WI great Holding dismisses batting great's criticism of his conduct during 1980 tour of NZ; says he's never been interested in former captain's opinion
WI greats Holding (left) and Lara during the 1996 World Cup
Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding has hit back at criticism by Brian Lara who said he was "embarrassed" by the unsportsmanlike behaviour of the team in Holding's early 1980s heyday.
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Delivering the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture at Lord's on Tuesday, Lara said the team "played the game in a way it should never, ever be played", and cited an example when Holding kicked over the stumps during a series against New Zealand in 1980.
Holding turns footballer
Lara said: "Michael Holding decided he was no longer a cricketer, he was a footballer and he kicked a stump. I'm sure the occurrences during that period had a big [negative] effect on cricket."
Holding, 63, who was appointed president of his former county Derbyshire in March, has previously made no secret of his dislike for Lara's cricketing style and accused him of "getting away with murder" during his reign.
Responding to Lara's latest claims, Holding told Press Association Sport: "Brian Lara can say whatever he likes and I will not listen. I was never a Brian Lara fan and I never appreciated the way he played.
Not just Michael
"As for having a big effect on cricket, I'm very glad about it. It brought the international panel [of umpires] into force. But it wasn't just us — there were other incidents involving Mike Gatting and (Arjuna) Ranatunga.
"We believed in ourselves and the more we won the more it built our belief to become even greater.
"Winning became a habit and every time we went out on that field we expected to win," he added.
Also view photos: Ex-cricketers in their current jobs: Uber driver, bus stand cleaner
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