Michael Holding, cricketer

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.4 • 13.7K Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2021

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Michael Holding is a cricket commentator and former West Indies bowler. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of international cricket. In July 2020 when rain stopped play during the television coverage of a Test Match, he gave an unscripted four minute monologue on institutional racism in sport and society in the wake of the death of George Floyd. His spontaneous eloquence won him widespread acclaim, including a Royal Television Society award. Michael was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1954 and grew up playing Catchy Shubby, an informal and fast-moving form of cricket, in scrubland behind his parents' home. He made his debut for Jamaica aged 18. Two years later he played in his first Test match for the West Indies and went on to become part of a team that would make sporting history – not losing a single series for 15 years. Michael earned the nickname ‘Whispering Death’ for his long quiet run-up and extremely fast deliveries, and many cricket experts believe he bowled the greatest over in Test history – to the English batsman Geoffrey Boycott in 1981 in Barbados. He retired from international cricket in 1987 and became a well-respected and straight-talking commentator on the game: he has said this is his last year in the commentary box and he plans to return to his home in the Cayman Islands. DISC ONE: Don't Make Me Over by Dionne Warwick DISC TWO: War by Bob Marley And The Wailers DISC THREE: Pata Pata by Miriam Makeba DISC FOUR: Color Him Father by The Winstons DISC FIVE: What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye DISC SIX: Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins DISC SEVEN: That’s What Friends Are For by Dionne Warwick Featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight And Stevie Wonder DISC EIGHT: Who the Cap Fit by Bob Marley And The Wailers BOOK CHOICE: Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela LUXURY ITEM: A football CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: That’s What Friends Are For by Dionne Warwick Featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight And Stevie Wonder Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Katy Hickman Photo BBC / Amanda Benson

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts
0:04.7	Hello, I'm Lauren LeVern and this is the Desert Island Disks Podcast.
0:08.4	Every week I ask my guests to choose the eight tracks, book and luxury they'd want to take
0:13.2	with them if they were cast away to a desert island.
0:16.3	For right reasons, the music is shorter than the original broadcast.
0:20.1	I hope you enjoy listening.
0:41.6	My cast away this week is the cricket commentator and former West Indies fast-bola Michael
0:46.8	Holding, known as Whispering Death on the pitch and for his Malifluous commentary off it,
0:52.7	he is a cricket legend.
0:54.5	Widely regarded as one of the greatest fast-bola's in test history.
0:59.1	Born in Halfway Tree Kingston Jamaica, he made his debut for his home island aged 18
1:04.7	in 1973.
1:06.5	He played in his first test match for the West Indies two years later, becoming part of
1:11.0	a team who would go on to make sporting history, not losing a single series for 15 years.
1:18.3	In that time, he bolded what many cricket historians regard as the greatest over in test
1:23.9	history to the English batsman, Geoffrey Boycott.
1:27.5	Retirement brought a second career.
1:29.9	His euphonious delivery, combined with an intimate knowledge of the game, made him one of the
1:34.2	most respected broadcast commentators of recent times.
1:37.8	He moved beyond the boundary last year, when Reynne stopped play, he delivered a powerful
1:42.1	monologue on racism in sport and society.
1:45.8	It won him numerous prizes, including a Royal Television Society Award, and it was, like
	...

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