IN spite of their loss in the current series, South African captain Graeme Smith has described the West Indies as a "united team" and one "with passion and determination".
And Smith has warned England to expect "a very hard-fought contest" in their forthcoming four Tests in the Caribbean.
"They will be a far, far tougher proposition at home than they have been in South Africa," the 22-year-old Smith, who led South Africa to a 2-2 draw with England in his first series as captain last year, wrote in the London Daily Telegraph yesterday.
"We all know what it is like to be on the road, away for months on end, and how it affects your cricket," he added, noting that the West Indies played two Tests and five one-day internationals during a month in Zimbabwe prior to their South African trip.
"They must be feeling the strain," Smith wrote. "Not that they have been moaning or complaining and there are no long faces. You can always see how genuine the spirit is in your opposition and I can't help admiring their attitude."
He identified the West Indies as a team that "obviously share a determination to turn West Indies cricket around."
"They are passionate and very proud, and although it was before my time I'm told that wasn't always the case, even until quite recently," he added.
Smith declined to predict a winner in the Caribbean.
It was, he said, "too tight to call" but, based on the present
highscoring series in which there have been 15 hundreds in three Tests and the balance of the two teams "you would have to say it could be a batsman's series".
He identified West Indies captain Brian Lara as the key.
"The best professionals, in any sport, try to ignore individuals and reputations to prevent becoming intimidated by them but there have been times during this series when the 'this is just another left-hander' approach clearly has not worked for us," Smith acknowledged.
Lara has scored 491 in the three Tests, including a double and a single hundred, at an average of 81.83. In the 11 Tests since his reinstatement as captain last year, he has two doubles and four singles hundred.
"Now that he is back to his best the whole batting line-up suddenly seems a lot more formidable," Smith observed. "When Brian is out of form or favour, so is West Indies cricket. But when he is strong, they can beat anybody on any day."