BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AFP): West Indies captain Brian Lara has predicted his battered team will stage a fightback when they take on England in the third Test which starts here on Thursday. The West Indies trail in the four-Test series 2-0 after losing the opening clash at Sabina Park by 10 wickets, when they fell for their lowest total in Tests of 47 in the second innings, and the second Test at the Queen's Park Oval by seven wickets. They are also in danger of becoming the first West Indies team to lose a Test series against England in the Caribbean for 36 years. "Sometimes we think that we have kick-started something and suddenly we make a step or two backwards," Lara said. "We were very hopeful of doing well in this series against England and show what we had learnt over the last year, playing Australia and teams like South Africa. "The first two Test matches have clearly not gone the way we would have wanted, but we have to take it one match at a time and look forward to the upcoming two Tests, starting with this one." With a reciprocal four-Test series in England later this year, Lara believes the outcome of this series will be very important. "These two matches are very important and we have to play well against them to ensure that when we get to England, we are in a better frame of mind," Lara said. "All that and taking into consideration that we have not lost in the Caribbean to England since 1968, the last two Tests are very important." Lara indicated his optimism about squaring the series has come from his teammates. "The atmosphere in the team is very upbeat and I do not see anybody sulking or looking like they are in a panicked state of mind," he said. "I think everybody is looking forward to the Test matches because there is a chance of us levelling the series. Obviously, we cannot win it. This is going to inspire the guys to go out there and do their best." But Lara recognises his side will have to play totally out of character to transform the complexion of the series. "We have not been able to put a game together and that has been our problem for a long time," he said. "We have had some brilliant individual performances with bat and ball over the last year or so, but not an entire game. That's what we are trying to repair. That's what we are trying to correct. We are trying to get the guys to play each session and to win each session. And to understand that it's a team game." Lara, who has over 2,000 Test runs, including the previous world record of 375, against England, has struggled with the bat, but is looking to make amends in this Test. "This is probably the most important series for West Indies and one of the most anticipated," he said. "I have never found myself in a situation like this, where I am out of form against England. But I have been able to handle being out of form in the past and I have full confidence in myself to come out of it." SOURCE: Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com