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The recent results produced by the West Indies cricket team is an indication of the maturity of the younger players, but they need to be able to analyse conditions from the outset and adjust to changes during matches.

This was the assessment made by West Indies coach Roger Harper, during an intransit stop at Grantley Adams International Airport yesterday evening, following the team's successful tours to India and Bangladesh.

"I think the young players are beginning to mature.

"They have been playing for about three years and I think they are beginning to understand what is required of them at the international level if we are really going to compete and compete successfully at a sustained basis.

"However, what we have to get better at, is being able to analyse conditions in the initial stages and adapt to them immediately. That is the key really.

"We can't afford to play two Test matches, then when we play the third one start hitting our straps. We have to be able to do that from the outset," Harper said.

West Indies lost the Test series against India, rebounded to win the One-Day Internationals 4-3 and beat Bangladesh 2-0 in a Test series. Harper placed more emphasis on the India tour.

"I felt, apart from the first two Test matches of the tour to India, that we played pretty good cricket and we showed a lot of character to come back after those two Test matches to draw the last one and to win that One-Day series.

"Not many teams have managed to go to India and win anything. The youngsters showed a lot of character and really came into their own in that series."

The coach, whose contract is up for renewal, was also pleased about the overall batting performances of the younger players. But there remained a worry over the bowling.

"I was happy to see Chris Gayle batting so well and Ramnaresh Sarwan finally getting his first international century for West Indies in both forms of the game.

"But I think we have to understand – particularly in the One-Day series and even in the Test series – the wickets weren't particularly responsive to fast bowling and in the One-Day series they were really, really good for batting," Harper said.

"And while we could have been a bit more consistent, I suppose we have to sympathise with the bowlers a little bit. In Bangladesh, we bowled a bit better.

"In the last Test match, we could have been a bit more consistent at times, but we got the job done.

"However, I expect in South Africa, where the wickets will be a little more pacy, a little more bouncy and, generally a little more responsive to seam bowling, that the bowlers will come into their own."

The players have a short break over the Christmas season before going into camp in mid-January. Each player has been given a programme by sports therapist Ronald Rogers to follow over the holidays.

"I think what our success in India has shown is that we can compete with the very best teams, and if we play good cricket, we are capable of beating them.

"What we must keep in the back of our mind (is that) conditions in India are very different to South Africa, and that is why it is all important we have the right conditions at our camp so that we can get ourselves in tune and ready for the conditions in South Africa.

"We have seen good things in Asia, while countries like South Africa and Australia really struggled.

"I think that we are capable of adapting a little better to the faster, bouncier pitches in South Africa than the Asian teams, and I expect will perform well there."

© Barbados Nation