Lara hails young guns after win

West Indian captain Brian Lara hailed his young guns for the turn around in the team's fortunes that gave them a 54-run victory against Pakistan in the cricket World Cup opener.

Lara had called for the youngsters in the side to start delivering following the agonising defeat to India in the warm-up game, and he was pleased with the way they responded.

Dwayne Smith, 23, came up with an all-round performance with a 15-ball 32 with the bat and a match-winning 3-36 with the ball.

Marlon Samuels, 26, laid the foundation with a cavalier 63 and the irresisitble Dwayne Bravo, 23, proved his utility yet again by picking 3-42.

"They did well. We did the batting in splits ... The bowling was a real team effort," Lara said after the match.

The 37-year old skipper said he was satisfied with the total of 241 for nine his side put up.

"Yes, considering the start we had. The last eight over produced 70 runs," he noted.