Former West Indies’ iconic bowler Michael Holding has revealed who the greatest batsman he has seen is.
Holding who has taken 249 wickets in 60 Tests and 142 wickets in 102 ODIs for West Indies, called Viv Richards as the best batsman in the game of cricket.
Viv Richards Was Not Afraid Of Any Bowler
Holding told Stuart Broad and Shaun Pollock in a Sky Sports podcast, “Viv is the best batsman I have seen against anything and everything.”
He also gave the reason for picking Viv Richards for the top honour. Holding said Richards was not afraid of any bowler and scored against everybody.
“He never looked intimidated. Richard Hadlee in New Zealand, Dennis Lillee in Australia, Abdul Qadir in Pakistan, Bishan Bedi in India. Ian Botham in England. He got runs against anybody and everybody,” Holding said.
Viv Richards who many consider the greatest batsman ever has amassed 8540 runs in 121 Tests at an average of 50.24 and 6721 runs in 187 ODIs at an average of 47.
The most striking feature about his batting was his strike rate which stands at 86.7 in Tests and 90.2 in ODIs.
Holding also said he dominated the world-class West Indies bowlers when he played against them in domestic matches.
“He destroyed a lot of bowlers in the Caribbean. He didn’t have to play against four West Indies bowlers at once but he played against us [domestically] and he got runs against each team,” he said.
“Richards Used To Sleep Before His Batting”
He also gave an interesting insight into how Viv Richards would get ready for batting before his turn would come. He said the great batsman would watch the first 2 overs and get a visual picture and then went to sleep. People would wake him up when his turn came, he added.
“As he was batting at No 3 for West Indies, I often saw him watch the first couple of overs, get a visual picture, and then go and sleep. People would have to wake him up and say ‘Viv, it’s your turn’,” he said.
