Imagine staring down 22 yards and seeing a man running into bowl. This man is tall, intimidating and his aim is to end your stay at the crease. Not just that, but when the ball is released, it comes like a missile and the bat in your hands seems meek in comparison to the salvo hurtling towards you.
Sounds scary right? Well, this scenario was the reality for many batsmen in the 1970s and 80s when they faced Michael Holding, one-fourth of West Indies’ lethal pace bowling arsenal which destroyed teams at will for over a decade. Whispering Death was his nickname and the reason was obvious. When he ran into bowl he uttered not a sound and death was what it meant for a batsman as his days at the crease were numbered.
Holding was famous for the perfume ball. A short delivery outside the off-stump which would bounce high and pass the batsman’s nose, if he was lucky, for at times he could be hit. The ball would be so close that the batsman could smell the leather and count himself lucky so as not to be a casualty of war, which is what Test cricket pretty much is and weapons are the bat and ball. Holding belonged to the era when the ball dominated the bat.
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After his playing days ended, Holding took on a new role, that of cricket commentator. If he was deadly with the ball, then behind the mic he was honest. Brutally direct when needed, be it at his own players or foreign cricketers, Holding gained the reputation of calling a spade a spade and he held nothing back. Pretty much like his playing days.
Just as he honed his skills as a pacer, he did the same as a commentator and it made him one of the most loved and requested men behind the mic. So it was a sad day for cricket when the legend called it a day from behind the mic on September 15, 2021. Yes, the man was done. He was calling time for a second time and one dares to say it hurt more than the first time.
Holding comes from that generation of commentators who are not afraid to give their opinion and would not care what others thought of what they had to said. He has at times faced flak for his directness from critics, but because he never let it affect him, he was always on top. From his vast experience of life and cricket, Holding was able to bring to the commentary table a sense of simplicity and something everyone could relate to.
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His direct approach was evident from the way he spoke. Back in 2009, during the Ashes, he was asked behind the mic if he considered a slower bouncer an effective weapon. In typical Holding style he responded – What is the point of bowling a bouncer if it is slow?
Be it on Mohammad Amir’s 5-year ban or taking a knee to fight racism, Holding would allow his emotions to show and was not afraid to burst into tears on camera. For him, showing how he felt was not an embarrassment. His take on issues in cricket or beyond was clear-cut and there was clarity in what he believed. It showed when he spoke on an ongoing or upcoming game as an expert.
Harsha Bhogle, a great commentator himself, paid a fitting tribute to Holding calling him ‘cricket rhythm’ in this touching video:
He will be missed without a doubt. As a bowler Holding was a class apart, as a commentator he is in a class of his own. His opinions were as accurate as his deliveries and he was not afraid to ask uncomfortable questions and that too on live television.
For the second time, Holding walks off into the sunset. When he did it as a player, it was an end of an era. When he does it as a commentator, it is the end of a generation.