Garry Sobers 'stood out' among the greats: Michael Holding

Michael Holding paid glowing tributes to Garry Sobers, who passed away on Friday at the age of 89. Sobers is widely regarded as the greatest all-rounder to have played the game, but Holding, himself a West Indies legend, viewed the Barbadian through the eyes of Ian Chappell, who considered Sobers to be the greatest batsman ever. "Ian Chappell in particular revered the man and once told me, 'Mikey, this talk about Garry being the best all-rounder there is, he's the best batsman I've seen.' The all-round tag was obvious but he didn't want it to just end there, he singled him out as a batsman as well." Given that Australians have long regarded Don Bradman as the greatest batsman of all time, this unqualified praise ought to be considered a special tribute. In 93 Tests, Sobers scored 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78. In addition to those runs, he had claimed 235 wickets at an average of just over 34, inviting classification as an all-rounder. "There aren't enough words that can be written or said to fully give the great man justice but his humility is something that cannot be left out of any story," Holding (72) said in a text message to Cricbuzz on Saturday. "I remember him as a great, who never spoke about himself. Never repeated what happened "in his time" to anyone. He left others to talk about his greatness. "Every West Indian cricketer would have and should continue to walk proudly knowing the best ever came from the same place they're from. While you strive to maintain your own standards to the highest possible level, his brilliance cannot be matched by us mere mortals." Holding's international career, spanning 60 Tests and 102 ODIs (1975-87), began after Sobers had ended his illustrious career, which lasted from 1954 to 1974. Holding, one of the most feared bowlers of his time, probably didn't get to play with Sobers. "Sir Garry was a bit before my time and I probably only saw him at Sabina Park twice when I was still at school. His greatness to me was exemplified by how the greats of his era spoke about him," Holding said.