Former England batsman Geoff Boycott has not held out much hope for West Indies in their upcoming Test series against England.

Writing in his column in the London Telegraph yesterday, Boycott said West Indies remained a weak unit and predicted England would beat them comfortably despite the recent upheaval that resulted in the change of captain and coach.

"If everybody stays fit, England should beat the West Indies with something to spare," said Boycott, now a respected television analyst.

"Victories in the Caribbean prove nothing anymore. England ought to come through this series com-fortably, no matter who is captain. To put it bluntly, the West Indies have only three quality batsmen and three quality bowlers.

"They look to Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul to score their runs, and the fast bowlers, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards to take their wickets.

"Their best cricketer is Dwayne Bravo and he is still injured. The rest are no big deal. The West Indies have been weak for years. So, this is a handy chance for England to get their act together after all the upheavals in recent weeks."

Boycott said, however, that much of England's hopes rested on the fitness of fast bowling all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.

"I am not saying it will be a walkover," Boycott cautioned. "The one thing England do need is a fit Andrew Flintoff, throughout all the four Tests. If Freddie goes down injured, the odds for the series will turn around dramatically."