BLAST
FROM THE PAST/ OPINION/ EDITORIAL
ESPNSTAR.com takes a
quick look down memory lane to revisit the profiles of the great West Indian
pace quartet popularly known as ‘fearsome four’.
By Himanshu Shekhar
The first on our list is none other than Michael Anthony Holding, famously nicknamed ‘Whispering Death’.
Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Malcolm Marshall are not just names but part of a phenomenon who led cricket out of its obscurity to a mass movement in the West Indies. Led by the above greats, West Indies built a world domination which no other country has managed after that.
Born on February 16, 1954 in Kingston, Jamaica, Michael Holding was a cricketer by default. Like all Jamaicans, his initial inclination was towards track and field but athletics loss was cricket’s lottery for it gave the world one of its fastest bowler. No body bowled faster than him- is a statement one stumbles upon often from the batsmen who faced his agony from 22 yards.
The nice long run up, often looked as you were watching a replay in slow motion. Holding broke the myth that speed of your delivery is directly proportional to your own velocity. The elegance and movement of his delivery were often dubbed as ‘poetry in motion’- a phrase often attributed to batsmen of highest skills.
Making his Test debut against Australia at Brisbane, Holding went on to play 60 Test matches for West Indies and took 249 wickets with a staggering average of 23.68. More than the numbers, a close look at Caribbean winning record during his playing period establishes how effective a bowler he was. Holding was one of the key members of Clive Lloyd’s team and one of the most feared one simply because of his ability to awkwardly bounce the cherry from the corridor of uncertainty.
Michael Anthony Holding also holds the distinction of bowling in what is widely termed as greatest over in cricketing history. It was Bridgetown 1981 and at the receiving end was none other than Geoffrey Boycott. A moving encyclopedia on technique- Geoffrey had a day which he still finds hard to forget.
The ugly tour was marred by the controversy after Robin Jackman, a late replacement for Bob Willis in England squad was denied entry to Guyana following his close association with then banned South African team.
Anyways, the prelude to Holding’s deadly over was Andy Roberts getting the better of Graham Gooch. It’s true that Kensington Oval looked as if the pitch curators had forgot to shove away the grass, but knowing the Yorkshire man, one anticipated a raging battle between high class batting and sheer ferocity. Here’s what it turned out to be:
The first ball, just back of length tempted Boycott and took the glove to land just before the preying slip cordon, the second one completely squared and beat Geoffrey all ends up, the third nipped just back in time and made a scorching contact on the right thigh and fourth and fifth deliveries again tested his patience as he lived dangerously. Never before one had seen Boycott in such a misery. With slip fielders just coming some feet closer, it was a sight which is normally associated with tail-enders at the crease.
With five balls gone and Boycott middling none, eyebrows were raised and English press already started dissecting the pitch and conditions only to later realise that bowler in question was ‘whispering death’. Or you can say- A Silent Assassin.
The last ball of the day was clearly a stroke of mercy as it ended Boycott’s misery at the crease. As the off stump went flying all over the place, Geoffrey’s look was one of a man just woken up from a deep slumber. As the stadium erupted, the legend took a long walk back to the pavilion with Holding, standing at the other end, wearing satisfaction of a Lion just after hunting down his prey after a long chase.
As sports column showered praise on the great West Indian from Jamaica, English press found superlatives to describe Boycott’s misery.
Holding in contrast to his name, carried the ‘No Hold Back’ attitude when it came to on field antics. Off-field he was a thorough gentleman. Often batsmen used to face his fury when nothing was happening at the crease.
Michael Holding is now a renowned commentator and an avid cricket writer and carries with him a legacy that would forever be itched in the annals of history with golden stylus.
The first on our list is none other than Michael Anthony Holding, famously nicknamed ‘Whispering Death’.
Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Malcolm Marshall are not just names but part of a phenomenon who led cricket out of its obscurity to a mass movement in the West Indies. Led by the above greats, West Indies built a world domination which no other country has managed after that.
Born on February 16, 1954 in Kingston, Jamaica, Michael Holding was a cricketer by default. Like all Jamaicans, his initial inclination was towards track and field but athletics loss was cricket’s lottery for it gave the world one of its fastest bowler. No body bowled faster than him- is a statement one stumbles upon often from the batsmen who faced his agony from 22 yards.
The nice long run up, often looked as you were watching a replay in slow motion. Holding broke the myth that speed of your delivery is directly proportional to your own velocity. The elegance and movement of his delivery were often dubbed as ‘poetry in motion’- a phrase often attributed to batsmen of highest skills.
Making his Test debut against Australia at Brisbane, Holding went on to play 60 Test matches for West Indies and took 249 wickets with a staggering average of 23.68. More than the numbers, a close look at Caribbean winning record during his playing period establishes how effective a bowler he was. Holding was one of the key members of Clive Lloyd’s team and one of the most feared one simply because of his ability to awkwardly bounce the cherry from the corridor of uncertainty.
Michael Anthony Holding also holds the distinction of bowling in what is widely termed as greatest over in cricketing history. It was Bridgetown 1981 and at the receiving end was none other than Geoffrey Boycott. A moving encyclopedia on technique- Geoffrey had a day which he still finds hard to forget.
The ugly tour was marred by the controversy after Robin Jackman, a late replacement for Bob Willis in England squad was denied entry to Guyana following his close association with then banned South African team.
Anyways, the prelude to Holding’s deadly over was Andy Roberts getting the better of Graham Gooch. It’s true that Kensington Oval looked as if the pitch curators had forgot to shove away the grass, but knowing the Yorkshire man, one anticipated a raging battle between high class batting and sheer ferocity. Here’s what it turned out to be:
The first ball, just back of length tempted Boycott and took the glove to land just before the preying slip cordon, the second one completely squared and beat Geoffrey all ends up, the third nipped just back in time and made a scorching contact on the right thigh and fourth and fifth deliveries again tested his patience as he lived dangerously. Never before one had seen Boycott in such a misery. With slip fielders just coming some feet closer, it was a sight which is normally associated with tail-enders at the crease.
With five balls gone and Boycott middling none, eyebrows were raised and English press already started dissecting the pitch and conditions only to later realise that bowler in question was ‘whispering death’. Or you can say- A Silent Assassin.
The last ball of the day was clearly a stroke of mercy as it ended Boycott’s misery at the crease. As the off stump went flying all over the place, Geoffrey’s look was one of a man just woken up from a deep slumber. As the stadium erupted, the legend took a long walk back to the pavilion with Holding, standing at the other end, wearing satisfaction of a Lion just after hunting down his prey after a long chase.
As sports column showered praise on the great West Indian from Jamaica, English press found superlatives to describe Boycott’s misery.
Holding in contrast to his name, carried the ‘No Hold Back’ attitude when it came to on field antics. Off-field he was a thorough gentleman. Often batsmen used to face his fury when nothing was happening at the crease.
Michael Holding is now a renowned commentator and an avid cricket writer and carries with him a legacy that would forever be itched in the annals of history with golden stylus.
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