King staying until December 2007

In fact the Australian will, unless he is terminated prematurely, will see out his lucrative contract by leading the West Indies into action into World Cup next year in the Caribbean.

Contrary to widespread reports in the media, Newsday can confirm that King’s contract will not expire this June.

Instead investigations have revealed that King’s contract with the West Indies Cricket Board was for three years and started on December 1, 2004, which means it will end on November 30, 2007.

"The West Indies Cricket Board have decided to adopt a structure similar to those of other cricketing countries and give the omnipotent coach a period of at least three years, so that he can have time to complete a proper plan," a source close to the WICB told the Newsday from Barbados.

"King’s assistant (David Moore), is also on a three-year contract, as are the others on the coaching staff," he added. King has found himself under scrutiny because of the poor performances of the West Indies team since the coach came on board.

"It is clear that the plan was for King to lead the West Indies into the World Cup in 2007 in the Caribbean, so for the sake of continuity the Board felt it was better to give him such an extension. However if the West Indies were to fail to win the World Cup, we can expect King to be history and his contract not renewed," said the source.

King has never even played First-Class cricket. He had more success in rugby league, where he represented Queensland as a winger before suffering a knee injury that required a reconstructive surgery.

He took over from John Buchanan at state side Queensland, leading the Bulls to two First-Class titles, and in 2001 he succeeded Rod Marsh as head of Australia’s Cricket Academy.

King is the first non-West Indian to coach the regional team. He was born at Mossman in North Queensland on December 19, 1964 and in 1982-83 was selected in the Queensland Under-19 team for the National Championships. He moved from Gympie to Brisbane and played club cricket for Norths in 24 first-grade matches. King was also a promising rugby league player for Valleys in Brisbane and was invited to join the Gold Coast Giants in the national rugby league competition, but his career was ended by injury.

A physical education teacher, King decided to use his training methods for cricket and accepted a position as a development officer with Queensland Cricket.

King’s appointment was delayed by 18 months after interviews he was named as coach before accepting the post and balked as a result. Tomorrow and Saturday, the WICB will host a two-day retreat in Trinidad to discuss several matters including the situation with King.

Tomorrow, the meeting will involve members of the Executive Board, while on Saturday all directors are expected for a full board meeting.