West Indies' Chris Gayle (left) and Clive Lloyd at a cricket practice session in Mumbai. - Reuters

MUMBAI, India (CMC):

THE WEST Indies' win over South Africa in Thursday's ICC Champions Trophy semi-final has given the regional side a virtually unshakable confidence.

This is the view of former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd who is acting as an advisor to the team for the tournament. "This win (against South Africa) gives us a lot of fight going into the final. It is fortitude, we now feel we can beat anyone," Lloyd said.

"I think for the players there is now a belief in themselves, they are now looking more positive."

And Lloyd, credited with moulding the champions West Indies team of the late 1970s and 1980s, said a win in today's final against Australia could announce the regional side as the world's best one-day international team.

"We can prove that we are the best one-day side in the world on Sunday," Lloyd asserted.

Successfully Chased Target

The West Indies restricted South Africa to 258 for eight in their 50 overs, and then successfully chased down the target, losing just four wickets in the process.

Lloyd, who led the West Indies to successful campaigns in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups, said he was pleased with the way the team was playing.

"I am very impressed with our general cricket. Our fielding as well has improved," Lloyd, also the current chairman of the West Indies Cricket Board's cricket committee, said.

"We are playing very good cricket as we have a very good chance of retaining this (ICC Champions) Trophy.

"I hope we do it (win the tournament) because it augurs well for the World Cup (in the Caribbean in 2007) if we can go back as champions of the ICC Champions Trophy."

He continued: "It is the second highest one-day trophy in the world, it would give our players a lot of impetus and the young people at home would want to play. They would want to join this team.

"That's the whole thing about being successful, everybody wants to join a successful team."