Captain Darren Sammy is eager to achieve a rare ODI series triumph over Australia this year after coming within a tied match of doing so in 2012.

Last year saw the Windies clinch fixtures two and four by 42 runs and five wickets in Gros Islet and Kingstown respectively. The Aussies won game one and five by 30 runs and 64 runs respectively at the same venue, while the third encounter ended in a tie.

"If we look at last year when Australia was in the Caribbean, it was a very keenly-contested series and one we thought we should have won," Sammy told ESPNcricinfo.

"We see this as a continuation of that series and it's a great opportunity for us as a team to come here and be successful. We are a young, developing team and we are now showing signs that we can not only compete but win against other higher-ranked opposition."

The tourists will sport the services of veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan, who has not played international cricket in 18 months, and in interim sued the West Indies Cricket Board for unfairly questioning in public his fitness and attitude. The former captain won the case and was awarded $161,000 in damages in September 2012.

His return is effectively as a replacement for fellow right-hander Marlon Samuels, who suffered a serious facial injury during his stint with the Melbourne Renegades in Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash League.

"Sarsy is one of us. Yes, he has been out but we always have good camaraderie amongst our players/ He has fitted in quite nicely. He had a good knock in the practice game and I know he has his goals for this tournament," added Sammy.

"He's a class player. We expect him to come out and do well for us. Marlon is a big loss. Since he has been back, he has been very good for us and we will miss him. But I think Sarsy is equally capable of playing that role and stabilising the number three position."

The five-match affair gets underway at the WACA in Perth on Friday.