SYDNEY, Australia (CMC) — A weary but upbeat West Indies side arrived here yesterday to begin preparation for the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

They arrived to a warm reception from fans and well-wishers, following a 12-hour flight from South Africa, and are expected to get right down to preparation ahead of the February 14 start of the tournament.

The team will spend eight days in the glitzy east-coast city prior to the start of the World Cup, and will focus on specific skills of death bowling, power play bowling and batting, and fielding.

They will utilise local club facilities.

Off the field, West Indies are expected to meet with a few members of the West Indian community in the Sydney area.

The Caribbean side enter the World Cup on the heels of a solid 4-1 drubbing in the five-match One-Day series against South Africa, which finished earlier this week.

In Wednesday’s final game, they went down by 131 runs, a result that summed up the tone of the entire series.

They face old rivals England in their first warm-up game at the Sydney Cricket Ground on February 9, before taking on Scotland at the same venue two days later.

West Indies will then fly to New Zealand for their first game of the World Cup, taking on Ireland at Saxton Oval in Nelson.

They have been installed in Group B of the competition alongside the likes of Pakistan, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India and United Arab Emirates.