Shivnarine Chanderpaul relishes featuring in West Indies' 500th Test

A carnival atmosphere is expected at St.Lucia on Saturday as hosts West Indies are all set to feature in their 500th Test, becoming only the third country after England and Australia to achieve the feat. One man who has been a major part of the journey is middle-order batsman, Shiv Chanderpaul. The southpaw, who made his Test debut way back in 1994 is thrilled at having an opportunity to feature in his country's 500th Test.

"This is a wonderful occasion for West Indies cricket and I'm delighted to be part of it," said Chanderpaul. "This is a milestone that we have achieved and as a West Indian I am proud and I want to keep the West Indies flag flying as high as possible," he added.

A veteran of 157 Tests, Chanderpaul has played more Tests then any other West Indian player, and he understands the significance of the 500-Test landmark. "I will remind the fellows in the dressing room about the history and where we came from, about the past and how as West Indians we have to fight as hard as we can. We are a people who will never give up, who will fight all the way," Chanderpaul stressed.

"As a youngster when I came into the team, I was among many greats, and I got a full appreciation of what it meant to represent the West Indies. We have a rich legacy and a great history and we are all happy to be part of this great match," he added.

In his 157-Test career so far, Chanderpaul has scored 11,499 runs, placing him just below Brian Lara in the highest scorers list for West Indies. He has also hit as many as 29 Test tons, second only to Lara, who has notched up as many as 34 Test centuries.