West Indies cricket coach Bennett King has defended his players against criticism of their attitudes by bowling icon Michael Holding. Holding accused the squad of not focusing on cricket and on properly representing the West Indies. He said this attitude problem would lead to the side being demolished in their upcoming three Test series against Australia. "I'm concerned about their general focus. They aren't focused on their game enough, they aren't focused on representing the Windies enough," said Holding, who claimed 249 wickets in 60 Tests. But King stood up for his players and questioned Holding's knowledge of the current squad. "He's not privy to the group now I don't think," King said at a press conference. "The group actually works really hard and I think publicly they're getting more acceptance. "The more things they do right publicly, I think the better they'll be accepted as well." King, who became the West Indies coach last year after coaching stints with Queensland and the Australian Cricket Academy, said his squad was happy, competitive and dedicated. "I think you'll see a change in their fortunes sometime, but certainly it's quite young in their development," King said. King's comments echoed those of star batsman Brian Lara, who praised the young team's work ethic. Lara told the BBC the West Indies will take the fight to Australia. He said they could "maybe play the sort of cricket England played - very aggressive." The First Test against Australia begins on Thursday 3 November at Brisbane. The West Indies have not won a Test in Australia since February 1997. Reprinted from bbccaribbean.com