Back in August, this newspaper urged relevant stakeholders in West Indies cricket, including players, coaches and administrators, to use a surprise home series Twenty20 victory over India as a platform for the next ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean next June.

It’s with that thought in mind that we applaud the entertaining 3-2 triumph completed over defending T20 champions England in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.

Just as was the case against India and away to South Africa earlier in the year, the West Indies recovered from series-levelling defeat to beat England, which suggests not just talent but strength of mind.

Let’s remember that earlier this week Mr Rovman Powell and his West Indies team were practically blown away in the fourth game of the five-match series, losing by 75 runs.

That meant Thursday’s game became the clincher.

Changes to the West Indies line-up undoubtedly helped. But also, we were very impressed as the Caribbean men showed discipline and expertise as a bowling unit — an area which had let them down badly in the previous two games — to set the base for their eventual four-wicket win.

Preparation and morale boosts for next year’s World Cup are obviously of critical importance. However, the recent T20 successes also provide Caribbean cricket fans with reason to cheer following the regional team’s embarrassing ouster from the T20 World Cup in the preliminary phase last year.

Very satisfying, as well, was the 2-1 One-Day International (ODI) series win over the English earlier this month, which followed the Caribbean men’s exit from the qualifiers for the ODI World Cup in mid-year — every bit as humiliating as the T20 experience last year.

As all will readily concede, there is still much to do if the West Indies men’s team is to have a real shot at lifting the T20 World Cup for a third time next June.

Prized memories linger of their victories away from home in 2012 and 2016 with current white-ball Head Coach Mr Darren Sammy as captain.

Available evidence suggests that Mr Sammy, and his white-ball captains Messrs Powell (T20) and Shai Hope (ODI) are working well together and that their players are comfortable.

We suspect their sternest tests yet will come in February when the West Indies face powerful Australia in that country in ODIs and T20s.

Before that, in January, a youthful, new-look West Indies Test team led by Mr Kraigg Brathwaite, with Mr Andre Coley as head coach, will face the Australians — the world Test match champions — in a two-Test series.

Just a year ago, the West Indies were thoroughly outclassed 0-2 Down Under. That a West Indies Test match tour of Australia is happening again so quickly flows from quirky scheduling of the World Test Championship cycle.

Due to the drift away from Test cricket of senior players seeking to secure their future in the lucrative T20 franchise formats, West Indies chief selector Mr Desmond Haynes and his panel felt compelled to include seven uncapped players for next month’s Test matches.

Unsurprisingly, knowledgeable observers do not expect the Australians to be seriously tested.

Let’s see.