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In 1995 when Australia turned up in the Caribbean and handed the West Indies their first defeat in 15 years and the first by the Aussies in 19, the disappointed local fans said wait until the next time.

In 1996-97 when they won again, this time at home, an angry Brian Lara shouted ... wait until you come to the West Indies in '99.

Well, '99 is here and Australia, the unofficial but undisputed champions of world cricket, are on their way. The fans, however, are not looking forward to the contest and neither can Lara. In the four years since they knocked the West Indies off the throne, Australia have been going from strength to strength. The West Indies, however, have been sliding - especially in the two years since Lara's threat.

In those two years, the West Indies lost all three Test matches in Pakistan - two by an innings and one by 10 wickets, and although they defeated England 3-1, they lost all five in South Africa - the first by four wickets, the second by 178 runs, the third by nine wickets, the fourth by 149 runs and the fifth by 351 runs.

The four-match series, therefore, brings together a team bubbling with confidence and one trying to put the pieces together and although the West Indies are expected to put up a better fight than they did against South Africa, the odds are heavily in Australia's favour.

Unlike the West Indies who are desperately in need of a pair of opening batsmen, a number six, with Dinanath Ramnarine on the injured list, a spin bowler and based on the performances of Nixon McLean and Mervyn Dillon in South Africa, with Franklyn Rose also on the injured list, probably a fast bowler or two to support the aging warriors Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, Australia hardly have a problem. Like the West Indies in their glory days, Australia are bursting with talent and ready to go.

So blessed are Australia at this time that apart from allrounder Michael Bevan whose left-arm spin bowling mesmerised the West Indies batsmen in 1996-97, they can afford to leave batsmen like Darren Lehmann and Adam Gilchrist at home and unless Lara, Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul come good, they may not even miss pacer Damien Fleming who is out because of injury.

Neither Lehmann nor Gilchrist, who scored 154 against World Cup champions Sri Lanka in a one-day international a few days before the team was selected, were considered good enough to replace Michael Slater, Matthew Elliott, Mark Waugh, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting or Greg Blewett and Australia may not miss Fleming because in Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill, they possess two pacers and two legspinners of quality.

Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and as Steve Waugh said a few days ago, the West Indies could be dangerous because of Ambrose and Walsh, Lara and Hooper and because they are wounded.

After South Africa, however, there is hardly a West Indian fan who would bet on a Windies revenge for 1995 and 1996-97 - at least not this time and not even though they are in Lara's backyard.