New Delhi: West Indies great Michael Holding believes it is difficult for great batsmen to play their natural shots against top-quality pace bowling.
During an Instagram Live session with Nikhil Naz, Holding, when asked about how he would have bowled to modern-day big hitters, responded that the likes of Rohit Sharma and AB de Villiers have a variety of shots in their arsenal but could have found it tough to get going against some of fastest bowlers who have played the sport.
I think batsmen play their shots depending upon the pace of the bowlers. I would like to see those players play the shots against someone with real pace, said Holding. ‘Dale Steyn for instance or a Brett Lee or a Shoaib Akhtar. If they can play shots like that against such pace, I will start to worry about what I am going to do. With the kind of pace I used to bowl, I wouldn’t be worried about those shots being played.’
Holding also spoke about the ban on saliva put forward by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It had, however, noted that the risk of spread of the virus through sweat is highly unlikely and saw no need to prohibit the practice.
Cricketers will take some time to adjust. It is a natural reaction. When you are on the field, you want to shine the ball. So, you just put your finger inside your mouth. They will have to practise to not do it, said Holding. All you need to do is get moisture on the ball. You can get that from your sweat. It will do the same job as saliva, he added.
Meanwhile, Holding believes regulations against racism in sports will remain just a plaster on the sore as long as the society does not unite to tackle the menace.
You will get racism, people will shout things at cricket grounds, football grounds and wherever. You can’t stamp out racism by tackling individual sports, you have to tackle the society, said Holding.
‘Fine, sports can have their rules egulations under which you enter the ground. That is just a plaster on the sore. The people in the society have to understand that it is unacceptable. When you tackle it in the society itself, it will not spill over in sport.’