West Indies Select head coach Rayad Emrit has challenged his players to seize a rare opportunity when they face Pakistan in the four-day warm-up match at Queen’s Park Oval starting today, reminding them that performances against the tourists could influence future selection. Describing the contest as a valuable audition, Emrit urged every member of his 12-man squad to make the most of the occasion.“It is a big opportunity for the guys and the message is that they are looking at you,” Emrit said ahead of the opening day. “It’s a very, very good opportunity. These opportunities don’t really come often and they need to make the best of it and put their hands up whatever the situation is.”The T&T coach said preparations had gone smoothly despite several of the international players arriving in the country on Wednesday.“Preparations have been decent. We have two practice sessions before the game starts tomorrow (today) and the guys from outside of Trinidad came in on Wednesday,” he said.“We have 12 players and they all will take part in the game. “So, we’re just looking to make sure that we have a good showing and we’re hoping that they can do well in the game and put Pakistan under some pressure before the start of the series, so we’re looking to give them a good fight.” Pakistan, led by batting star Babar Azam, will use the fixture as their only match before the Test series, but Emrit believes his squad has enough quality to provide a stern examination. “They are very strong, led by Babar Azam, but I think we also have a lot of quality in our team,” he said.The assignment also represents a new experience for Emrit, who takes charge of a representative West Indies side after guiding Trinidad and Tobago Red Force to the West Indies Championship (regional four-day) title earlier this year. “The only thing different is that we’re playing against an international team,” he said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a bit different, challenging, but I’m excited about it. I hope I can share my knowledge and learn as well from the guys in the dressing room.“You’re always learning from international players who you play against as well. Hopefully, I can increase my knowledge too.” Emrit also revealed he has already held discussions with the West Indies head coach Daren Sammy to better understand what they hope to see from the players during the four-day encounter.“We had a discussion before. I asked him what he’s looking at, what sort of positions he’s looking at for different players and what he’s looking for from them, and we’ll try to make that happen.”The West Indies Select squad features a blend of experienced regional performers and emerging talent, including Test opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva, left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, who will captain the team, all-rounder Kavem Hodge and fast bowler Anderson Phillip, Also in the team are T&T players Cephas Cooper, Joshua James, Jyd Goolie, Terrance Hinds, Mbeki Joseph and Ryan Bandoo.The match serves as Pakistan’s final preparation before the opening Test against West Indies at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, next Saturday. The teams will return to the Oval for the final Test which starts on August 2.SQUADS:WI Select XI—Jomel Warrican (captain), Mbeki Joseph, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kavem Hodge, Joshua Da Silva, Anderson Phillip, Joshua James, Cephas Cooper, Jyd Goolie, Terrance Hinds, Nial Smith, Ojay Shields, Ryan Bandoo.Rayad Emrit (Head Coach), Gibran Mohammed (Assistant Coach), Kevon Charles (Physio), Clinton Jeremiah (Strength and Conditioning Coach).Pakistan—Babar Azam, Aamir Jamal Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah.