ST JOHN'S, Oct 4: When the West Indies won the 2004 Champions Trophy in the gloom of a London autumn, skipper Brian Lara hoped it would be the dawn of a new era for the fallen kings of one-day cricket.

But two years on and the Caribbean calypso still resembles more of a slow waltz.

Crushed by Australia in the DLF Cup final last month and still dogged by bitterness over contracts and selection procedures, Lara, in his third spell as skipper, believes his team can be a force in India despite having to play in the qualifying tournament.

“I see it as a good way of going into the tournament,” said Lara whose side have to face Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh before the serious business gets underway.

“Australia, England, and Pakistan will arrive for their first game, but we will already have had three games going in. That's a slight plus.” Lara, who threatened to quit in July in a row over selection, took some comfort from seeing his side beat both Australia and India during the Kuala Lumpur tournament.

But he knows that others in the team have to start taking the pressure off himself as well as fellow senior players Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.—AFP