BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Legendary former West Indies speedster, Michael Holding, has urged Cricket West Indies not to discard outstanding former teammate, Desmond Haynes, but to absorb him into the coaching setup of the men’s team.
Haynes, a member of the legendary West Indies sides of the 1970s, 80s and early 90s, missed out on becoming head coach of the regional side this week after CWI appointed his former opening partner, Phil Simmons.
However, Holding contended that Haynes still had a valuable role to play and said both CWI and Simmons needed to utilise his skills to enhance the struggling Caribbean side’s development.
“I would hope that a lot of other people that applied for the job that they are qualified in some respect, especially those that made the shortlist,” Holding told the Line & Length cricket podcast.
“So I would hope that they (CWI) wouldn’t just turn their backs and say ‘Phil Simmons is the coach; that’s it – the rest of you can just sit down and wait until something else comes up’.
“I would hope that Phil Simmons would look at the people who also applied and think to himself ‘ok, I can use some of these people in my setup. Let me try and get these people under my wing and help this West Indies team’.”
He continued: “Because Desmond Haynes certainly has good qualifications as far as being a batting coach is concerned. He has done it overseas … and I think Dessie knows enough about batting and has helped youngsters in the past with their batting, that a place could [be found for him].
“But again that’s up to [Cricket West Indies] and Phil Simmons how they want to go forward.”
(CMC)