If Carl Hooper's thinking is correct, future West Indies opponents will be very wary of super batsman Brian Lara.

The West Indies cricket captain says Sunday's match-winning hundred against South Africa could be the start of another stellar period in the Test (375) and first-class (501) batting record-holder's career.

"Brian is a world-class player and I think the earlier he can get (back in form) in these games, the better it is for us," Hooper said at a press conference yesterday. "He's got the ability to win games with his bat as he did against South Africa."

Lara, 33, blasted 116 to lift the West Indies from the doldrums of 67 for two after 25 overs to 278 for five in their 50 overs, eventually enough to beat South Africa by three runs. It was the Trinidadian's first international match since September when he was stricken by illness in the ICC Champions Trophy.

Hooper's view has been further enhanced by the comments of Lara himself.

Known to set extremely high standards, the explosive left-hander has stated boldly he wants to play on a team that wins the World Cup and that he is in South Africa to fight for his place in the West Indies line-up and give his team a good shot at pouching the US$2 million first prize.

"I knew I'd been away for four to five months and the guys had played really good cricket in the One-Day series in India and in Bangladesh in that time," said Lara.

"I was coming back into a team that was full of confidence and I told myself coming into this tournament that I had to push and shove myself to the front of this team because there's a lot of talent there, a lot of good young players.

"I just wanted to go out there and play with them and show that the West Indies have the best possible chance to win this tournament."

That he is already voicing year-end goals is a bad omen for those who will be bowling at this ruthless batsman in the coming months.

"What I would love to get is a Test hundred (against South Africa) at the end of the year," he said, smiling as he added "if Carl (Hooper) sits down and picks me to go on tour."

The West Indies return to South Africa for a three-Test series and five One-Day Internationals in November and December.

"That's what I'm looking forward to," noted Lara.

Whether he is regarded as the sport's number one batsman is irrelevant in the mind of the man who in a six-week whirlwind in mid-1994 broke Sir Garfield Sobers' top Test score of 365 before blazing a plethora of hundreds for Warwickshire county in England - the crescendo being cricket's first ever half-thousand - 501 not out versus Durham.

"That's (being number one) of little significance in the whole sphere of things," Lara told reporters at the World Cup.

"I just want to ensure that the West Indies have the best of me. I want to go out there, play cricket and perform. I want to play with a team that wants to win and this young team wants to win. That's great."

Lara's self-confidence on Sunday, Hooper noted, may well have been boosted by him being chosen to bat in a premier position.

"I think one of the good things the selectors have done is ask him to bat at number three. I think that instils a lot of confidence in any player if the management trusts you, especially when there's been young players doing well in recent tours.

"That was very important, especially since he's been away from the game so long," said Hooper, once Lara's vice-captain in the regional team.

The Guyanese skipper said the West Indies had shown they can win without Lara but his presence gave them a vital psychological edge when he was on song.

"Having Brian back is just an extra plus for the opposition to think about. If you followed the last series in India we had a lot of big scores from the younger guys, but having Brian in the fold is an additional headache for the opposition, which is one that we welcome."

Another reason for the team's optimism is the character they showed against South Africa - a recent and refreshing feature of the West Indies under pressure. They are beginning to believe they can achieve big victories.

"We could have easily crumbled in the first hour or hour and half of the game and towards the end again," Hooper said.

"We showed a lot of nerve to come through in the end. You can see we are actually beginning to believe that we can do it, get into the position to win and finish the job. We should get stronger as the competition goes on."

The change in the team has been happening over the years and it will only get better, he said, noting they have been analysing the weaknesses and strength of each player and planning accordingly.

"What you are seeing is (the result of) a lot of hard work, a lot of trial and error, a lot of disappointment. The most important thing is that, more or less, we are beginning to play as a team."