Sammy upbeat for England challenge

West Indies captain Darren Sammy feels the spirit his men showed against Australia will help them on their upcoming tour of England.

The Windies lost by 75 runs to Michael Clarke's men in the third Test on Friday and went down 2-0 in the series but they surprised many people with the way in which they matched the Aussies for large parts of the contests. They outscored the men from Down Under in the first innings of the first Test before crumbling second time around while a possible exciting run chase in the second match was curtailed by the rain. And, but for a Matthew Wade century in the first innings of the third Test in Roseau, Sammy's men would have been on equal terms with their illustrious opponents and in good shape to force a victory later in the match. But, as is so often the case, they came up short when it mattered most and will head to England for three Tests in the hope that they can actually get over the line and get a win on the board. Sammy knows that both the pitches and the climate will be very different over the next couple of months but hopes that his men will have taken confidence from the way they handled the Aussies for long periods in all three Tests. "Different conditions, some of the guys are playing there for the first time," he said. "We've still got to learn and believe that whatever comes our way that we can overcome it. "It's going to be another tough series for us but like we fought against Australia we're expecting to do the same against England." Shivnarine Chanderpaul was the undoubted star for the hosts in the series with the Baggy Greens, making scores of 103, 94, 68 and 69 as he held the middle order together. Sammy was full of praise for the diminutive left-hander but feels he needs some help from the younger players at the top of the order. "Shiv batted really well for us again but we didn't have consistent contributions from everyone there," he added. "We have youngsters at the top and like Shiv has said, they're learning their skill at the international level."