Cricket: Gough: I'll lie back & think of England while hit-man Harmy roughs up Kiwis; ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL: WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, ST LUCIA, TODAY.

Byline: Mike WALTERS from St Lucia

BRIGHT outlooks had been in very short supply during England's waterlogged one-day series here in the Caribbean until Darren Gough whistled 'Bring Me Sunshine.'

And what do you know? Not only is there a grave danger of England actually playing cricket today, but the Dazzler's long-range forecast is all rays of hope for the Test series against New Zealand starting later this month.

Gough, England's pied piper for nearly a decade, predicts the Kiwis will find out Steve Harmison's dramatic impact in the West Indies was not just a short-term phenomenon.

Harmison has taken over as the man who makes things happen with the new ball, and Gough is confident the Durham destroyer will not get carried away by the hype.

Both men will line up against the West Indies today as England bid to clinch the abridged one-day series in this weekend's double-header at the picturesque Beausejour Stadium here.

Rain has restricted Gough's latest comeback to a dozen overs in the past fortnight, but the Barnsley Met Office has been tracking Cyclone Harmy ...and it is due to hit New Zealand on May 20 at Lord's.

The Dazzler said: "It will be a close series and New Zealand's four quicks will provide good competition for our quartet, but Harmison is the one who stands out.

"He will cope with all the attention because he has been around the England scene for a long time and he has worked his game out.

"I can remember him being called into the Test squad against Zimbabwe at Lord's four years ago, and for batsmen the booby prize was having to face Harmy in the nets because he was trying to get a game and bowling bouncers at them.

"When players like myself and Dominic Cork started out with England, we took wickets and found ourselves in the headlines straight away. Looking back, it was difficult to adjust.

"From playing county cricket, suddenly we had the whole nation pinning their hopes on us and it's hard to deal with that if you're not ready for it.

"But the hard yards, like taking nought for 100 in Australia last winter, have served Harmy well and hopefully he is here to stay."

Gough believes level-headed Harmison won't have his head turned by the adulation being a national hero can bring.

"I'm not going to put pressure on him by saying he will be the next England bowler to take 200 Test wickets or whatever, but if he wins 50 caps he will have a chance because I know he won't get swept along with the hype," he said. "Somehow I can't see Harmy being a celebrity chef on Ready Steady Cook like Corky, but he will find that being a matchwinner and helping England win a Test series in the West Indies will change his life in terms of other people's attitude towards him.

"When I came back from Australia in 1995 (after taking 6-49 and swatting a defiant 50 in Sydney), I found that everyone suddenly wanted a piece of me.

"Harmy will probably discover when he gets home next week that he has gone from just a tall bloke walking down the street unrecognised to a local hero, but I think he is ready and will cope with it.

"If he were a single lad it would be easy to get carried away and play the big-shot, but he's a family man and that stable background will help.

"He still lives near his parents and there's nobody better than your mam to give you a whack up the backside with a frying pan and bring you back down to earth if you step out of line."

Gough said Harmison initially reminded him of his England team-mate Andy Caddick."That was because of his height and he had those long levers to get the ball down from a height of 8ft-plus, but his extra pace gave him exceptional potential.

"I sat in front of the box when he took those seven wickets in Jamaica and I was thinking 'Get in there, big fella - this is going to be your day.' The ball was swinging, there was some extra bounce, and the batsmen just couldn't cope.

"But Steve has always had the ingredients to demolish a side, and if he carries on bowling as he has this winter, there will be a lot more days like that ahead.

"He may have to work harder for his wickets against the likes of Australia or South Africa, and New Zealand won't lie down easily either, but there are not many teams who will stop him."

England skipper Michael Vaughan, who expects to name an unchanged side, wants England to clinch the one-day series this weekend and turn Wednesday's finale in Barbados into a party.

He said: "After so much rain, it's great to arrive on an island and see a bit of sun, but we've had to hold the lads back because when they saw the conditions here they were eager to do far too much.

"We're still 1-0 up and after all the frustration I want us to concentrate on winning two of the three remaining games and going home on a high note - with another trophy."

CAPTION(S):

VAUGHAN: inspects the pitch; FLAT OUT: Gough takes a breather; HARMISON: Match-winner