King, who is currently in charge of the Australian Cricket Academy, wants more time to discuss a move to the Caribbean with his family.

"Any adventure is initially exciting, but I know there will be a lot of trepidation down the track," he commented.

King and his wife have three children, who are all settled in schools in Brisbane, where he previously worked as coach of the Queensland state side.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) have named Gus Logie as coach for home series against Australia and Sri Lanka, but hope King will agree to take over in July.

He was announced as coach "subject to completion of contractual negotiations" last Monday.

But King later accused them of being premature, saying: "As far as I'm concerned I'm their preferred candidate, but no terms and conditions have been spoken about or offered."

The Board, in turn, denied informing the media before notifying him that they wanted him to take the job.

A WICB statement said chief executive Roger Brathwaite had telephoned King last Sunday to tell him he was their preferred choice.