The West Indies begin a crucial five-match One Day International series against New Zealand on Saturday with valuable ICC points at stake as they continue their push towards automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.

The opening match will be played at Providence Stadium in Guyana, where the West Indies will look to improve their position after slipping near the bottom of the ODI standings and falling outside the automatic qualification places.

Head coach Daren Sammy pointed to the importance of the series.