BRIDGETOWN (Barbados), Oct 1: West Indies coach Bennett King says he wants his players to show plenty of spirit during what will be a difficult tour of Australia.

Speaking at training camp in Barbados on Friday, he said: “If boys show a committed and courageous performance, trying to incorporate consistency in there as well, they are things I want to see.”

The board and players association are working hard to ensure there are no high-profile drop-outs from the tour.

West Indies toured Sri Lanka in July and August without 10 regular players, including Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle, and lost both Test matches.

Contract disputes have played a major role in West Indies cricket in recent years, but King insisted: “The coaching staff and the operations team haven’t been distracted.

“Our job is always to coach cricketers and to put best team on the park that’s available.”

On players’ fitness levels, King commented: “A lot of people have improved their fitness from when we started, which is very encouraging.

“Some players still have a little way to go, but some of them are at a level where they just need to maintain it.”

West Indies have three Tests in Australia, all in November.—Agencies