Are West Indies motivated purely by money

West Indies legend Michael Holding has blasted the current squad, insisting West Indies players are motivated purely by money.

As the Caribbean prepares to host the World Cup, which begins next week, former paceman Holding has spoken out. Brian Lara has urged West Indies supporters not to lose faith, promising to turn things around in the World Cup after the hosts were embarrassed by a batting collapse in Friday's warmup match against India. This will be Lara's fifth and last World Cup campaign after starting in 1992, when the event was jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Two-time world champion West Indies has made just one semifinal appearance during Lara's previous four World Cups. He is eager to turn the clock back to the 70s when the West Indies emerged as the champion side in 1975 and '79.

Living up to expectations

This time the Caribbean lineup is confronted by a historical jinx - no team has won the World Cup on its home soil.

Sri Lanka's title triumph came in 1996 when it was the three subcontinental teams staging World Cup matches, but the few games played in Sri Lanka were preliminary-round matches. It played the quarterfinal and final in Pakistan, and the semifinal in India.