By Tony Becca - From The Boundary 
THE TWO-match Cable & Wireless Test series between the West Indies and Sri Lanka gets under way in St. Lucia today and everything points not only to a toe-to-toe, no-holds-barred contest but also to some interesting and exciting cricket.
It should be cricket, lovely cricket.
After losing all three matches in Sri Lanka in 2001 - one by 10 wickets, one by 131 runs, and one by 10 wickets - the West Indies are gunning for revenge.
HUNTING VICTORY
Sri Lanka are hunting a repeat victory that would underline their superiority over the former champions. With the West Indies bubbling with confidence after stroking a world record 418 in the second innings to defeat Australia in the fourth and final Test recently, it should be a battle royal from start to finish.
The main reason why it should be interesting very interesting at that - is the contest between Brian Lara - the brilliant West Indies batsman and Muttiah Muralitharan - the master offspinner from Sri Lanka.
Throughout the history of the game, the confrontation between a great batsman and a great bowler is always fascinating and this one should be no exception.
The last time they crossed swords, Lara scored 688 runs at an average of 114.67, those runs included three centuries and a double with the double and one century coming in the third Test. Despite that, Muralitharan, the smiling destroyer, took 24 wickets - including 11 in the first Test and 10 in the second.
TREAT FOR THE CONNOSEURS
This time, with Lara out to prove that he is the best batsman around and Muralitharan determined to prove that he can conquer even the best, one is out to demolish the other, and with such skill against such skill, that should be a treat for the connoseurs.
There is, however, another reason why it should be interesting.
LARA VULNERABLE
The consensus, around the region and right around the world is that, Lara apart, the West Indies batsmen are vulnerable to swing bowling and numbered among Sri Lanka's bowlers are a few, including the brilliant Chaminda Vaas, who not only swing the ball but who swing it appreciably.
Despite the presence of Lara, for the West Indies to win the series their opening batsmen will have to provide a good start, they will be the ones facing Vaas with a new ball in his hand and although they are powerful strikers of the ball and are dangerous on the go, it will be interesting to see how Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds or Gayle and Devon Smith cope.
Not so much with the likes of Prabath Nissanka, Thilan Thushard and Dinusha Fernando, but with Vaas the lefthander who, with seven and seven in the final Test, preened himself with 26 wickets in the last series.
Unlike Sri Lanka's batsmen who will be up against an attack short of a world-class bowler, it will be testing time for the West Indies batsmen who will have to face Vaas and then Muralitharan and will have to be in the pink of form to deal with them.
RESPECT TO AUSTRALIA
With due respect to the mighty Australia, as far as excitement is concerned, this series promises to be way ahead of the last one in the Caribbean and it has to nothing to do with the fact that the contestants are more or less evenly matched and that the matches should be closer and therefore more exciting.
Batting, brilliant stroke play, is what generally provides the excitement in cricket, and both sides parade some brilliant stroke players.
Batting for Sri Lanka will be Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kalu-witharana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Hashan Tillakaratne and possibly Thilan Samaraweera; and Vaas or no Vaas, Muralitharan or no Muralitharan, batting for the West Indies will be the likes of Gayle and Hinds or Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels and, of course, Lara.
