LIKE A kettle coming to boil or a clock on the wall, the harder you watch the West Indies for signs of improvement, the slower they seem to come.

However, it is happening folks, it is happening; just at a languid pace frustrated fans can barely notice.

If you were at Sabina Park for the first four days of the first Digicel Test you would have seen the home side battle world champions Australia to a virtual standstill and only some sublime bowling from Stuart Clark and Brett Lee on the final morning decisively swung the game in Australia's favour.

Does a 95-run loss mark the start of a brave, new dawn in Caribbean cricket? Probably not. Maybe it actually began when the Windies shocked the world and beat South Africa in the first Test over there late last year.

Maybe it happened even earlier than that when Chris Gayle assumed the team's captaincy by default and it went out and beat hosts England in a one-day series after a miserable Test tour last year.

The effort against the Aussies was just another step along the path back. It should be noted that Australia are not the indomitable force they were just a few years ago. Who could be when you lose all-world players like Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne?

Team in transition

Chanderpaul ... the bedrock of the batting line-up. - File

They are a team in transition and not getting any younger, while doing so. Of the starting XI at Sabina, only two men in green caps, Mitchell Johnson and Phil Jaques, were under the age of 30.

Conversely, the Windies look like veritable babes alongside the senior citizens of the south with only two of their number, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Daren Powell, topping the big 3-0.

That, combined with the fact that the Windies were without skipper Gayle and pace spearhead Jerome Taylor for the first duel, shows that this team is moving in the right direction.

Chanderpaul, with his gutsy, gritty first innings century after being 'sconed' by Lee, is the bedrock of the batting order which the others should play off for a couple more years yet (I'd still like to see him bat higher up the order, though).

Devon Smith and Runako Morton showed me that they are not completely at sea at the Test level; now stand-in skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan and highly-touted allrounder Dwayne Bravo need to come to the batting party along with Gayle, when fit.

Great diving catches

Denesh Ramdin was superb behind the stumps and pulled off two great diving catches - both to dismiss Brad Hodge. However, he needs to make meaningful runs in the middle/lower order to stave off the challenge from Patrick Browne.

Fidel Edwards and Powell continually troubled the Australian top order and had it wobbling at 18 for five in the second innings. If Taylor had been on hand, maybe that final target of 286 could have been substantially less and far more gettable.

Of course, ifs and maybes don't pay the rent and the fact is that Australia won the (final) day. The Aussies are used to winning and, like losing, it's a hard habit to break.

That touch of experience and confidence in their own abilities got the visitors across the line, but they can't grow from that experience, they can only carry on.

For the Windies, the loss, as unpalatable as it was, has shown they can more than match it with the world's best and the gap is narrowing.

Whether the West Indies can broach that chasm and pull off an amazing series victory is highly unlikely, but look closely, very closely and you will see a team on the rise.

Heck, is that the time, better put on the kettle.

Later ...

Feedback: tym.glaser@gleanerjm.com