Skipper Gayle quietly confident for Windies future

By Simon Evans

PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - West Indies cricket fans have grown weary of false dawns during a decade of decline but after tying the two-test series with Sri Lanka, captain Chris Gayle said progress was finally being made.

"The communication with each other is very good, the guys really rally around each other and are pointing out areas that we need to work on," Gayle said after Sunday's six-wicket win in an absorbing test against the Sri Lankans.

Whatever work remains to be done in all departments of the game, the West Indians have a smile on their faces again after ending a streak of seven successive series defeats.

At last year's World Cup the team, then captained by Brian Lara who has since retired and coached by Australian Bennett King, were tense to the point of grumpiness.

But in this series there has been a camaraderie not seen for some time in the West Indies camp and after Sunday's win, the younger members of the team were back on the field playing soccer.

"The guys have been enjoying their cricket more which is good to see. Once you are enjoying the game then you should be able to better results -- that is a key area," said the quietly spoken Gayle who is leading the team for the first time in a home series.

Leading batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan, who after a 10-month lay-off has returned in this series to score three half-centuries and then a match winning 102 on Sunday, said Gayle has proven to be the right choice for skipper.