Brian Lara has warned that the new West Indies coach, Bennett King, will only succeed in revitalising the team if he gets the full backing of the whole Caribbean.
Inter-island rivalries and squabbles over the promotion of players, and coaches, from certain regions have hamstrung West Indian cricket in recent years.The West Indies Cricket Board hope the appointment of King, a 39-year-old Australian from Queensland, will end accusations of bias.
Lara, whose position as West Indies captain has been strengthened by victory in the ICC Champions Trophy, will meet King for the first time next month.
He knows that for King to succeed he needs support not just from the dressing room but also from committee men and administrators from across the region.
"I don't know the man, but I'm looking forward to working with him," said Lara, speaking for the first time since King's appointment. "There are lots of people around the Caribbean who have lots to offer, but we will only be going in the right direction as long as we all give the coach support. We have to make sure that support comes from players and all the administrators.
"The new coach has got to bring in the right attitude and he has all the right attributes to do that. He will be looking to make an early statement when we go to Australia in January and he wants to let people around the world know that winning the Champions Trophy was not a fluke.
"I've worked with foreign coaches before and I know it will be important to get on quickly and build up a good relationship with him."
The appointment of Sir Garfield Sobers as technical consultant has also strengthened Lara's hand. Lara has been close to Sobers since childhood and he has been confidante throughout his career.
"It's good to have him around finally," Lara said. "We have a very close relationship. He was not directly involved before and for him to become more active can only be for the better of West Indian cricket. He is a very knowledgeable and approachable man."
Victory in the Champions Trophy in September has restored some lost pride and raised expectations for a successful World Cup campaign for the host nation in 2007.
"To see the reaction in the West Indies to our win brought it home to me how important it is to be successful," said Lara. "We had been through a lot before that tournament. A lot of people had battered us and did not expect us to do very well. To win was important not just for our confidence as players but also for the whole region. "We have to improve though. We have to get more self-belief and we have to get ourselves ready off the field as professional sportsman. One pessimistic view is that host nations never do very well at the World Cup but we will try and put that to rest."
Improvements to the infrastructure of the Caribbean are under way with the influx of supporters for the tournament expected to flood the various host islands.
Spectators in Barbados for the final might have to stay in bed-and-breakfast accommodation due to a shortage of hotel rooms. Locals will open up their homes.
Kensington Oval, the venue in Bridgetown, is increasing its capacity and having floodlights installed.
