ALL WEST Indians have reason to be proud of the way that the West Indies team has played in the first two Tests of the current home series against England.

West Indies are leading the five-Test series 1-0, after winning the opening Test by an innings and 23 runs inside four days.

It is good to see West Indies leading a series for a change. Wasn't that a thrilling win in the opening Test? Jerome Taylor's spell was sensational, and bowling England out for their third-lowest total in Tests, 51, was a wonderful achievement.

The only thing is that it would have been nice if the team could have dismissed England for less than the 47 for which we had been bowled out four years ago at Sabina Park. But you can't have it all.

Aborted second test

As you all know, the second Test at the ground that bears my name was aborted after 10 balls - more on that later - and the hastily arranged third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) was drawn, following some gutsy batting in the second innings.

I went on record before the Test series and said I believed that in Jamaica we would see the beginning of a turnaround in West Indies cricket, and it appears the team is on track.

I have seen a number of improvements from the players throughout the series, and a number of them have been taking far more responsibility for their performance than in the past. This is also good to see.

I was very impressed with the way that West Indies captain Chris Gayle batted in Jamaica, as well as Ramnaresh Sarwan. They showed their class in Jamaica and these are just little signs of the players synchronising.

It was also good to see the way they have been applying themselves. It was a total team performance at Sabina Park, the kind of which we have seen very little in the recent past.

In Antigua, I think many people know how I felt about what took place at Vivian Richards Cricket Ground (VRCG).

Personally, it was very disappointing to see what took place there and it felt like an arrow through my heart.

There is a lot of blame to go around and I hope the people responsible understand that we eroded further not only the good name of West Indies cricket, but also of Antigua & Barbuda, which has not come easy.

The problems at the VRCG have to be seriously looked into and we have to solve the problems with the outfield once and for all.

Though this was disappointing to see, the national effort that was undertaken to get the ARG ready was amazing.

Following all of those scenarios, the disappointment was short- lived, with a match that was wonderful compensation for the aborted Test.

Magnificent job

The West Indies guys did a magnificent job and the match went all the way to the wire. This was another example of the excitement that evolves from Test cricket, which is why so many of us love this form of the game.

West Indies recovered after they had their backs up against the wall for most of the match and it was a great effort from the last two batters - Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards - to save the Test.

I was impressed with the way they batted in the second innings and everyone tried to play their part. But the way Sarwan batted was encouraging and I look forward to many more innings of such high quality from him in the future.

Looking ahead to the next Test in Barbados, I hate to predict outcomes of cricket matches, but my wish is that West Indies could seal the deal at Kensington Oval.

Morale boost

Having fought so hard to draw the third Test to maintain their lead in the series should be a morale boost to the team, and I think the momentum should be with them.

With a little luck with the pitch, we should be able to do the job. I hope we can get a pitch a little more pacy - something with a little more substance that would give both teams a chance.

So the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion to the series and my hope is that when it is all over, as a West Indian, I will have more reasons to be proud of our players.

The Know your Boundaries campaign continues to build momentum as we head to Barbados, with the 'Keep Walking - Don't Drink and Drive' movement growing in numbers every day. Many of my former teammates and fellow cricketers have joined the movement by signing the 15-foot giant bat. I really want as many people as possible to sign up to this great campaign, so if you see the bat please show your support by signing it!

Sir Vivian Richards is a Responsible Drinking Ambassador for Johnnie Walker's Know your Boundaries campaign and reminds everyone not to drink and drive, but to plan ahead and use a Designated Driver to get home safely.