King looks forward to tri-series

Bennett King, the West Indies coach, believes the DLF Cup against India and Australia in Malaysia provides ideal preparation for his side as they aim to defend the ICC Champions Trophy crown they won in England in 2004.

"This tri-series is a good lead in to the Champions Trophy preliminary round, the quality of opposition is the strongest in the world so it is a good test against the best," King said shortly before departure from the Caribbean.

King, coach since late 2004, is looking forward to the team building on the progress of their suprising, and exhilirating, 4-1 series victory over India in the Caribbean in May. "In the last few games the team played as a team and we need to build on that learning experience to move forward."

The tri-series also marks the beginning of a lengthy three-and-a-half month tour of South Asia and the subcontinent; after Malaysia, West Indies will travel to India for the Champions Trophy before hopping next door to Pakistan for a series of three Tests and five ODIs immediately after. And King is looking forward eagerly to the sojourn.

"What this whole combined tour will do is give us extended access to work with the players. It will be a test of the players' durability and their ability to maintain quality and high levels of performance for a long period of time."

The 14-man squad is scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on September 9th and take on Australia in their first game on September 12th.