Michael Holding – What would be your reaction if you have to face the bowler without the helmets or the least batting equipment who bowls over 148 kmph. No batsman in the world wants to face such an amount of lethal fast bowling even in the nets to get himself injured badly. How the batsman in the 70s or 80s have faced the bowler like Michael Holding who was also known as “Whispering Death". Here is one of the video of Michael Holding bowling against Australia in 1979 at Brisbane which gives the brief how dangerous it was to face him -
“Whispering Death" the tag was given by umpire Dicky Bird. A very smooth bowling action but the pace he had generated after pitching the ball was completely unplayable such that the excellence is definitely not seen in world cricket before by a bowler. Players like Geoffrey Boycott described him as the “Rolls Royce” of genuine fast bowlers. Espn Cricinfo rectify the bowling of Michael Holding -
“It began intimidatingly far away. He turned, and began the most elegant long-striding run of them all, feet kissing the turf silently, his head turning gently and ever so slightly from side to side, rhythmically, like that of a cobra hypnotising its prey. Good batsmen tended not to watch him all the way lest they became mesmerised. To the umpires he was malevolent stealth personified so they christened him ``Whispering Death”.
Michael Holding was the one element of the Golden Era of the West Indies cricket team. Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner and Michael Holding the four strike bowlers who terrorized the cricket field with the genuine fast bowling and were the reason for many career threading injuries to the batsman and teams into the shambles.
The Former South Africa Fast Bowler Allan Donald Has Said Michael Holding Rhythm Was Best I have ever seen –
Here is another exhibition of Michael Holding bowling against Australia in 1984
There were many great bowling spells bowled by Michael Holding in his career his over to Brian close in 1976 was the complete exhibition of fast bowling while his over to Geoffrey Boycott in 1981 was the greatest test overs in the history of cricket. 60 tests 249 wickets 23.69 average and 102 ODIs 142 wickets 21.37 average again his test numbers gives a brief about the calibre of Michael Holding.
He has also held the records of 14 wickets in a test match by any West Indies bowler. The fastest delivery bowled by Michael Holding in his career was 156 kmph. In the 222 first-class games, Holding has picked 778 wickets at an average of 23.43 which included 39 five-wicket hauls while in 249 List-A games he has picked 343 wickets at an average of 20.62. Michael Holding was also enrolled in the scholarship programme of “computer science” at the university of West Indies after a series against England in 1976. Cricket was not that financially supportive during those days to the players so Michael Holding had decided to look for the opportunities outside the cricket field to get financially good.
