Walsh buzzing over new chapter in cricket

FORMER West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh said his new role as West Indies Women’s head coach has given him a buzz of excitement, reminding him of his playing days as a youngster when he fell in love with the game.

Walsh, 58, represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001. He was part of a lethal fast bowling pair alongside Sir Curtly Ambrose in the 1990s.

Walsh served as bowling coach of the Bangladesh men’s cricket team from 2016 to 2019, before accepting the position as head coach of the West Indies Women’s team in October, 2020.

“Being a player was always easier…being a coach you have to look after everybody,” Walsh told journalists on Zoom, on Tuesday.

Walsh is currently working with over 20 West Indies Women’s cricketers at a camp in Antigua.

“I wouldn’t say (that coaching is) stressful. It is something I am looking forward to, but it is not as easy as probably someone on the outside might think…a lot of time to yourself, you got to be doing a lot of planning. It is how you manage it.”

Walsh, who grabbed 519 wickets in 132 Test matches, said the time he spent with Bangladesh was beneficial.

He explained having a strong staff around lightens the workload.

“With the experience I had in Bangladesh I think it helps me quite a lot in terms of how to delegate and what to do and how to go about it and assemble a team that you could trust…ensure everybody is pulling their weight and once everybody on the support staff pulls their weight then my job becomes a little bit easier.”

Walsh knows the new chapter of his cricket life will have hurdles, but his new role has given a new purpose and a feeling he had as a child.

“It is a challenge, it is going to be hard work but it is something I really want to do. I am excited about it and just the excitement alone has given me a buzz and reminded me when I started to play as a youngster.”

Walsh is thinking of building for the future as he has plans to integrate some of the younger talent within the senior squad in upcoming camps.

“(I am) trying to create that sort of environment for the younger players to come in,” Walsh said.

“It is something that I am really looking forward to and we have some nice talented youngsters out there. (There are) some 14, 16-year-olds that I have seen or heard about. We are going to try to integrate them in the system as soon as we can so that they can come in and not just be selected to play, but come into camps and get the experience and exposure so when it is their time to play they are ready.”