KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CMC):

THE TCL Group West Indies cricketers had an intense training session yesterday as they continued to prepare for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

Under the guidance of coach Larry Gomes and manager Clyde Butts, the players spent three hours in the nets and doing fielding drills at the picturesque Bayuemas Oval. Team captain Shamarh Brooks said the players were eagerly looking forward to the tournament and promised a good showing during the two-week event.

"We have been working very hard since arriving here and also on the tour of Bangladesh. We are confident that we can perform well and we will be going all out from the first ball," said Brooks, who also played in the last tournament (2006) in Sri Lanka.

The West Indies have never won the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and Brooks believes that this edition (the seventh) provides a chance for the boys from the Caribbean to create history.

The best finish for the Windies was second place in 2004 in Bangladesh, when they lost to Pakistan in the final.

Talking about winning

"We have been talking about it (winning) and we know it would be a bit of history if we did. The aim is to take it one game at a time, plan and execute the plans," Brooks said.

"We believe we have a really good chance of winning this time around. At this level, you have to be patient and learn fast. Things will fall into place."

The West Indies defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets with more than nine overs to spare in a recent practice game and will have their second warm-up match against Australia today.

The tournament bowls off on Sunday and the West Indies start on Monday against South Africa.

The West Indies are drawn in Group B alongside India, South Africa and Papua New Guinea for the tournament that will have selected matches televised in the Caribbean through the Caribbean Media Corporation.