LONDON (CMC):

THE LEGENDARY Sir Garfield Sobers doesn't have a problem with a foreign coach for the West Indies team.

Sobers was responding to outcries for a home-grown coach to lead the regional side, after the West Indies Cricket Board hired Australian John Dyson to replace Bennett King.

The former West Indies captain said if your credentials are right and you're what the board is looking for, then why not?

"I think if you have a good coach and he is the best coach, no matter where he comes from, and he can do the job, I think he's the one you should employ," Sir Garfield said.

The legendary former West Indies all-rounder is optimistic about the future of West Indies cricket. He thinks the key to rebuilding a winning West Indies team is to change the attitudes of the players.

Have to perform

"I am sincerely hoping in the future that our boys begin thinking about the game," he said. "They need to start thinking seriously about the game, what it means, and then try to comprehend that, and then starting to realise that they have to perform.

"They have the ability, but it's just a matter of getting the mental side of it, and once we can get our boys thinking the right way, I think we have a good chance."

Sir Garfield is in the British capital attending the World Tourism Travel Market and Expo, where he is helping the Barbados Tourism Authority promote his homeland.