It's going to be tough, but our guys are geared up. They've been doing some work and we'll be ready for it. ­ Chanderpaul KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC: ON THE heels of a humiliating whitewash by South Africa, the beleaguered West Indies team will turn their attention to a confident Pakistan squad in the opening one-day international of their three-match Digicel Series at the Arnos Vale Ground today. They have had little time to lick their wounds after being flogged by seven wickets in the final ODI last Sunday, but will now be required to pick themselves up quickly if they are to make any impression against Pakistan. West Indies lost the Test series 2-0 and the ODI series 5-0 and their confidence, if nothing else, will be a major factor when the match bowls off in what are expected to be ideal cricket conditions. Captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, still searching for his first win in his new role as skipper, said yesterday that the team had remained in high spirits despite their recent heavy losses and were looking forward to the new challenge Pakistan presented. "That (South Africa series) is in the past and we are looking forward to the next series against Pakistan," Chanderpaul said. "It's going to be tough, but our guys are geared up. They've been doing some work and we'll be ready for it. "Everybody is still being positive. Staying positive is the main thing, just keep your heads up and keep going. It's not over." BATTING STAR The West Indies will be missing their batting superstar, Brian Lara, who is being rested by the selectors ahead of the Test series. The 36-year-old lefthander had a wretched ODI series against South Africa, managing a mere 74 runs from five innings. Chanderpaul, who replaced Lara as captain prior to the start of the South Africa series, said the batting star would be missed but the remainder of the batting needed to pull its weight. "Obviously, a guy like Brian missing from the West Indies team is always a big blow but we have got some guys who are coming back," Chanderpaul said. "Wavell (Hinds) is coming back and I think we pretty much have a very good young team. If the guys could just pull their weight, we'll be OK." West Indies coach Bennett King said that at the present stage of Lara's career he needed to be rested at times so as to preserve his future in the game. "We really want to see Brian play for as long as we can and sometimes with people who are a little bit older you have to manage them a little bit differently," King said. "He has been a great player over a long period of time and if we want to see him for another couple of years in the West Indies then we have to manage his short-term future correctly as well." The West Indies have made just two changes for today's game with Hinds and left-arm seamer Pedro Collins coming into the team for Lara and the axed Fidel Edwards. In the absence of Lara, much will depend on the trio of Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle, all of whom had bright spots against South Africa. Leeward Islands batsman Runako Morton could get his first game of the tour especially since Xavier Marshall's three innings against South Africa yielded a paltry 24 runs. The visitors meanwhile warmed up for the opening ODI with a convincing 248-run victory over an Antigua and Barbuda side at the Antigua Recreation Ground on Sunday. And despite brimming with confidence following their triumph over arch-rivals India in their recent ODI series, Pakistan said they would not be underestimating the Windies side. "We are looking forward to the cricket, everyone loves touring the West Indies," coach Bob Woolmer said. "Hopefully, after our Indian tour we can build on what we've done there. We think the West Indies side is a very good team. They've obviously had a tough time against South Africa but I think that is in the past so we are not underestimating them in any way and we are looking forward to the contest." He continued: "Certainly we have played some good cricket (but) I hope it is not the best cricket we've been playing because I believe we can get better." "Obviously, we need to adjust to the conditions here so we need to adjust quickly. During this particular match we need to make sure we're right on the ball. We knew that when we came here. "We've had a long season, a tough season so it has been important for us to keep our enthusiasm going, which we have and that's a good thing." TEAMS WEST INDIES - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Xavier Marshall, Runako Morton, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Courtney Browne, Corey Collymore, Daren Powell, Pedro Collins, Ian Bradshaw. PAKISTAN - Inzamam-ul-Haq, (capt), Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana , Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi , Asim Kamal , Shabbir Ahmed , Arshad Khan , Shoaib Malik , Salman Butt , Yasir Hameed , Kamran Akmal , Naved-ul-Hasan , Shahid Nazir Danish Kaneria , Iftikhar Anjum , Bazid Khan. Reprinted from jamaica-gleaner.com