Michael Anthony Holding (born 16 February 1954) is a former
West Indian cricketer. One of the fastest bowlers ever to play
Test cricket, he was nicknamed "Whispering Death" by
umpires due to his quiet approach to the bowling crease. His
bowling was smooth and very fast, and he used his height to generate large amounts of bounce and zip off the pitch. He was part of the fearsome
West Indian pace battery, together with
Joel Garner,
Andy Roberts,
Sylvester Clarke,
Colin Croft,
Wayne Daniel and the late
Malcolm Marshall that devastated batting line-ups throughout the world in the seventies and early eighties. Early in his Test career, in 1976, Holding broke the record for best bowling figures in a Test match by a West Indies bowler, 14 wickets for 149 runs (14/149). The record still stands. During his
first-class cricket career, Holding played for
Jamaica,
Canterbury,
Derbyshire,
Lancashire and
Tasmania. In June 1988 Holding was celebrated on the $2 Jamaican stamp alongside the
Barbados Cricket Buckle.