Holding: Can’t watch WI cricket

...mourns passing of former teammate Julien

Legendary West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding delivered an emotional tribute to his former teammate Bernard Julien on the Mason & Guest programme in Barbados, on Tuesday--and made plain his growing disillusion with the modern state of West Indies cricket.Holding said he has not watched West Indies cricket for four years. Yet he spoke at length about the personal debt he owes Julien, recalling a generosity that left an indelible mark.

“My association with BJ goes before 1975--it goes back a couple of years before that because BJ and myself played in a President’s XI game in 1973 against Australia in Jamaica. That is the first time I had any international experience. I was 18 years old, approaching 19. BJ pretty much took me under his wing in that specific game,” Holding said.

He described a vivid memory of Julien taking him aside before a team function. “We had a cocktail party to go to and of course it wasn’t the West Indies team-- we didn’t have blazers… I was 18, still at school; I had no fancy dress.“BJ came to me and said, ‘Mikey, you don’t have anything other than this?’ I say Bernard... He took me to his room--I will never forget it--took out one of his pretty shirts and said, ‘Mikey, wear this tonight.’ I’ll never forget that.”

......Holding comments

On why he has walked away from watching the game, Holding was blunt. “First of all, let me clarify something: I have not watched any cricket for the last four years. If I can’t watch my team and be happy about watching my team I can’t watch anything,” he emphasised. He added that the atmosphere around the modern game— “racism and wars here and wars there”—has made the sport less enjoyable for him. Still, Holding was careful not to judge players who pursue lucrative franchise contracts.

@sgtdjones

It's very difficult to watching Windies cricket... Our team appears to be below mediocre****

Holding is a generous spirit,it seems he tends to always remember his best experience with people more than anything else. BJ, Walcott, Viv, Andy, Pinny and more...even Tony Grieg.

Michael Holding, like me, wants stars; we haven't produced one in years.