COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: West Indies team captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul has come to the defence of his second-string squad currently on tour in Sri Lanka. An ongoing dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) has left the Guyanese left-hander with an under-strength squad heading into Wednesday's first Test match against the hosts in Colombo. Coming to the defence of the younger generation, Chanderpaul said he believes the team can prosper despite currently crop of youngsters in the squad. "We have a group of young, new and exciting players like Xavier Marshall, Ryan Ramdass and Narasingh Deonarine and Tino Best who are keen and ready to play Test cricket," Chanderpaul told reporters. The skipper added that this was a chance for the younger generation to gain experience and is counting on having an exciting series against the Sri Lankans. "These guys have performed well with the 'A' team and most of them have played international cricket -- I know they are capable of doing the job. "This is a good opportunity for them to make a name for themselves." The West Indies struggled in their recent tour match against a strong Sri Lanka XI, but after being bowled out for 109 in their first innings the Windies were able to come away with a draw. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com