off for their ICC Trophy warm-up tour of Jamaica on Boxing Day.

The former West Indies fast bowler, who last weekend arrived here to coach the team for the competition in Kenya early next year, predicted that Bermuda would find no ICC team in Kenya as strong as Jamaica, who are the reigning champions of the prestigious Red Stripe competition.

Jamaica are now vigorously beginning to prepare for the defence of their Red Stripe crown on January 7 and view their two matches against Bermuda as a serious build-up to the competition and will therefore take a no-nonsense approach.

When he returns home to Jamaica next week after a short stint with the Bermuda squad, Holding will join ranks with a number of other prominent former Test players who have agreed to assist Jamaica in their preparations for the Red Stripe. He held a similar position last year and is quite aware of the talent that exists in the country.

"I don't think Bermuda will come across any ICC team that is as good as the Jamaica Red Stripe team, which will have at least two Test players in Courtney Walsh and Jimmy Adams,'' said Holding.

"In addition to these fine players there are some Test prospects in Franklyn Rose, Robert Samuels and Nehemiah Perry who came to Bermuda with the West Indies Select team this summer.'' In addition to playing the Red Stripe champions, tentative plans are to have Bermuda play at least three other club teams with one definite opponent being the country's champions Melbourne Cricket Club -- Holding's former team.

None of the games however will be staged at Sabina Park, where all of the Tests are played, because it is now being prepared for the Red Stripe opener on January 7.

Holding added: "All of the opposition in Jamaica is of a high calibre and it should be a real test for the Bermuda team, which will give them a way to gauge just where they are going into ICC.'' Although he will be involved with the preparation of the Jamaica team, Holding will be assisting the Bermuda squad during their tour of Jamaica -- and he is looking forward to the matches.

"These games will be a good way for me to see how Bermuda approach their matches. When you see a set of guys practising it is a lot different than when they are actually playing a game. The tour to Jamaica will give me an opportunity to see how they approach a game, then we can sit down and discuss what occurred,'' he said.

"In one-day cricket matches there is a lot that happens and you will have plenty to talk about. There are a lot of tactics involved, you just don't go out there and go through 50 overs.

"At different stages of the game, whether you are batting or bowling, you have to apply different techniques and in the end there is so much to analyse.

It's important to get the players in the end to understand what it was all about.'' After two lengthy sessions with the full Bermuda squad on Saturday and Sunday followed by limited stints with scant groups of players for short periods during the week, Holding has not had sufficient time to really analyse the ability of all the players but he is aware of some pluses and minuses.

After an early assessment though Holding has come up with some constructive criticism of the local bowlers, advice he hopes will immediately get them on track.

"As I said before this Bermuda team has enough basic talent, it's a matter of their approach, their attitude and how much work they are willing to do.

"They should really be concerned about getting fit, especially the fast bowlers. During practise on Saturday and Sunday they were okay in their first spells, but an hour later when they returned they were not nearly as sharp.''