The Caribbean expected much of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup and then some. Apart from the economic spark, West Indians would have been hoping for an unforgettable drive by B.C. Lara and his men to the very finish...a drive that would rekindle Caribbean pride and lay the foundation for a return to the days when Clive Lloyd and a superb supporting cast ruled cricket with an "iron fist".

On the surface, things have gone very well for the West Indians in the first round with 3 wins from as many games. Playing at the beautifully redesigned Sabina Park, Lara's team has dispatched Ireland, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, each time in front of a packed house of sometimes delirious fans. So it seems that the West Indies, having made it to the second round without much fuss, are on their way to cricketing glory and possibly a great revival of West Indian cricket...a triumphant "second coming" in "Paradise" as I wrote here.

Sounds like a great script...one that only a naive sentimentalist could believe. To those blinded by the seeming razzle dazzle of the first-round performance of the West Indies, I say "wake up!". Truth is, two of the West Indian opponents in this first leg were just a little better than "canon fodder"...so what is the big deal? Cricket is game of great uncertainties; but I can't imagine anyone believing for a moment that any of these teams had a chance of beating the West Indies especially playing at home.

If any credit is due to the West Indies so far, it would have to be for the performance against the Pakistani team and based on subsequent events, one really has to wonder. Whatever the underlying reasons, it was clear from the outset that all was not well with Inzamam-ul-Haq and his men. They played poorly against the West Indies and as everybody the world over will know by now, fell apart against the lightly regarded Irish team. Not only was Pakistan shockingly out of the competition, but a few hours later their coach - Bob Woolmer - was murdered in his hotel room.

So, as the West Indies head to the second round, there is the stench of the circumstances of Mr. Woolmer's death, amidst unbridled euphoria. A closer look at the West Indian performance to date,however, will show that there should be great concern about the true form of the West Indies team and some of its key players. Apart from Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul who made a blistering century against Ireland, people like Chris Gayle, Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan are woefully out of sorts. It is no secret that if the West Indies team is to mount any kind of challenge in the games ahead, these players must come good.

In the bowling department, things look just as bleak. The West Indian bowlers are, in my opinion, ordinary and it seems lack the brain cells necessary to work out and exploit opposing batsmen. Darren Powell in particular, unbelievably, was unable to make adjustments bowling to the Irishman - Jeremy Bray - who obviously had no clue to anything straight or into the body. It was painful sitting there watching Powell continually spray the ball short and outside the off stump, only for Bray to disdainfully dispatch him to the boundary.

If the West Indian bowling attack is having difficulties negotiating the lesser mortals from Zimbabwe and Ireland, then how will they deal with Ricky Ponting, AB de Villiers and Andrew Flintoff to come. To all West Indian fans, I repeat - "wake up!". The ICC 2007 Cricket World Cup may have completed its first round, but things are just about to get hot...really hot.

Other big-name teams such as Pakistan (and possibly India) are headed home; but in Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand, we have players that over the last ten years or so, long-suffering West Indian supporters, have come to know all too well. Caribbean fans will know that in these teams we have players capable of dishing out a dose of reality that could make any thoughts of a triumphant West Indian return, the worst nightmare in an instant.