King plays down pressure of expectation

Bennett King, who was appointed West Indies coach a fortnight ago, says that the enormous expecations from fans won't increase the pressure on him to deliver results. King is the first foreigner to be given the job, and he has signed a three-year contract.

According to an AP report in the Jamaica Observer, King told a Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation radio show: "I fully understand I will have no honeymoon period. I don't feel pressured. The things I know about myself is that I'm well planned, I'm always well prepared, I work very hard and I have good methodology for teaching cricket.

"If you start listening to the fans too long, sooner or later you are going to be sitting with them."

King's first assignment will be back in his homeland, with West Indies taking on Australia and Pakistan in the VB Series in January. West Indies won the ICC Champions Trophy against all odds in September, but they will start the tournament as rank outsiders.

King has been putting 25 charges through their paces at a camp in Barbados, and he insists that he won't take his eyes off the big picture in Australia. "Certainly from my point of view, I'll be looking at smaller things rather than outcomes which a lot of the public tends to do and it's their right because they want to see their country win," he said. "But I'm looking at small steps rather than large steps because I don't want to miss any steps in between."