Michael Holding > Quotes

“Think of it in terms of your job. If you’re going to work every day, slogging away for hours for people you regard as jokers, it is understandable if your work suffers. If you’re lucky enough to work for people you respect, you’ll go that little bit further and it won’t be a chore.”
― Michael Holding, No Holding Back: The Autobiography

“I asked Gordon Greenidge why the fans were being so hostile. He explained how they were desperate for us to win because being a West Indian in a different country could be hard, particularly in England at the time. Most felt like second-class citizens and they wanted to walk around with their heads held high because their countrymen had shown on the field of play what they were capable of. A winning West Indies team meant they didn’t have to worry about getting the mickey taken out of them when they went to work.”
― Michael Holding, No Holding Back: The Autobiography

“Greig had made himself a target. His ill-judged comments at the start of the series that he would make us ‘grovel’ riled us to the extent that we needed no further motivation. It was an extremely insensitive remark to make about a largely black team. Remember he was a white South African, qualified for England only via his parents, and to make such a statement sent the wrong message, pure and simple. We saw nothing else.”
― Michael Holding, No Holding Back: The Autobiography

“I believe that Paul Collingwood, the England captain, should have called back the New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott after he was run out while lying on the floor following a collision with a bowler at The Oval in 2008. Worse was New Zealand running out Muttiah Muralitharan when he left his crease to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara on a century in Christchurch in 2006. It’s easy to defend those actions by saying no rules were broken but surely the game is bigger than that.”
― Michael Holding, No Holding Back: The Autobiography

“To that, I say this: a few may not agree, but one of the greatest men to have walked the earth in my lifetime is Nelson Mandela. He and his people suffered tremendously under the apartheid regime, but when he took over the mantle of governing South Africa, he did not vindictively return the favour to the opposition, which would probably have sent South Africa into chaos and terminal decline. Instead he charted a way forward that started with forgiveness and inclusiveness, bringing about a smooth transition instead of possible revenge and bloodshed. Maybe some folk in cricket administration can learn something from the great man.”
― Michael Holding, No Holding Back: The Autobiography

“The ugly scenes created on that 1980 tour of New Zealand, England’s tour of Pakistan with the Shakoor Rana v Mike Gatting incident and the sight of Sunil Gavaskar and Arjuna Ranatunga leading their teams off the field in Australia in protest at the umpiring might not have occurred if the independent umpiring panel had been in place.”
― Michael Holding, No Holding Back: The Autobiography

“Sadly, this game would prove to be the high point of the whole trip and our morale seemed to dip with each day of cricket we played. One of the main reasons for the tension and irritation was the umpiring. It set the already unstable camp on edge because we felt it was in favour of the home side. Hang on, I’ve been too kind there. We were sure it was in favour of the home side.”
― Michael Holding, No Holding Back: The Autobiography

“Australia and New Zealand were by far the worst countries to tour for home bias. In fact, although I’ve toured Australia on far more occasions than New Zealand and therefore have seen far more poor decisions, both playing and commentating, I’d put the Kiwis slightly ahead. That 1980 tour left a lasting impression. India and Pakistan umpires had reputations, but as far as I was concerned, nothing could top what I experienced in New Zealand.”
― Michael Holding, No Holding Back: The Autobiography

“As I was walking back to start my run in for the sixth ball with the crowd really stirred up and roaring me on, I wondered what Boycott was thinking. I decided that he would be planning for another short ball, reckoning that the crowd had got my adrenalin pumping. I had also spotted that Boycott was playing inside the line of the ball, not quite moving towards off stump as usual because it was really flying through to our wicketkeeper David Murray, who was taking the ball above his head at times. Perhaps he wouldn’t move into line again. A bluff it would be then, something full and in the region of off stump.”
― Michael Holding, No Holding Back: The Autobiography