Tony Becca, Contributor

THE WEST Indies short series against Sri Lanka is over and hats off to the Windies for a wonderful performance.

Before the start of the series, and although Sri Lanka had never won a Test match much more a Test series in the West Indies, the consensus, it appeared, was that Sri Lanka, ranked number three in the world at the time, were too good for the eight-ranked West Indies.

It was expected the first Test match in Guyana would end in a draw because of the pitch and they would have won the second in Trinidad to take the series 1-0.

Then, they would have then gone on to win the one-day contest.

After surprisingly losing the first Test and handing Sri Lanka their first victory in the West Indies, however, the home team, surprisingly hit back in the second Test.

They won it, shared the series, and, after a sensational finish to the first one-day international, went on to win the three-match contest 2-0 with the second decided by the dreaded Duckworth/Lewis after rain and the third totally destroyed by rain with the West Indies going well.

Played as a team

Remembering that the West Indies lost in Guyana where they should not have lost and that Sri Lanka were without two of their best bowlers in Lasith Malinga and Farveez Maharoof, the performance by the West Indies could easily be brushed aside as no big thing.

In many respects, however, and but for the batting which depended so heavily on Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, it was a wonderful performance by a team which, for whatever reason, maybe because of the absence of Brian Lara and not so much because of the presence of Christopher Gayle as the captain, played as a team.

The bowling, for example, was good, and very good at that.

Although the selectors played true to form by playing left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn in one Test match and then dropped him, in one one-day match and then dropped him, the fast bowlers bowled well, and they bowled well not for a session or two, or for even a day as they have done so many times in the past.

This time, the skilled Jerome Taylor, the fast Fidel Edwards with his slinging action, Daren Powell and Dwayne Bravo were consistent for longer periods. In fact, all that was missing in the West Indies attack was a good spin bowler - one who, when the fast bowlers became tired or ineffective, could have stepped up, picked up a wicket or two and prevented a recovery.

Good fielding

Although there were a few errors in the field, what was also wonderful about the West Indies performance, what underlined the spirit in the team was the fielding - and nothing more so than Denesh Ramdin's wicketkeeping, Taylor's run out of Michael Vandort at four for two, while bowling in the second innings of the second Test and Powell's catch to dismiss Mahela Jayawardene in the third and final one-day match.

Up next are the Australians, and although they are now without Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist, with batsmen like Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Andrew Symonds and with bowlers such as Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark, they, the champions of the world and still the best in the world, will be difficult to beat.

As far as the West Indian fans are concerned, however, while they will be hoping, and praying, that Chanderpaul, Sarwan, Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Bravo, Ramdin, Taylor, Edwards and Powell will perform and that the West Indies will spring a surprise and shock the world, they will be satisfied with another effort like that against Sri Lanka.