The West Indies grabbed the early lead in the four-match Test series against England with a surprising and exciting victory in the first encounter at Sabina Park on Saturday.

In a glorious display, the West Indies, playing like they did years ago and for many, many years, and led by captain Christopher Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, batted as if they had the bit between their teeth. Then led by fast bowler Jerome Taylor and left-arm spin bowler Sulieman Benn, they bowled as if they were on a mission, and the result was victory inside four days by an innings and 23 runs.

Batting like champions, Gayle and Sarwan buckled down and scored a century each with Gayle, tempering himself magnificently, scoring 104 runs in 337 minutes off 193 deliveries with five massive sixes and five well timed fours, and Sarwan, controlling his natural tendencies well, scoring 107 in 360 minutes off 290 deliveries with 10 exquisitely timed boundaries.

Impressive figures

Bowling fast and accurate and getting the ball to move both ways off the seam, Taylor, eight for 85 off 29 including a fantastic five for 11 off nine in the emotional second innings, was superb.

So, too, standing at six feet seven inches and dropping his leg-breaks on a tantalising length, was Benn who finished with the impressive figures of eight for 108 off 58.4 overs.

There should have been four man of the match awards, and if I was the one presenting them, I would have presented them, in order, to Gayle, next to Taylor, probably, and then to Sarwan, and to Benn.

I still believe, after England had scored 318, that the tide of the contest was turned by Gayle's wonderful batting, and particularly so after the early demise of Devon Smith. He guided the ship, so to speak.

Sweet victory

Based on the performances of the two teams in the past 15 years or so, the result must have been a surprise to many around the world, and although it may not have been to the team members, coach, and manager, it also must have been so to the vast majority of West Indian supporters

What made the victory so sweet was not only that it was just the fourth victory by the West Indies over any one but the likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh since the start of 2003, that it was not only the third victory over any but the likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh since then, that it was not only the first after 13 defeats and two draws against England, and that after three straight defeats, one to Pakistan, one to India, and one to Australia, it was not only that the West Indies had won a Test match at last at Sabina Park.

What made the victory so sweet was the fact that it was the first time the two teams were meeting at Sabina Park since that sad Sunday in March 2004 when, to the surprise, to the shock of every one present and even those who were absent, England, led by pacer Steve Harmison, routed the West Indies for 47 and totally embarrassed them.

It was a perfect time for revenge, and it was, in almost every way, a perfect revenge.

In that match, almost five years ago, the contest, at the end of the first innings, seemed heading for an exciting finish on the fifth and final day before the West Indies were destroyed; and in this match, the contest, at the end of the first innings, seemed heading for the fifth day and an exciting finish before England were blown away for 51.

The revenge, however, was more than that.

Harmison, the destroyer five years ago with seven wickets for 12 runs off 12.3 overs, the man who removed Gayle for five and nine and who, with the help of partner Matthew Hoggard, cut down Sarwan for a pair of zeroes, finished with two for 49 off 20.4 overs this time around and was hardly noticed as Gayle and Sarwan stroked a century each in what to me was the match-winning, second-wicket partnership of 202.

While England won the match in 2004 by 10 wickets, although the home team failed to nail the visitors for less than 47, the West Indies strolled to victory by a really commanding and embarrassing innings victory.

Lovely performance

It was a lovely performance by the West Indies, there can be no question about that, and as a Jamaican and a West Indian, it was great to hear the happy home crowd singing London Bridge is falling down as the English men followed each other back to the pavilion.

It reminded me of 1986 in Antigua when with the West Indies leading the five-match series 4-0, with England on 84 for three chasing 411 for victory and under pressure in the fifth and final match, with the West Indies on the way to victory and a second white-wash of England in a row, and with captain David Gower walking out to bat, the crowd, rocking and chanting, belted out the popular calypso of the time, "Captain, the ship is sinking".

This, however, is only the first Test of the series, and although the victory may just have been what the doctor ordered for the recovery of a team that has been ailing for so long, the West Indies should listen to Gayle, who, minutes after a victory to remember and in response to a question regarding the performance of his team, said that "it is definitely a turning point but we don't know how big as yet. We just have to wait until the series is finished."

The West Indies should also remember that in 1994 when England were dismissed for 46 in Port-of-Spain, they went to Kensington Oval and won the following Test by 208 runs, and that in 1999 when the West Indies were dismissed by Australia for 51 they came to Sabina Park and won the next Test match by 10 wickets.

The revenge was sweet and hopefully it will inspire the West Indies on the way back.

Is it a turning point? That may well be so. Have the West Indies turned the corner? Not yet.

Brendan Nash has been a good addition, and hopefully he can play a part in turning the corner. To do so, however, the West Indies still need another opening batsman, even with Sarwan batting as well as he did this time around, they still need another good batsman in the top five, as good as Denesh Ramdin looked in this match, they need a wicketkeeper who can be depended on to score some runs, they need a couple good bowlers, they need to stick with a spin bowler, hopefully Benn has so convinced the selectors, and more importantly, for them to turn the corner, the West Indies need to improve their fielding, and more so their catching.