Advice from Holding (with audio)

One of the benefits of Dominica hosting a Test match is that some of the great West Indian cricketers of days gone by will likely put in an appearance, especially if they are still involved in the game in some form or the other.

One of them is former pacer, Jamaican Michael Holding.

“Mikey” consented to give DNO an interview, but would not talk about the state of West Indian cricket because he was “tired” of addressing that subject.

So  DNO asked  the man who has never been shy about expressing an opinion, what was life like these days for Michael Holding, whose main role today is that of a cricket commentator (television) .

“Well it hasn’t changed a lot over the last few years, I still have a job at Sky (Television) in England, I go there from May to September each year.  I do West Indies cricket in the Caribbean up until the time at which I have to go to England and that’s pretty much it these days,” is how he summed up his working life.
The Jamaican who now lives in Florida, says he returns to Jamaica “very often”.

“When I leave here (Roseau) I’m going straight there.  So I am in Jamaica on a regular basis, I was there for about six weeks at the end of the England tour last year, at the end of my England commitments rather  – I was there most of October and all of November,” he told DNO.

Asked about his social life, Holding explained that he has a passion for horses.

“And I’ve been involved in horse racing for many many years and that’s where I devote most of my spare time these days,” he said.

Holding is not ashamed to admit that he is a “gambler”.

‘Yes I do, I have been gambling since I was 10 years old,” he told DNO.

So we asked: “Are you addicted?”

The response: “Yes I could possibly say that, and because of that addiction I don’t want to play golf, I don’t want to be addicted to two things”.

So what has been his biggest win to date?

“No, that I don’t talk about,” a smiling Holding told DNO’s Ken Richards.

His philosophy on life: “Enjoy it.  You are only here once, make sure you enjoy it, make sure you have no regrets at the end of the day and treat people with respect so that people will look to treat you with respect”.

“The first thing I would tell them is that it’s not an easy road,” Mikey says when asked what advice he would pass on to young aspiring cricketers.

“They have got to work hard, there are so many million people in the Caribbean, quite a few thousand playing the game, and if you want to be in the eleven that represent the Caribbean you need to work hard.  Talent alone might get you there but you need to work hard to stay there,” he advised.

Working hard at the Michael Holding school of professionalism translates into, in addition to going to the nets and batting and bowling, “working hard at being physically fit, at being mentally fit, and being in the right frame of mind and having the right attitude to play the game”.

Asked whether he ever comments on political matters, Holding has this this firm response: “No I don’t know a lot about politics, I try my best not to mingle with too many politicians, I prefer to stay with sportsmen.”

Click below for audio of interview.

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