BRIAN LARA'S analogy following the West Indies' defeat by 118 runs in the second Test at the Queen's Park Oval on Tuesday might have been light- hearted but there was more than a grain of truth to it.
"I think that, like in horse racing, Australia should be handicapped, then there might be a possibility of us getting at least a draw or a result," was the West Indies captain's quip at the after-match media conference.
More seriously, he noted that the Australians are the World Cup champions and the best Test team of the era - to everyone, that is, except the International Cricket Council (ICC) and its strange ratings system that gives that honour to South Africa - and his young West Indians bear no comparison.
It prompted him to limit his ambitions for the third Test, starting at Kensington Oval on Thursday, to no more than preventing Australia extending their lead in the series to 3-0.
"One of the things we do not want is to lose the next Test match," he said. "If we can get a draw, it would be great."
His hope is not supported by history. Australia have only had three draws, all against New Zealand in Australia two seasons ago, with 19 wins and five losses in their last 27 Tests since their 5-0 clean sweep over the West Indies in Australia in 2000-01.
With the absence of two stalwarts, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ridley Jacobs, through injury, the West Indies' second Test eleven had an average age of 25 to the Australians' 30, a combined 337 Tests experience against 472 and 25 Test hundreds and 213 wickets against 75 and 491.
"The age group and experience of my side cannot be compared to the Australians," he noted. "I think being competitive is very important for this young side and, as far as I am concerned, we are being competitive. We need to make sure and secure a few more sessions and we will be in safe hands."
Lara's comments were not meant to be negative, merely realistic. There was no repetition of the "moderate success and devastating failure" that led to his resignation from his first tenure as captain.
"We need to move on, keep an upbeat mood in the dressing room and ensure we go to Barbados giving ourselves a chance; not the burden of being 2-0 down or the burden of playing against the best team in the world," he said.
"We have to be very optimistic when we get there," he added. "We have to try new things, we have to try and make sure we do not make the same mistakes and play five good days of cricket there."
Lara did not say it because there was no need to but the West Indies remain over dependent on his batting.
In Sri Lanka, a year and a half ago, he amassed 688 runs at an average of 104 with a double and two single hundreds and the West Indies still lost all three Tests.
His 91 and 122 at Queen's Park were two masterpieces but they could not stave off defeat for a team restricted to three frontline bowlers by bizarre selection. Lara has had a host of worries in his second coming as West Indies captain. He identified one as the Australian run rate.
"They are scoring their runs a little bit to quickly and are giving themselves the opportunity to win matches," he said. "I think we batted well in both innings and, under normal circumstances, we would have stretched the match out to five days and attained a draw, The onus is on the bowlers who are selected to ensure that we click coming up against a team in which every batsman in the top order averages above 40."
It is simply a part of the Australian dominance of the international game at present.
While they have scored at an average rate of 4.06 runs an over in the two Tests here, they rattled along even faster, at 4.21, in their recent five Ashes Tests against England in Australia, which they won 4-1.