'He did a lot of great things for the West Indies' - Michael Holding pays tribute to the late Sir Garfield Sobers

Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Sir Garfield Sobers. The legendary all-rounder passed away in Barbados on July 17, 2026, 11 days shy of his 90th birthday.

Holding, who unfortunately did not play alongside Sobers for the West Indies, still rued the loss of one of the greatest players of all time. 

"It is obviously a very sad day. We all know that no one lives forever. We all know these things are inevitable. But at the same time, when you have these occurrences, it shifts you a bit. It's not someone that is a distant past friend. It's someone that you have known for many, many years and still have some sort of contact with over the years. So it's a bit tough at times," Michael Holding said to The New Indian Express.

Holding paid tribute to Sobers' overall contribution, not only to West Indies cricket but to Barbados as well. Despite never being teammates, the former pacer has countless memories and conversations with the late all-rounder, which would stay with him forever. 

So, it's sad that he's gone. But he did a lot of great things. He did a lot of great things for the West Indies, for Barbados, for individuals that he came across. So he will be leaving us, but we'll have lots of good memories. I can't name one because we have had so many different times that I've enjoyed being in his company. I enjoyed having a conversation with him. There is no one moment that I can say, this moment will last forever. There are a lot of things that will last forever, a lot of memories," he added. 

Sobers is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to represent the West Indies on the international stage. He played 93 Test matches for the Caribbean outfit and scored 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78 with 26 centuries to his name. He recorded his highest score, 365 not out, against Pakistan in Kingston in 1958. He also took 235 wickets in his Test career with six five-wicket hauls.

Overall, Sobers played 383 First-Class matches in his illustrious career and went on to register 28,314 runs and 1,043 wickets. He represented Nottinghamshire in England's domestic circuit, where he famously hit six sixes against Glamorgan in Swansea, Wales, becoming the first player to achieve the feat.