IT WAS A familiar sight. With shoulders hunched forward and a weary expression on his face, Angus Fraser looked for all the world like a man who had just scaled Everest without the aid of oxygen. In fact, he had crossed the lobby of the Regent's Park Hilton and then climbed half-a-dozen steps before slumping heavily into an armchair.

This is not to suggest for a moment that Fraser is not a fit man; he has trained with huge determination since his career-threatening hip injury. It is simply that there is something about Fraser's fatigued appearance from which every England follower draws considerable comfort: generally, the more exhausted he looks, the better he is bowling. Sitting in the commentary-box you can occasionally hear him sigh, massively, as he turns at the end of his long run-up, summoning the strength to lumber in again. The pavilion flags might be dangling limply from their poles on the most serene Caribbean morning, but dear old Gus always seems to be flogging himself into a force-eight gale!

He should have played more than 32 times for England. True, the hip injury in the early 1990s did not help, but I wonder if Ray Illingworth was deceived by Fraser's drained appearance when he wrote him off after England's ghastly experience in Cape Town two years ago. Perhaps Illy failed to appreciate the efforts Fraser had made to keep England in that match. One for 34 from 17 overs might not look particularly special, but it was one of those times when figures do not tell the whole story. Fraser had not played cricket of any description for a month, and his ten maidens helped load the pressure on South Africa's batsmen – pressure released only when David Richardson and Paul Adams launched their now-famous assault on Devon Malcolm's wayward burst with the second new ball.

 Angus Fraser has earned his `Mr Reliable' reputation through sheer hard work, and that accounts not only for his recall, at 32, for his third West Indian tour, but also for his role on this trip. In a move unprecedented in recent times, Fraser will coach and advise his fellow seam bowlers – Andy Caddick, Darren Gough, Ashley Cowan and Dean Headley. Rather a tricky situation, I suggest, as they are all in competition for places in the Test team? `I certainly won't be deliberately holding them back, if that's what you're thinking!' chuckles Fraser. `I suppose one or two of the guys might be suspicious of my role, and of course we're all competing for the same places, but the atmosphere on a tour is completely different – there's more security. If you get dropped in England, you wonder if that's your lot. On tour you know that another chance might be just around the corner.

`My aim is to play in all five Tests. That's what I was selected to do, and it's my primary role on the tour. Having said that, Gough, Caddick and Headley all did pretty well last summer, so getting in might be difficult. At least the selectors know what they're getting with me, and while those three can be a little unpredictable at times, I've got experience on my side and I've done well in West Indies before.

All-time high: Angus Fraser and Alec Stewart celebrate England's famous victory in Barbados in 1993–94. Fraser's figures of 8 for 75 remain a career-best, much to his satisfaction

`The coaching side is interesting. I've been looking after our young quick bowlers at Middlesex this year – Jamie Hewitt, Ricky Fay and Tim Bloomfield – not taking them under my wing, exactly, but just pointing them in the right direction. It's worked well. I'm sure they've benefited from it, and it's the way I'll be doing it in the Caribbean. The most important thing is to realise that if we're to do well, we have to bowl well as a unit. One bowler could pick up 30 wickets at 18 and England could still lose the series. If we all get 15 wickets each, we know we can beat them.

World-weary: Angus Fraser lumbers in

`It's a shame Dominic Cork won't be there with us, because I think that during the'90s there have been two English bowlers who I would happily admit are better than me: Caddick and Cork. Caddick has the lot: pace, bounce, movement – in fact he swings the ball away, so he really should develop into a top bowler. Cork hasn't had much luck with injuries but, to be frank, he's always shown the potential to get a bit carried away. It's a real shame, but it's now up to him to get back.'

I reminded Fraser of that terrible day in Cape Town early in 1996 which resulted in England losing the Test series and, in the heat of the moment, sparked Illingworth's well-publicised fallout with Malcolm. `Let's just say it's certainly a different set-up now to the one I experienced in South Africa,' he said diplomatically. `And a much better working environment!

`It always seems to have been a case of them against us, and while I still think there's some way to go before that attitude disappears completely, I really feel that everyone's pulling together. As a player you feel that the ECB are right behind you, and the new management team is approachable and very easy to get on with.

`I've known Lord MacLaurin for a long time, because I used to play cricket with his son, Neil. He's a hugely successful man, he has got a presence about him and what he says goes, but we can relate to him surprisingly easily.

` David Lloyd is a tremendously funny bloke, and I've always enjoyed having a laugh and joke with him. It's a bit different now, because he's a funny man in a dead serious position.

`But I'll be honest, I haven't really had much time to think about the tour, what with my benefit still rolling on and our house move on top of that. The first time I really gave it much thought was when we had our week in Lanzarote in November.'

Rather a different preparation to what players of a previous generation were accustomed to? `We had a great week, and although I heard Boycott criticising it all and saying it was a waste of money, it was quite the opposite. Tours of the West Indies give us the chance to really prepare thoroughly, because we've had a bit of a rest and there isn't that here we go again feeling at the end of a long summer. Yes, we could all have sat at home for a week and saved the ECB a few quid, but that wouldn't have helped us prepare to beat West Indies, would it?

`We really should have got it about right this time with the fortnight or so in Antigua at the start of the tour. We'll have lots of practice, and the fitness will already be there so we can concentrate on our skills.'

 I AM SURE I'm not alone in really fancying England's chances of beating West Indies for the first time in 30 years. It may come back to haunt me, but it takes a lot to get JP Agnew into the bookies' and, yes, I've had 20 quids' worth at 4/1. ARC Fraser's optimism is rather more guarded.

` West Indies have still got some top players: Lara, Chanderpaul, Hooper and, of course, Ambrose and Walsh. I know people are saying the fast bowlers are over the hill, but Curtly still took wickets against Australia last year and, as we know to our cost, every-one wants to beat England, in particular. They still win most of the series they play. Having said that, they're not nearly as strong as they were ten years ago – I think the retirement of Malcolm Marshall was the turning point.

There have been two English bowlers in the'90s who I would happily admit are better than me: Caddick and Cork. Caddick has the lot – pace, bounce, movement

`We will win at least one Test out there, because when we get it right we're a good team. Our problem is that we're not consistent enough. That'll be one area I'll really be working on with the boys: bowling maidens and creating pressure that way. The best bowlers all have perfect control over where they put the ball, and while I would never tell a bowler to slow down in order to gain control – that would be criminal – I will drum it in that he has to start the ball off in the right place. It's all concentration at the end of the day.

` Brian Lara knows he's at his most marketable if he does well against England, and he's the batsman we have to get out. I can remember his marathon 375 in Antigua so clearly, and what stands out was his discipline. He simply worked in 50s: 50,100,150... and so on, almost ticking each one off until he broke the record. I really don't think he'll play another innings like that one, because he will try to score the runs more quickly and that will get him out. In fact, that's probably what's happened to him recently – he's got too much confidence.

`Our best chance is to frustrate him. Funnily enough, their crowds don't help their batsmen much, either. They're very demanding – all they want to see from their players is exciting cricket, and if it doesn't happen they quickly get irritated. So the West Indies players are under great pressure to be crowd-pleasers, which can result in rash shots.'

And what about winding Lara up with a few well-chosen words? `I don't get involved with that sort of thing because it always seems to backfire. I finally gave it up when Allan Border slogged me onto the roof of the press-box after I had given him a few verbals!'

Four years ago, I recalled, Mark Ramprakash found himself in the spotlight as he made an emotional Test comeback in Guyana, his father's home country. It ended in huge disappointment, with only seven runs in his two innings – similar to his most recent overseas Test at Johannesburg in 1995–96, when he seemed to be rooted to the spot. Does Fraser, who knows Ramprakash as well as anyone, feel that he can over-come what appears to be a psychological problem over the next three months?

`I was there at Johannesburg when Ramps hit rock bottom [he made 4 and 0], and all I can say is that he must be one hell of a fighter to have come back from that. It does say a lot for him. I really hope he takes the chance this time. I watch him playing day in, day out, and there's no doubt he's a seriously talented batsman. The difference is, of course, that there's so much more pressure on you in a Test than in a county game, and some players bridge the gap more easily than others.

`It'll be interesting to see if the Middlesex captaincy makes any difference. Certainly when he got married he settled down noticeably, and now he has a child, too. He's always been extremely serious about his cricket, but it's easy to get too tunnel-visioned about it all. You have to get things in perspective, otherwise you put far too much pressure on yourself and you let yourself down. I thought positive signs were there when he batted in the second innings of last summer's Oval Test. He batted very positively, which wasn't easy on that pitch against Shane Warne, and played a few big shots, so here's hoping he'll make the breakthrough now.'

Another player who will find himself under increasing pressure unless he scores runs early on is Mike Atherton. He played some heroic knocks when England were last in the Caribbean four years ago – his first tour in charge – when each of his Test innings lasted more than three hours on average.

`If he starts the tour badly, I suppose the negative thoughts he had about the captaincy at the end of the summer could well come flooding back,' Fraser admitted. `He's a hugely popular figure in the dressing-room, and we will all have to help him. That won't be hard, because we all want him to do well. He's a players' man – we've all got huge respect for the way he plays the game. I remember watching his battle with Courtney Walsh during the First Test in Jamaica four years ago – he took hell of a pounding and it takes real guts to get out there and take that. For his own peace of mind he needs a score early on, simply because it doesn't matter who you are, if you're having a poor run it affects you in some way.'

 EVERYBODY on that plane on January 3 will be looking forward to what is, in my opinion, the most enjoyable tour of them all. The crowds in West Indies, especially in Barbados and Antigua, turn a Test match into a celebration; an unrestrained expression of love for a game which is a way of life in the Caribbean. The scenes at Barbados four years ago, when England became the first team to beat West Indies there for 60 years – Bob Wyatt's team had done it in 1934–35– made that the most special day of my broadcasting career.

 Alec Stewart scored a century in each innings of that match, but Fraser also played a key part in that astonishing comeback. He took 8 for 75, still his best first-class figures: `I'm so proud that my career-best figures are from that match. It was a game that really meant something, at a special cricket ground, and they appear beside my name whenever my statistics are displayed. I only hope I never get 8 for 20 or something against Cambridge University! I think I would hand the ball back first!

` Barbados was fantastic – especially following Trinidad and the dreaded 46 all out. After that Test we had a terrible game in Grenada and we couldn't possibly get any lower. The support from the English fans was amazing and certainly played a part, and Alec and I, two of the more experienced players in that team, turned things around.

 Brian Lara knows he's at his most marketable if he does well against England, and he's the batsman we have to get out … our best chance is to frustrate him

`I still watch the video of the game and, funnily enough, I went back to Barbados last year with my parents. I walked out into the middle of the ground – it's great there because no-one tries to chase you off or anything – and tried to imagine the scenes when I was bowling three years before.

`It was impossible, because of the carnival atmosphere over those five days. It makes it the most exciting tour, as far as I'm concerned. The spectators there have a genuine love of the game and they really let themselves go. The great thing is that the England supporters seem to relax in that atmosphere and join in. The result is magic!

`I'll be telling England's bowlers to enjoy themselves, but above all to be prepared for the first day of the First Test in Jamaica when Ambrose and Walsh will be tearing in and Sabina Park will be packed to the rafters. It's thoroughly intimidating, but you have to be ready for it. Going into a cauldron like that and emerging with respect is what this game is all about.'

The Fraser factfile

Test debut at Edgbaston:

4 for 63 inc Jones, Steve Waugh, Healy in 1st inns

 1989–90 in West Indies

20–8–28–5 in 1st Test, Kingston, England's 1st win in WI for 16 years

 1990 v India

5–104 & 3–39 in 1st-Test victory at Lord's ( Gooch 333 & 123); 5–124 in drawn 2nd Test

 1990–91 in Australia

6–82 at Melbourne, where Aust won 2nd Test ( Bruce Reid 13 wkts); suffered hip injury during match

 1992

Middx comeback late in season: went 6 Ch'ship games before taking a wkt

 1993 v Australia

In Test comeback at the Oval (6th Test) took 5–87 & 3–44 as England won

1993–94 in West Indies

Career-best 8–75 in 4th Test, which England won (1st touring team to win in Barbados for 48 years). Before this match, former WI fast bowler Colin Croft said: `His bowling is like shooting down aeroplanes with slingshots. Even if they hit, no damage would be done. Like an old horse, he should be put out to pasture.' Fraser riposted: `I'm only pleased to have bowled as well as Colin Croft did every day of his life'

 1994–95 in Australia

Surprise omission; called up after injuries to take 5–73 in drawn 3rd Test ( Sydney), and 4 wkts in 4th-Test victory ( Adelaide)

 1995 v West Indies

5–66 (inc Lara, Adams, Richardson) in 2nd-Test victory at Lord's

 1997–98 in West Indies

Recalled for winter tour. Test record: 32 caps, 265 runs at 7.36, 119 wkts at 29.48, 8 5-wkt hauls

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