Sydney: The West Indies Cricket Board on Wednesday apologised to Australian Cricket Academy head coach Bennett King for prematurely announcing he had been appointed to take charge of its national team. King applied for the position last December and, after an interview in early March, was on Tuesday told the job was his and the media had been informed. But no official appointment offer had been made and no terms and conditions agreed with King. "I spoke to them this morning by phone about my disappointment regarding some of the processes and another couple of issues that are a little more personal and that may come to light later," King said on Wednasday. "They apologised for the confusion and expressed regret for using the word 'appointed' in their announcement." The WICB also promised a correction on its website. King is highly regarded in Australia, having guided Queensland to three consecutive Sheffield Shield championships from the 1999-2000 season after succeeding John Buchanan when he took over the Australian team. King said the Windies Board wanted him to start the job in the Caribbean in early July. He said the Australian Cricket Board had been kept informed of his application&talks from the start and was supportive. He planned to discuss it with his wife and three school-aged children this weekend. "Any adventure is initially exciting, particularly with up and moving, but I know there will be a lot of trepidation down the track," King said. "There's a lot of angst, and nervousness bordering on fear." Former West Indian star Gus Logie is serving as interim coach for this month's home series against Australia. Copyright AFP 2001

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'I was annoyed to hear of my appointment as coach'

Tags: cricket, west indies cricket board, australian cricket academy, bennett king, queensland, sheffield shield, john buchanan, australian cricket board, gus logie.