Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Hope of another new dawn in West Indies has sprung up after they managed to draw the Test series against Sri Lanka.
It has taken them eight years to avoid a series defeat at home. And their second win in five Test matches is something which has not happened in a long time.
So do the West Indies go forward from here? That will always be a million-dollar question considering the state of West Indies cricket over the last two decades.
In that period, there have been a few instances when the West Indies looked to turn their fortunes. But they always flattered to deceive.
The future of West Indies cricket now rests on the broad shoulders of captain Chris Gayle. He has given a new impetus to the team which has not been since the days of Clive Lloyd and Vivian Richards.
His team swears by him. Even former captain Ramnaresh Sarwan admitted that Gayle is special and the best man to lead West Indies cricket.
That is the first battle won. The West Indians have not been known to gel well in recent times because of a variety of factors. There was nagging suspicion that issues unrelated to cricket like regionalism played a major part in the disunity.
Lack of talent was also a drawback. Even a great player like Brian Lara could never get them to play together.
Gayle also does not have much to work with. The domestic cricket scene is so bad that the West Indies will struggle to get a pool of players to replace the ones currently in action.
The captain has scored points on the way he deals with his team both on and off the field. That support from the team will be the basis on which to rebuild West Indies cricket.
Australia will prove a major test. It is never easy to beat Australia anytime, anywhere.
The batting will have to improve. The lack of consistency from the top order has always been alarming.
Marlon Samuels will have to do more as he is one of the better batsmen among the current lot. After an outstanding series in South Africa, he had a miserable time against the Sri Lankans.
The good news is that Sarwan had a magnificent series and Shivnaraine Chanderpaul got back into top gear.
However, Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin will have to contribute more to take care of an ordinary lower order.
The fast bowling attack is now beginning to take shape. Jerome Taylor has improved tremendously and is now their number one bowler. Fidel Edwards is also getting better by the day though Darren Powell will have to concentrate more to add consistency.
Suleiman Benn must also be played more regularly. The left-arm spinner adds variety to an attack lacking in variety. A spinner will always be useful as some of the wickets in the West Indies have got slower and lower.
The road ahead is going to be a long and hard one. Unless a Gayle sweeps forcefully across West Indies cricket. The whole cricketing world will wish for that.
