Walsh hoping to change minds of doubters

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West Indies legend, Courtney Walsh, wants to prove to the world that fast bowlers can become successful head coaches.
The former West Indies fast bowler was, in February this year, named interim coach of the Bangladesh national team but said there is widespread belief that former bowlers may not quite be equipped with the know-how to coach at the highest level.
“It started from even when I was a captain and they were saying fast bowlers can’t be captains or you shouldn’t be captains but I was happy enough to get that opportunity and did a reasonable job…but it’s a mentality out there. I was speaking to Sir Andy Roberts the other day and I said to him, would you believe this mentality still goes on today. They don’t believe that bowlers could make good coaches or good captains and he said to me that this has been going on for a long time and it will never change because cricket is a batsman game,” he said.
“That is why when someone like an Ottis Gibson is doing so well with South Africa I am happy and Jason Gillespie as a bowling coach did well with Yorkshire. I think it is a stigma out there that unfortunately, we fall into it,” Walsh added. 
Walsh was named Bangladesh’s interim head coach following the departure of Chandika Hathurusingha.
The experience, he said, has been remarkable.
“It’s a tremendous experience and an experience I would not have gotten if I didn’t take the challenge up and took the chance to travel and you see the best of the world play, get a chance to be on the world stage. The experience can only do you good and that’s one of the main reasons I went. I wanted to gather the experience,” he said.
“When I did my little research, they had a lot of talent as well so I just wanted to get the exposure and see how best I could help,” the former player added.
Walsh joined the Bangladesh coaching group in September 2016 as a bowling coach on a three-year deal. He is currently the most senior coach in the group.

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