Sweet start to England tour-Across the board

What a treat last weekend proved for all West Indies cricket fans as they watched captain Jimmy Adams and his men humble the English inside three days. While some of us were looking forward to relaxing in front our televisions throughout Saturday and Sunday, it was certainly pleasant to lament the absence of any play on Sunday because our team had dispatched their opponents with two entire days to spare.

Winning by an innings and 93 runs was a demolition job reminiscent of the halcyon era of West Indies cricket when such margins of victory were common-place.

The Edgbaston victory was all the sweeter as it was the first time the Windies savoured the taste of champagne during an overseas tour since Wellington, New Zealand, in 1995.

What a triumphant moment for the entire squad, who made us all extremely proud with the professionalism and clinical efficiency with which they executed their mission.

To have drawn first blood against the Mother Country in England is a tremendous fillip and should boost the West Indies' whose confidence is on the rise following some inspiring performances against Zimbabwe and Pakistan and more recently in the pre-Test matches in England.

We can only hope that what began in Birmingham last weekend will continue to Lord's this week and carry through the five-Test series to its culmination at The Oval in London in early September.

What has arguably been most satisfying for Windies fans concerning the manner of success in the last few months is the fact that the victories have been largely team efforts ' with almost every player contributing to the eventual outcome.

What unfolded in three days at Edgbaston underlined the benefits of captain Adams' gospel of 'all for one and one for all'. Four halfcenturies ' almost a fifth by Franklyn Rose (48); wickets shared among the bowling quartet and superb fielding ' what better display of commitment and team spirit could one ask for.

Man-Of-The-Match Courtney Walsh led from the front with match figures of eight for 58, showing his vast experience of English conditions.

Indeed, this veteran's exploits against Nasser Hussain's team prompted one English reporter's 'threat' to kidnap the world record-holder for the most Test wickets.

It was certainly a flattering tribute to the respect ' perhaps even fear ' that the Jamaican's name evokes.

'I am interviewing Courtney Walsh at Chelmsford as part of the ongoing search for a solution to our general crappiness. I am considering locking the world's most successful bowler in an Essex lavatory for a few weeks. That way we might stand a chance,' quipped Neal Collins, writing on a leading cricket website(www. Cricinfo.com).

While there is nothing wrong with the West Indies smiling, enjoying the upswing in their on-field fortunes and the accompanying compliments, they must continue to focus and remember that the summer journey has only just begun.

Things can quickly make a turn for the worse. Few are more aware of this than their astute leader, who summed up the vagaries of cricket with a sobering reference to what happened on the team's tour to New Zealand last Christmas.

Speaking on the need to guard against complacency, Adams said: 'Most of us were in New Zealand and knew what it felt like to be 280-odd without loss on the first day of the series and then to lose every match. We will continue to hold that experience as an example of how quickly things can change if we relax at all.'

Enough said. Congratulations, guys, and keep up the good work.