Michael Holding batters Brian Close, Old Trafford 1976

[makpak]

smoothest run up i have ever seen

[gorgon0]

I remember this, school days. We all tried to imitate Holding's style at school and down the park. Whispering death indeed. But hats off to B Close. They honestly don't make them like that anymore. I miss going up against English fellas like that. Toe to toe or with ball!

Didn't David Steele introduce the protective helmet, with a face guard, around this time - 75 to 76'ish?

Was hoping to see Wayne Daniel bowl though, he was a monster.

[Tommyboy15081979]

Harold Larwood- not a Yorkshireman

[madmax8903]

I remember 45-year old Close being recalled during this series. Always well known for his Yorkshire grit and hardness, he got an even worse battering in1963 against another Windies great, Wes Hall - who was so fast he once smashed a bail with a delivery.

[AIMANALI]

@madmax8903 who did he say was the quickest ? thx

[madmax8903]

@AIMANALI I don't know whether or not he had a judgement on that. Most older Yorkshiremen, like many others, say the quickest ever was their own Harold Larwood. With quicks you usu. can't see the ball from square, but at least you can wicket-to-wicket, the batsman's view. There was a period during the Bodyline Tests during a Larwood spell when Australian batsman complained with terror that they couldn't see the ball. I've seen film of some of this, and you really can't.

[ihamoitc2005]

Is it possible to bowl faster? That astonishingly quick. Utterly viscious.

[sikhman100]

Holding , marshall, patterson,roberts,and croft, were brutally quick bowlers. Garner wasnt as quick but was intimidating and accurate. Add walsh and ambrose who had it all speed line and length and bounce, and than cry that we no longer have a west indian team since 1995 worthy of the name

[Imrankniazi]

@sikhman100 Add Sylvester Clarke and Ian Bishop (pre back injury) to the brutally quick list. The rest of your comment reads fine!

[sikhman100]

@Imrankniazi yes you are right clarke was as good as any.Bishop i think had too short a career at international level. Your country of pakistan had some serious quicks. No way Waqar younis was not a 96-97 MPH bowler at his peak but he had so much more skill than AKhtar. Same for Akram they could bowl seriously quick but had so much more that made them even more dangerous

[Imrankniazi]

@sikhman100 Bishop before his injury was perhaps the fastest the game had seen since Thomson and Holding. There's a YouTube video where Walsh and Bishop batter the Englishman Robin smith. Look for it!

After his injury, he opened up his action a bit more, shortened his run-up, bent his back less and became a very effective fast-medium outswing bowler. Clarke was out-and-out nasty and it's a shame that he was one of the 'rebels' to SA and thus banned from international cricket. I am not a Paki!

[Imrankniazi]

@sikhman100 Waqar, at his peak (1989-1994) was actually the 2nd fastest bowler in the world just behind Allan Donald. Andy Flower says the quickest he's ever faced was a 7-over spell in county from Waqar in 1993. And remember, Flower has faced Lee, Donald and Akhtar as well. I'd say Waqar and Donald were both capable of bowling in the mid-90s and had infinitely better stamina compared to Akhtar. They were simply more superior bowlers to Shoaib! Wasim, not as fast, but bloody great!

[sikhman100]

@Imrankniazi Yes Allan Donald was probably faster than both the W's.But i still think Waqar in 1989-91 was quicker than Shoaib. Anyway let me give u an example the recent 1 days in england. Shoaib bowled an over of 91,93,91,92, 93 but Davis blocked them all or hit them for singles. Abdur razzaq bowls an over at 80-83 but he manages to make Davis play and miss at 3 of them ! Cos he used the seam, cut it used his brain and it looked more far impressive! beating a batsmen like that....

[AIMANALI]

@Imrankniazi Tell me when did Andy flower say that - what year. ?

[Imrankniazi]

@AIMANALI Sent you a message. Please check. The problem with comments is you cannot share URLs.

[sikhman100]

I think u people are missing the point. close was an intensely proud and tough man, he saw himself as an archetype englishman. He wasnt going to bow down to a black man. Cricket was a hot and incredibly passionate game in the 1970's and 80's when race played a major factor and it was still england v the empire. The ashes still have some of the heat, and so does india v pakistan. but its a crying shame windians no longer have the pride and talent holding did. holding= 110mph bowler

[Wiganmaher]

It was a great series, and it still beggars belief that selectors chose to include Brian Close. Not that they had a choice - Boycott made himself unavailable because he didn't fancy the Windies pace attack. Looking at that clip, you can see Deryck Murray behind the stumps almost cringeing with every ball that strikes, and up at the non-strikers end, it looks like John Edrich is digging a grave!

[wilki31]

Re helemts:

Fred Truman always claimed he was the first to use a helmet. I was at an evening Q&A he did a few years before he died and he claimed he asked for a minors helmet and went to the crease with it's light on as he reckoned it was so dark it would be the only way he could see the ball in order to bat.

Bet he'd have given the batsman a right mouthful if he was bowling instead!

[WG1807]

I saw this live aged just 13. What a summer 1976 was. Sun, sun and more sun, Viv Richrds, Mike Holding.......... and Brian Close. I thought Mike Brearley was the first to use a helmet, which he had made specially for him.

[pukus123]

is it me or that guy looks like tony grieg

[DKLillee355]

anymore footage of that couple of hours when holding, roberts and daniel were giving it to them?

[Brendanvio]

Brave stuff. Whispering Death must have been trying his best to kill them.

[vidpop]

That hot summer had produced a wicket like cracked concrete, it must have been quite an experience without a helmet. I dont know when they started being used but they didn,t appear to be around in 1976.

[docgonzales]

tony greig in 1977 was the first to use a helmet, during the wsc 'packer' games in australia. it was a modified motorcycle helmet, no grill or visor, and lillee cracked him on the back of it during his first innings using it.

[PanJazz]

such a pity he turned out to be a whining asshole

[rohit904756]

amazing