KINGSTON, June 30: A fast-maturing West Indies team will be in a position to beat South Africa when the Caribbean side plays a four-Test series there at the end of this year, according to skipper Brian Lara.

“At the beginning of this year I would have said that we’d do well to win a Test match in South Africa, but now I expect us to win the series,” he said on Sunday, shortly after the West Indies clinched a 1-0 series win over Sri Lanka.

“With (batsman Shivnarine) Chanderpaul fit again, and hopefully Jermain Lawson back and bowling at the speed he was before getting injured, I expect us to beat the South Africans,” Lara declared.

The West Indies skipper said he was enjoying the role of nurturing new talent in his second stint as captain, but acknowledged that he was keen to wipe out the memory of captaining a disastrous 5-0 series whitewash in South Africa four years ago.

“That series sort of derailed Brian Lara and derailed West Indies cricket. If we can take out South Africa this time that will set us up for going down to Australia for our next series there. Then I’ll be able to tell you how far we have come,” he said.

A rich array of young West Indies batting talent began emerging several years ago, and players such as Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels have joined Chanderpaul in confirming their potential.

But it was the bowling department that was the decisive factor in the second test against Sri Lanka, a low-scoring affair that was wrapped up before the end of the third day.

West Indies’ seven-wicket win was due, in large measure, to the efforts of three fast bowlers who could boast just four previous Test games between them.

Among them were Jerome Taylor, 19, who made his test debut last week, and Fidel Edwards, 21, whose roughneck round-arm action and capacity to swing the ball earned him first innings figures of five for 36.

Even more impressive was Corey Collymore, who collected 14 wickets in three Sri Lankan innings to prove that his labelling as a one-day specialist was, in the words of Lara, “a mishap”.

“It is unfortunate that Corey had to wait four years for a recall after his first Test match. I think he led the attack here tremendously and he understands the game very well,” Lara said.

The joker in the West Indies pack is Lawson, who took seven for 78 against Australia in a Test in May, only to face official complaints about a suspect action.

He is currently recovering from a back injury and undergoing remedial work on his action.

“For some people this is a time to rest, but Lawson must now work at his task,” Lara said.

Lara stressed that more experienced bowlers such as Vasbert Drakes and Mervyn Dillon still had an important role to play in leading by example.

However, he was adamant that a new era was dawning for the team that had suffered home series defeats to South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in successive years.

“We’ve worked over the last three months to get the right combination and the right attitude. I’d say we now have the right 16 or 17 players to choose from to do well over the long term ... I’m really looking forward to the future,” he said.

West Indies tour Zimbabwe and South Africa at the end of this year.—Reuters