the beginning of a long overdue West Indies revival. Do I hear an amen from the audience?