LONDON – Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding retired from full-time broadcasting after more than 30 years behind the microphone.
Holding, 67, worked for Sky Sports for more than 20 years having retired from playing in 1987 with 391 international wickets.
He quietly slipped away into retirement after the final Test between England and India was abandoned last Friday at Old Trafford in Manchester.
He told the Daliy Mail newspaper on Wednesday that while he has not announced his decision, his time was indeed up.
Holding said on a BBC radio talk show last year that he had been contemplating his retirement.
“I am not too sure how much further than 2020 I will be going with commentary,” he said. “I cannot see myself going much further down the road at my age. I am 66 years old now, I am not 36, 46 or 56.”
“I told (Sky) that I could not commit to more than a year at a time. If this year gets totally destroyed, I might have to think about 2021 because I can’t just walk away from Sky, a company that has done so much good for me.”
The Jamaica-born Holding is considered one of the greatest fast bowlers in history and was famous for his smooth run-up that earned him the nickname, “Whispering Death”.
Away from cricket, Holding recently gained praise and attention for his anti-racism campaigning.
During an England vs West Indies Test in July last year, he spoke out on Sky Sports about the Black Lives Matter movement and the players from both sides taking the knee before play.
The footage gathered attention across the world and on social media.
He followed up by publishing a book called, “Why We Kneel, How We Rise” about racism that also featured other famous sportspeople such as Usain Bolt, Naomi Osaka and Michael Johnson.
(Agencies)
