MULTAN, Nov 18: Brian Lara, the West Indies captain, is hoping that the second Test against Pakistan at the Multan Cricket Stadium brings luck to his side because the occasion marks the 100th Test appearance of Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Lara told a pre-match media conference on Saturday that West Indies have the potential to comeback back in the series which they trail 0-1 after losing the first Test in Lahore by nine wickets.

“It's a great achievement for Shiv to reach a significant milestone. Every player wants to play 100 Tests for his country and we are looking forward to celebrate it with a win here," Lara said.

The West Indian skipper lauded Chanderpaul's value to the team and hoped the Guyanese would be fit to take play in the Multan Test.

"Chanderpaul is a fighter and despite suffering from food poisoning he was able to perform well in the second innings at Lahore.

"He wants to play this Test, which is important for us because we want to win the series," Lara remarked.

Paying rich tributes to the home team, Lara said he rated the current Pakistan outfit as good as any from the past era. "Pakistan are a side which performs very well at home. They had greats like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the past. Before them there was Imran Khan. They beat England who came here after winning the Ashes last year, so we have to be at our best against Inzamam's team," he said.

Commenting on the first Test defeat, Lara conceded his team played below its potential. "Our batsman struggled in Lahore and getting bowled out for 206 on the first day was just not the perfect start. The guys fully understand that they had played some poor shots and we need to bat better and be more competitive.”

"The pitch at Lahore wasn’t troublesome but there was movement for bowlers and it lasted a lot longer than I expected. Here (in Multan) it appears to be a slow pitch but it is also very cold and a lot of movement is expected in the air," he noted.

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, meanwhile, played down his poor form in the series so far and hoped that playing in his hometown would bring him luck. "Multan being my home city has always been kind to me. It's a matter of getting one good score. I am optimistic that my luck will change for the better in this game," Inzamam, who lasted just eight balls, said.

He stressed that overall Pakistan had to improve in all areas if they aspire to take an unbeatable lead in the three-match series. "I hope the boys will play as a collective unit to achieve the objective. But we musn't forget any side with Lara in it is dangerous," said Inzamam. "We have to get Lara out early because as we all saw at Lahore he proved what a great player he is."

Inzamam described the Multan pitch as sporting. "I think it is a better pitch than Lahore. It should last through the match because it looks dry and hard."