Thaindian News

New Delhi, Mar 6(ANI): Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding reckons that a full-time coaching position does not suit his temperament.

“My mother was a teacher, but I didn’t get her patience for coaching or teaching. I don’t have the patience to coach,” PakPassion.net quoted Holding, as saying.

Holding, however, clarified that his doors remain open for aspiring cricketers from all over the world, and everyone was welcome to benefit from his guidance and wisdom and even to work with him in the nets.

“I have helped out a lot of cricketers from all over the world - not only fast bowlers, but also different cricketers who have come to me and sought my advice. I have made it to the nets with some of the West Indian cricketers, fast bowlers in particular. But I could not see myself coaching professionally,” Holding said.

“I couldn’t do that as a job because as I said, I just haven’t got the patience,” he added.

The 57-year-old further noted how cricket has changed since his era, with the introduction of extensive support teams of coaches and trainers for the cricketers.

“That’s the way the game has changed. As I said, times change, things change. In my time, we didn’t have all those coaches. We had a manager, an assistant manager and we had a captain. It was not till World Series Cricket came along when we had a physiotherapist who travelled with us and we still didn’t have a coach,” Holding said.

“But times have changed now. Teams have sixteen members in their squad and they have twelve or thirteen support staff. They have a nutritionist, a physiotherapist and they have coaches - specialist coaches for fielding, batting and bowling. I don’t have a problem with it.”

“Times have changed - you have to specialize, and you need to get people who can do these specific jobs that different people in the team require. I have no problem with it,” he added. (ANI)