The brilliant Lara in full flow (Allsport).

By Andy Hampson, PA Sport

There are few better sights in world cricket than Brian Lara in full flow.

Despite all his faults and problems down the years, the great Trinidadian remains one of the game's finest batsmen - and there is potential for plenty more yet.

Lara has had his detractors, lean spells and injuries - and at times his influence in the dressing room has been nothing less than disruptive.

The decline in the standard of West Indies' cricket, however, is such that their already slender chances of winning the World Cup are virtually nil without him.

Lara has certainly not always fitted in with the team ethos. But after taking a break from all cricket after the last World Cup citing stress and exhaustion, his recent absences have all been down to injury or illness and the side are only half as strong without him.

His return from one such ailment for last winter's tour to Sri Lanka was simply astounding. The left-hander scored almost half his team's runs, with a double-century and two other tons.

Unfortunately his tour ended after a collision in the field with Marvan Atapattu left him with a broken elbow.

It was the worst injury of his career and caused a long lay-off - but he made a successful recovery to crack an exhilarating ton against Kenya in the ICC Champions Trophy, only to be struck down by hepatitis.

That forced him to pull out of the tour to India, another low in a career characterised by some of the most amazing peaks and some of the deepest troughs.

Yet Lara has never been down for long. Inevitably a barren spell had to follow his record-breaking exploits of 1994 when he smashed his Test and first-class bests of 375 and 501, but he recovered with three hundreds against England the following year.

He was suspected to be one of the chief whingers during the West Indies' World Cup campaign in 1996, which saw them mope around the sub-continent criticising each other and losing to Kenya. He responded with one of the great World Cup centuries to send favourites South Africa spinning out of the competition.

A largely unsuccessful spell as captain followed and his second stint at Warwickshire in 1998 won him little respect among his contemporaries, despite some weighty innings.

The West Indies' 5-0 thrashing in South Africa did not count among his finest moments either, but the following spring's series against Australia certainly did.

The Windies looked down and out after being skittled for 51 in the first Test, and further humiliation seemed on the cards.

Lara changed all that, however, as he single-handedly set about reviving the series.

He hit a memorable double ton in Jamaica and, after Glenn McGrath wound him up the wrong way, followed up with possibly his finest innings - 153 in the next Test in Barbados - and added another hundred in the following game for good measure.

The World Cup brought more misery, but the Aussies again brought the best out of him as he hit an outstanding 182 in a losing cause in Adelaide.

After that, until Sri Lanka, his best was only seen sporadically - such as his hundred at Old Trafford in 200 -, but without him it is hard to say what state the West Indies could be in.

His mind-blowing return to form in Sri Lanka saw him finish the series with an average of 114.66, but still the West Indies were whitewashed 3-0.

To have any hope in the World Cup, the men from the Caribbean need to start spreading the load among the rest of the team - and quickly.

But there have been some positive signs of late.

Despite the controversy surrounding his initial appointment, Carl Hooper's captaincy has on the whole been a success, the high point being his double-century in Guyana during a successful home series against India.

Of the others, the promising Ramnaresh Sarwan is also starting emerge as a dependable runscorer and the potential match-winner his side so badly needs.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has also enjoyed an injury-free run and is once again providing the solidity he always has in the middle order.

Ridley Jacobs has proved dependable behind the stumps and Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels all played their parts as the West Indies enjoyed a successful end to 2002.

The decision to recall Vasbert Drakes, previously excluded for not playing Caribbean domestic cricket despite regularly taking wickets in England and South Africa, also proved a wise move.

His presence has added experience to the attack from which his young team-mates, particularly Jermaine Lawson, have benefited.

Whether the recent resurgence, characterised by their successful tours of India and Bangladesh when they won without Lara, can continue in the World Cup in southern Africa remains open to question.

Hooper has had his moments, and Sarwan could well go on to bigger and better things - at 22 he has hit more Test half-centuries than Lara had at the same age. But both must prove they can perform consistently if the Windies are to be a surprise package.

Irrespective of his team-mates' form, though, Lara could well make a big difference if he is back in the right frame of mind.

South Africa will need little reminding of his ability.

Yet even so support remains the key. His hundred against Kenya in Colombo was another fine innings, but the West Indies still almost lost the game.

If Lara and the rest of the team do fire at the same time, though, anything is possible.