Lara: We’ll win in England

BRIAN LARA believes the West Indies will win their Test series in England if they can become stronger mentally. Lara’s side will try to avenge the 3-0 home series defeat by England when they play four Tests on tour this summer. “We lost 3-1 in England in 2000 so we know it’s going to be tough, but I still think this team can beat England. “We just have to be mentally strong and keep working hard. When we lose a game, we seem to be in a bit of disarray. We need to change that,” said Lara.

“The senior players — myself, Sars [Ramnaresh Sarwan], [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul — we know we didn’t get enough runs in the first three matches against England. “But we have six matches in the rest of the year to make amends for it.”England will be favourites to triumph on home soil after celebrating their first Test series victory in the Caribbean since 1968. And the West Indies will have to reverse their poor record overseas in recent years to win back the Wisden Trophy, with the first Test starting at Lord’s on July 22.

“It’s pretty evident that in the last six or seven years we have performed better at home than away,” said Lara. “That [winning overseas] is something that West Indies teams in the 1970s and 1980s were able to do, and we have to find that same thing, whether it be physical or mental.” Lara’s side were denied the consolation of victory in the one-day series when England won the final game in Barbados on Wednesday. But Lara believes their improved one-day performances could help their Test form.

“What is good is that most of the guys in the one-day squad play in the Test team so maybe we can take some confidence from that,” he said. “Maybe that will carry over into the Test series against Bangladesh and England.” Lara highlighted the performances of  his bowlers as a positive to take from the Test series. “We have some young fast bowlers, Tino Best, Fidel Edwards, who did really well,” he said. “We just didn’t get the runs on the board to help them. When we did get the runs, in Antigua, they bowled really well and showed their ability.”