BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP):
WEST INDIES coach Bennett King said yesterday he was happy that his first tournament in charge pits his team against world champion Australia.
"It's actually a very good yardstick for myself and also for the side to play the consistently best side in the world," King said before the team departed the Caribbean for London. "It's easy to say, yes, I would have liked an easier start, but seriously, no."
The West Indies will spend two days in London before
travelling to Australia to compete in January's three-nation VB Series, a one-day competition that also includes Pakistan.
The team flew without captain Brian Lara and Guyanese players Ramnaresh Sarwan and Reon King. Lara was given permission to join the team in London a day late while Sarwan and King were stranded in Guyana by an air traffic controllers' strike.
CONFIDENT
King, an Australian and the first foreigner to coach the West Indies, said he was confident that the progress made during the pre-tour camp, which ended on December 15, had continued during the Christmas holiday break.
"I gave the guys tasks of hitting 200 balls daily, bowlers delivering 150-200 per week and everyone taking 500 balls to field or catch," King said. "Most of the players have ticked most of those off to me verbally."
King also praised teenage batsman Xavier Marshall, the only newcomer in the 14-member squad.
EXCITING PLAYER
"He's got time. He's certainly an exciting player at the crease," King said of the 18-year-old Jamaican.
"I like the fact that he likes to score off every ball he faces," the Australian added. "Certainly, he's shown his youth at the camp but how he's mixed with the adults showed me he's got a cricket maturity.
"What he does in the field as well he's exceptional and hits the wickets a lot," King added.
The West Indies play three warm-up matches, one against state side Victoria and two against a strong Australia 'A' team, before the VB Series begins on January 14 in Melbourne.
The squad: Brian Lara (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (vice-captain), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Xavier Marshall, Ryan Hinds, Courtney Browne, Ian Bradshaw, Pedro Collins, Mervyn Dillon, Reon King.
