Date-stamped : 17 Dec93 - 10:39
The Guardian 26 March 1993 - W Indies still  a  driving  force  -
STEPHEN THORPE

 Stephen Thorpe on a new optimism in the Caribbean
 SOME learned observers in Port of Spain reckon West Indies  have
only  to  turn  up  and  twitch  a  limb today to inflict further
psychological damage on Pakistan in the second  of  five  one-day
internationals  which  are  the preamble to the real heart of the
matter, a three-Test series rightly billed as the World Champion-
ship of cricket.
 Such is the current superiority of a refashioned  outfit  aiming
to  extend  its run to nine straight victories over the World Cup
holders in the shortened game. Would that prediction were so sim-
ple,  but  there  is no denying that the champions' one-day stock
has slipped  badly  since  Imran  Khan  held  aloft  the  premier
limited-overs trophy a year ago in Melbourne.
 After defeating an under-strength Jamaica in  the  opening  tour
match,  Pakistan  were  brought  rapidly  to  earth  in the first
limited-overs encounter in Kingston on Tuesday  when  Brian  Lara
plundered  a magnificent 114 in a four-wicket victory. Experience
is the key and, though wickets are slower around the region,  the
Caribbean  is  still a litmus test of character. Pakistan may yet
rue the omission of Shoaib Mohammad and Salim Malik as  the  tour
progresses.
 West Indies' pre-eminence is a logical sequel to the recent  re-
tention   of  the  Frank  Worrell Trophy, by a slender 2-1 margin
over Australia.
 For this,  Richie  Richardson,  the  captain,  must  take  great
credit.   Richardson - ''Little Viv'' in his formative years, yet
very much his own man - was sometimes overshadowed by the aura of
his  illustrious  predecessor. Now, as the orchestrator of a team
in transition, he has wielded a remarkably deceptive  baton,  not
one  of  flamboyant command but a more subtle wand of respect and
persuasion in keeping with an unassuming presence.
 Lara, a world-class player already at the tender age of 23,  has
proved  manna from heaven. The diminutive Trinidadian, with three
centuries in his past five matches, has received honorary  medals
and  is  a meteoric cult figure hailed as the ''Prince of Port of
Spain'' with a female following  outstripping  that  of  any  pop
icon. Imran, for one, who is here commentating for BSkyB, will be
grateful for the diminished attention.
 Sipping a beer on Wednesday night in the Veni Manger restaurant,
a  gathering ground for the glitterati, Lara defined the shift in
philosophy.  are for the common good and, though it  might  be  a
cliche,  there's a more tangible team ethic all round. David Wil-
liams, for instance, who suffered badly at the hands of the  Aus-
tralian  media and lost his place to Junior Murray, drew strength
from his colleagues' support, and I hope the mood continues.''
 It is bowlers, however, who win Test matches - as  England  have
recently  discovered to their cost - and Curtly Ambrose is at the
peak of his awesome powers. Ian Bishop too is again  nudging  the
heights,  after a career-threatening stress fracture of the back,
and Courtney Walsh, so long the workhorse of  the  attack,  still
maintains a cutting edge for the Test arena.
 Meanwhile, speculation is rife that the international career  of
the  31-year-old Patrick Patterson may be prematurely over, after
reported disciplinary problems during the Australian tour.
 It is ironic, then, for Richardson to maintain that team  spirit
Down  Under  was the best he had ever experienced, the bonding of
the side amply demonstrated when Gus Logie, the vice-captain with
a  casting  vote, urged Keith Arthurton's selection ahead of him-
self in one of the Tests.
 Certainly the mean machine of world cricket, after undergoing  a
necessary  overhaul  of  the engine mounts, seems well set on the
road to full recovery. Although uncertainty  is  the  essence  of
one-day  cricket,  the  expectations over two sold-out matches at
the Queen's Park Oval know no bounds.

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