Former Windies pacer Michael Holding has rated fellow West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards as the best batsman in the history of the game.
Holding, one of the game’s great fast bowlers, played alongside Sir Viv Richards for over a decade and believes he is unsurpassed as a batsman.
“Viv is the best batsman I have seen against anything and everything,” Holding told Sky Sports.
“He never looked intimidated. Richard Hadlee in New Zealand, Dennis Lillee in Australia, Abdul Qadir in Pakistan, Bishan Bedi in India. Ian Botham in England. He got runs against anybody and everybody.
“As he was batting at No 3 for West Indies, I often saw him watch the first couple of overs, get a visual picture, and then go and sleep.
Stimulantly, former South Africa skipper Shaun Pollock has rated India legend Sachin Tendulkar as the best batsman of his generation.
Pollock hailed Sachin Tendulkar’s understanding of the game and his adjustability in various situations.
“It was how well he understood his game and how he would adjust. He talked to me once about going to Australia and understanding he couldn’t take on the short-pitched deliveries anymore so he would ramp the ball over the wicketkeeper and slip,” Pollock told Sky Sports.
Interestingly, Pollock had dismissed Sachin Tendulkar nine times in the ODIs, and ranks 4th in the list of bowlers with maximum Tendulkar dismissals.
“There were times, especially in the subcontinent, where you thought, ‘I’m not sure we can knock this guy over”. ‘We were hoping he would make a mistake, rather than had a genuine plan.’
Sachin amassed the most runs in both Tests and ODIs, scoring 100 centuries internationally, which is 29 more than second-placed Rick Ponting.
