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Michael Holding

Michael Holding
Michael Holding.jpg
Personal information
Full name Michael Anthony Holding
Born (1954-02-16) 16 February 1954 (age 63)
Kingston, Colony of Jamaica
Nickname Whispering Death
Height 6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m)
Batting style Right-hand batsman
Bowling style Right-arm fast
Role Bowler
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 153) 28 November 1975 v Australia
Last Test 24 February 1987 v New Zealand
ODI debut (cap 18) 26 August 1976 v England
Last ODI 30 January 1987 v England
Domestic team information
Years Team
1973–1989 Jamaica
1981 Lancashire
1982–83 Tasmania
1983–1989 Derbyshire
1987–88 Canterbury
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 60 102 222 249
Runs scored 910 282 3,600 1,575
Batting average 13.78 9.09 15.00 12.30
100s/50s 0/6 0/2 0/14 0/7
Top score 73 64 80 69
Balls bowled 12,680 5,473 38,877 12,662
Wickets 249 142 778 343
Bowling average 23.68 21.36 23.43 20.62
5 wickets in innings 13 1 39 3
10 wickets in match 2 0 5 0
Best bowling 8/92 5/26 8/92 8/21
Catches/stumpings 22/– 30/– 125/– 81/–
Source: cricinfo.com, 24 May 2009

Michael Anthony Holding (born 16 February 1954) is a former West Indian cricketer. One of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket, he was nicknamed "Whispering Death" by umpires due to his quiet approach to the bowling crease. His bowling was smooth and very fast, and he used his height (6 ft 3 12 in or 1.918 m) to generate large amounts of bounce and zip off the pitch. He was part of the fearsome West Indian pace battery, together with Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Sylvester Clarke, Colin Croft, Wayne Daniel and the late Malcolm Marshall that devastated batting line-ups throughout the world in the seventies and early eighties. Early in his Test career, in 1976, Holding broke the record for best bowling figures in a Test match by a West Indies bowler, 14 wickets for 149 runs (14/149). The record still stands. During his first-class cricket career, Holding played for Jamaica, Canterbury, Derbyshire, Lancashire and Tasmania. In June 1988 Holding was celebrated on the $2 Jamaican stamp alongside the Barbados Cricket Buckle. Holding recorded an amazing feat of bowling 5473 deliveries, without bowling a single wide, the most by any player in Cricket history.

Michael Holding was born on 16 February 1954, the youngest of four children to Ralph and Enid Holding who lived in Kingston. The family was passionate about sport, and only a few days after Michael was born his father enrolled him as a member of Melbourne Cricket Club at Kingston. At the age of three he was diagnosed with asthma, but by his early teenage years he no longer needed an inhaler. He led an active life, playing sport in the scrubland and wooded areas near his home. Though his family would often watch the cricket at Sabina Park, Holding preferred to play Catchy Shubby Cricket than watch.


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Wikipedia

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