Windies prepare to defend Fortress Bridgetown

As West Indies try to rebuild their fragile confidence and regroup for the last two Tests against England, starting with the third match in Barbados tomorrow, they will be hoping that a new manager, Tony Howard, means a new start. Two down after two, and with most of the islanders finding 101 reasons not to be cheerful about the state of their national game, they desperately need a change in fortune ... somehow.

One thing in West Indies' favour is the return of Fidel Edwards in place of the disappointing Adam Sanford, meaning the attack will be a Bajan barrage of Edwards, Tino Best, Corey Collymore and Pedro Collins. Prior to the first Test, that bowling attack was supposed to be the weak area of the team, but all of a sudden it reads fairly well on paper, and performs pretty well on the pitch. The batting, on the other hand, has been a never-ending horror story.

A bit of grit has been added to the squad with the return of Daren Ganga, who scored two Test centuries against Australia last year but was dropped after West Indies' forgettable tour of South Africa. He is likely to replace the injured Devon Smith at the top of the order, and his studious approach could be just what his side needs to get them back towards the top of the class.

Much more, however, depends on Brian Lara, who has admitted that his batting so far hasn't been good enough. If ever he was due a big score, this Test is it, and he remains firmly at the top of England's hit list. Ramnaresh Sarwan, meanwhile, needs to come to the party - on the pitch that is - and Shivnarine Chanderpaul must build on that brief glimpse of form he showed in Trinidad if West Indies are going to stop England from securing their first series win in the Caribbean for 36 years.

West Indies' preparations haven't been helped by recent comments from Gus Logie, the coach, and Tony Cozier, the veteran broadcaster. Logie openly questioned his team's mental strength and discipline to succeed in Test cricket, while Cozier slammed their poor fitness and lazy preparation. Howard - who played one Test himself, back in 1971-72 - certainly has a big job on his hands.

England, by comparison, are sitting pretty - although there will be no resting on laurels just yet, even though a draw would ensure that Michael Vaughan becomes only the third captain to lead England to a series victory in the Caribbean. They have again named an unchanged side, albeit one with a few chinks in the armour which West Indies could exploit.

Marcus Trescothick is the primary cause for concern. He has managed just 18 runs in four Test innings, and a scratchy 50 against a Carib Beer XI last week didn't instil a lot of confidence either. Meanwhile Ashley Giles's unthreatening and uneconomical overs continue to keep Gareth Batty interested - and he took 5 for 53 in that Carib Beer match. Another Englishman (or is it a Welshman?) waiting in the wings is Geraint Jones. He also impressed in the last warm-up game with 66, and Chris Read knows he needs to contribute with the bat at No. 7 to keep Jones on the sidelines for much longer.

England are sure to have masses of support at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, with several platoons of the Barmy Army sweeping in to what was once known as West Indies' fortress. England famously pulled off a stunning comeback in 1994, from a similarly desperate situation to the one West Indies now find themselves in. It remains to be seen whether Lara can keep the English at bay this time.

West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Daren Ganga, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Ridley Jacobs (wk), 8 Tino Best, 9 Pedro Collins, 10 Corey Collymore, 11 Fidel Edwards.

England 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Michael Vaughan (capt), 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Nasser Hussain, 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Chris Read (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Matthew Hoggard, 10 Simon Jones, 11 Stephen Harmison.