My Sport: Michael Holding

[King]

The former West Indies fast bowler nicknamed 'Whispering Death' reveals why he is no fan of Lord's. Interview by Gareth A Davies. More... My Sport: Michael Holding Interview by Gareth A Davies Last Updated: 1:03am BST 05/06/2007 Earliest sporting memory: The first major sporting event I saw was the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica in the early Sixties. I was very impressed with it. I was a very young lad. I went to see it live. Sports watched: I follow all sports. I love sport. I watch golf even though I don't play. I love horse-racing. I used to have shares in a couple of horses in England. Sports played: I played whatever it was that was available. Football, tennis, basketball. It became my principal sport at the Melbourne Cricket Club, eventually I played cricket and football only. But there were more opportunities playing cricket than anything else. I started off as a spinner and was trying to be a batsman. My ability as a sprinter has been exaggerated. I could not have run for the Caribbean. I was not that good, not good enough to represent the country in the Olympics. I was strong in my schools group, the best in my class at school, good at high jump, hurdles than most people. In fact, I was better at field events than sprinting in the beginning. I think I could have possibly done the hurdles to a high level but did not pursue it for very long. I was quite a strong person at school but started training late. I started to get strong and I could run and jump, and showed reasonably good form in the inter school games. I would beat them over 80 or 90 yards and fall at the last hurdle. I admired Ed Moses. I sometimes wonder how it was that he looked so smooth when he ran. Why a life in sport, and if not, what would you have done? I am happy to have done what I do. World Series Cricket, brought in by Kerry Packer was great for me. I played a couple of years of Test cricket and went to University and did not intend to be a professional cricketer. I got a Sussex contract, Tony Greig was there at the time, and there was not a long of money in the game and I would not have enjoyed trudging around the county circuit for low money. I was attending University and Kerry Packer was offering a contract, and I went and played. I have not looked back, enjoyed it all. I would do the same again. If I had not been a cricketer, I was into computer science. I was doing computer programming for Barclays Bank when they were still in Jamaica. Then I moved on to a Government department. Toughest part of your sporting life: Training, but after you became fit enough the sporting part of the life was wonderful. The toughest part now is the travelling, with not enough time at home. Most memorable sporting moment: As far as numbers are concerned, 14 wickets at The Oval in 1976, but in the overall picture I was glad to be a member of the West Indies team which beat the Australians, in Australia, in 79-80. We beat everyone, but to beat the Australians in Australia you have to be twice as good as them. Worst sporting moment: Losing the 1983 World Cup final. Sporting heroes: I grew up in an era with the name of Muhammad Ali and Pele on everyone's lips. I knew about cricket, and names like Rohan Kanhai, but I was not that enamoured with cricket as a small child. Today, you would have to go towards someone like Tiger Woods, who keeps on working hard and trying to improve his game. He is so dedicated, he is raising the bar in his sport. Favourite place to play and why: Australia because of the nature of the cricket and the lifestyle. Secondly, I spend four months a year working there. Lord's did not appeal to me in the way that other people think of Lord's. People get emotional about Lord's being the home of cricket, but I like cricket without being concerned with history. I did not like the slope. It's not a great cricket ground, and not a level playing field in more ways than one. Sporting event you would pay the most to see: An early Olympics before all the drug issues came into play. ...and to miss: Horse polo. It doesn't turn me on at all. Hardest bowlers faced: I faced too many of them to name. Best batsmen bowled at: It would depend a lot on the conditions. There were so many good players: Geoffrey Boycott, Sunil Gavaskar, the two Chappell brothers Greg and Ian, and it took different circumstances to get them out. On a flat pitch, Gavaskar seemed immoveable. Ian Chappell in an aggressive mood could embarrass a bowler. But the great technically correct players were Boycott, Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas the more I think about it, the more batsmen come to mind. Greatest change you would like to see in the running of your sport: Less cricket being played, both in the Test arena and in the one-day form of the game. How is cricket covered in the media? I think they do a good job, and with journalism, like most things, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. A lot of journalists were waiting to push the knife into Sky when they got the rights for cricket, but the standard of coverage has been excellent. I haven't seen many journalists mention that. Sporting motto: Just try and play to the best of your ability. Did you enjoy your county cricket days? Well I had 5 years in county cricket and to be truthful they weren't very inspiring. We weren't a great side at Derbyshire. We got to one final the Benson and Hedges one day final and we lost badly against Hampshire. In my county days I made good friends. I think the entire situation was and is hampered by the amount of cricket being played. There is nothing wrong with a lot of cricket, but at the same time, you need to be involving all the best players available with and against Test stars and the young players. If the best players are not available, the youngsters are not going to learn the game in the right way. Who would you like to invite to dinner and why? Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Pele and Bob Marley. I would like to find out things about these gentlemen and their lives. Nelson Mandela - how he could be so forgiving, to bring South Africa not from going to war when apartheid ended, and after all that had happened. Ali - I would like to know about his history, and why he took the decision to move from being Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, and what he thought. Pele to just talk about his artistry and how he coped with fame at an early age, and how he has coped for so long in a game which has destroyed so many of its great people, and how that has never happened to him. Finally Marley, and the stories, his music and his life. Michael Holding is commentating for Sky Sports during its exclusively live and high definition coverage of England v West Indies which continues with the third Test starting on Thursday.

[Ram]

Michael Holding combines humour , sarcasm, Diginty, Poise and Knowledge about the sport in a way no one can.

[Holysmoke]

ekdum mast

[gs]

A menacing fast bowler who can code!! WOW!!

[Predator_05]

Nice interview. I like what he says about Lords. It's nothing more than a sh*tty flat track with a slope.

[Lurker]

Few points. 1) It is amazing how much respect and goodwill the former West Indies batsman Rohan Kanhai has. If one judges a player by his stats(and a lot of people do that these days) Kanhai would never make it to the list of greatest batsmen but players, West Indies and non-West Indies, always mention him. And of course Sunny Gavaskar paid tribute in his own way by naming his son after Rohan Kanhai. 2) Great to hear Holding mention of Ed Moses. Edwin Moses was practically unbeatable in 400 meters hurdle at the time. He would keep winning year after year. Just as another great Segei Bubka in pole vault did around the same time. Moses had a very simple running skill and Holding correctly suggests he could never understand how he made it look so simple. 3) Seems like every single West Indies player of 80's nominates the 1983 loss as worst ever. While it comes as somewhat pleasing feeling for Indians since Indian came out triumphant in that game, but it also shows the enormous pride and degree of hurt the West Indies players had. Who says, "It is only a game?". 4) "Gavaskar was immovable on flat track?". Is that a compliment or sarcasm? No half-decent batsman wants to be known as a good batsman on a flat track, let alone an all-time great. 5) The persons invited to Holding's dinner wish list are - Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Pele and Bob Marley. Good overall group and kind of hard to argue against, but dare I say why are they all of the same skin? I am not going to suggest Holding is a racist or anything but I would say how I have been surprised by the degree to which West Indies greats often think on these lines?? Viv Richards, for example, has always mentioned how he was aware of his role as black role model and always consciously wanted to build on it. Is it a coincidence that a man as well read and well travelled as Holding picked an all-black dining list? :hmmmm: xxxx

[Predator_05]

Re; the Gavaskar comment - I don't think Holding rates Indian batsmen at all. He didn't speak highly of Tendulkar either, and this was during the time the entire world was gushing all over him. I remember a series of quotes compiled by Outlook magazine back in '99 when they did a Tendulkar "special issue". You had Lara saying how he was just a mortal while Tendulkar was a genius, Boycott raving about how he was privileged to have watched him, Ian Chappell coming out with his exaggerated praise, and then in between all those quotes glorifying him there was Holding's which went something along the lines of, "He's a good batsman but needs to score on better pitches against better bowling attacks more often". Weird.

[Lurker]

Re; the Gavaskar comment - I don't think Holding rates Indian batsmen at all.

That would appear quite correct. For some reason Holding has held back from appreciating Indian batsmen. To think of someone like Majid Khan as a technically correct batsman is ridiculous. Majid was a hands-eye batsman, very cavalier in approach, kinda like Virendra Sehwag...only far less of an achiever. Zaheer Abbas was mentioned by his own captain, Imran Khan, as having problems against quality bowling etc. Strange how he rated these gents ahead of Amarnath, Vishwanath or even Vengsarkar whose performances were much better. xxxx

[Gaurav]

Agree with Lurky's 5 point post.

[gator]

Lurks... the team of the 70s and 80s had wat u would call as "black pride"... it was a new phenomena which started not jus there, but in US as well.... u should read Ali's biography and other such... a white man like king could only dream of being a coach for these fiercely proud warriors, who made a U turn from days of plantation work and slavery.... i am waitin for even 10% of tht to rub onto our media people and general folks too...

[Predator_05]

Lurks... the team of the 70s and 80s had wat u would call as "black pride"... it was a new phenomena which started not jus there, but in US as well.... u should read Ali's biography and other such... a white man like king could only dream of being a coach for these fiercely proud warriors, who made a U turn from days of plantation work and slavery.... i am waitin for even 10% of tht to rub onto our media people and general folks too...

On the sporting scene, the whole black pride thing was sparked by the "black power salute" done by Black American athletes at the '68 Olympics. They did it in protest of segregation policies and the racism which was prevalent at the time

[Lurker]

Lurks... the team of the 70s and 80s had wat u would call as "black pride"... it was a new phenomena which started not jus there, but in US as well.... u should read Ali's biography and other such... a white man like king could only dream of being a coach for these fiercely proud warriors, who made a U turn from days of plantation work and slavery.... i am waitin for even 10% of tht to rub onto our media people and general folks too...

Gator. You have a point about Black Pride and how certain "celebrities" always ensured they made use of it. In some ways it still continues till date, what with certain Black people suggested to have become "less of a Black" if they dont do the whole ghetto/rap routine or come across as educated-confident person(Colin Powell anybody?). But why would you want to have such an atitude rub on our media or its people? I, for one, would have found it equally pathetic had Sunil Gavaskar's list would have included all Indians(or worse all Marathis). xxxx

[Ram]

I wonder... If a white guy was asked the same question and he had named 5 white people, would this debate have even started?

[gator]

spot on Marirs.... Lurks, would u even have identified, forget found it pathetic, if an aussie guy's list had shakespeare, lincoln and bradman???

[Lurker]

spot on Marirs.... Lurks, would u even have identified, forget found it pathetic, if an aussie guy's list had shakespeare, lincoln and bradman???

I would have problem yes. Look at it this way. The four names picked are - Mandela, Pele, Marley and Ali. Two sportsperson, one musician and one Politician. Now if an Aussies selected his list as(and I give random names here) - Reagan, Cryoff, John Lennon & Bradman - I would be definitely surprised. By the way I have picked contemprory names since thats what Holding picked. I would be surprised as to how the Aussie could not pick a Pele just as I am surprised that Holding did not bother to pick a Bradman. Of course it is Holding's dinner so he can invited whomsoever he desires, I just had a feeling that it was too much of a co-incidence. xxx

[Ram]

Assuming none of us would have raised an eye-brow had a white guy named 5 white people , it seems as though while white solidarity is O.K , black solidarity is racist..Strange... And if i were given the chance to invite 5 celebrities for dinner , i would probably go for 5 Indians. Does that make me racist too ?

[Lurker]

And if i were given the chance to invite 5 celebrities for dinner , i would probably go for 5 Indians. Does that make me racist too ?

No I wouldn't call you racist but I would say I would be surprised for sure. Say for example I want to invite a cricket personality who has the most cricketing memory and knowledge. Now if I go ahead and invite Sunil Gavaskar there is nothing wrong with it but why should I not invite a Richie Benaud instead? That said I beleive this is a good opening for a thread in Social Section - 5 people you would invite for dinner :regular_smile: xxxx

[Ram]

Say for example I want to invite a cricket personality who has the most cricketing memory and knowledge. Now if I go ahead and invite Sunil Gavaskar there is nothing wrong with it but why should I not invite a Richie Benaud instead? xxxx

I would obviously like to spend time with whom i can identify myself with , with whom i share some common bonds. Doesnt neccecarily mean that i hate the other person. And yes, i think this a great thread in itself... lets rename this thread... Dinner -- Racism - Ultimately i ate nothing... :D

[Lurker]

I would obviously like to spend time with whom i can identify myself with , with whom i share some common bonds. Doesnt neccecarily mean that i hate the other person. And yes, i think this a great thread in itself... lets rename this thread... Dinner -- Racism - Ultimately i ate nothing... :D

Fair point about the identity.. Dinner -- Racism - Ultimately i ate nothing... :hysterical::hysterical:

[King]

4) "Gavaskar was immovable on flat track?". Is that a compliment or sarcasm? No half-decent batsman wants to be known as a good batsman on a flat track, let alone an all-time great.

That was one reason why I put that quote of Holding in bold. Immovable on a flat track. that doesn't seem a compliment to me. I thought they struggled to combat Gavaskar even in their own den in the 70s. Apart from Holding rest of them have no second thought acknowledging Sunny. It has to be said Sunny rubs people on the wrong side and I won't be surprised if he did rub Holding the wrong way. I know for sure Lillee can't stand Gavaskar.