WEST INDIES are looking to make an early impact when they make their entry into the NatWest Series at Edgbaston today.
Captain Brian Lara has challenged his young team to produce their best "from ball one" against New Zealand.
"We need to start in front. We've been working on the mental side of the game to get the guys hyped up to win games.
"Our team is full of talent and we've got to make sure we harness that talent into something special."
New Zealand have already complained about the scheduling of a tournament which will cram nine fixtures into 15 days following the wash-out of their opening game against England at Old Trafford.
But it is West Indies who face back-to-back matches this weekend, with their first meeting against the hosts set for Trent Bridge tomorrow.
Lara acknowledges that it is asking a lot of inexperienced players, some of whom are still adjusting to English conditions.
"My apprenticeship period in international cricket was spent off the field watching the great guys play, playing in the practice games and learning the game.
"We're asking a lot of young players to go out there and perform on the (big) stage itself.
"There are 15,000-20,000 people out there, they've just got to double figures in first-class matches and they've got to perform at the highest level."
Edgbaston has plenty of happy memories for Lara, who made a world record score of 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham 10 years ago.
He also averages 53 in one-day games against the Kiwis, although he contributed only two when they last met at the World Cup in South Africa last year.
On that occasion New Zealand came out on top by 20 runs in Port Elizabeth, posting a total of 241-7 and defending it successfully after reducing West Indies to 46-5 in reply.
Spinner Daniel Vettori is expected to play after the abandonment of Thursday's game enabled him to have further treatment on a hamstring injury.
And skipper Fleming is looking to move away from the policy of packing the team with all-rounders which he has occasionally followed in the past.
"As a captain when you are looking at seven or eight bowlers you can sometimes get muddled and you lose your pattern.
"We're looking to put the onus back on the specialists," Fleming commented.
"With six bowlers you get a much better result. They know they have to come back and if they have one bad spell they know they are not let off the hook for the rest of the game.