Quote:Is sport all about winning or does attractive play matter? “Winning isn’t everything,” said famed American football coach Vince Lombardi, “it’s the only thing.” But isn’t aesthetics a vital part of sports too?

Famed Uruguayan football writer, Eduardo Galeano, spoke of his craving for beautiful football. “…I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football. I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums, I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’ And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”

Most of us who love cricket not only want to see runs scored and wickets are taken, we rejoice also in invention and elegance. Productivity is vital. But so too is artistry.

Michael Holding’s long approach to the wicket was smooth, silent, and it culminated in a picture-perfect side-on action that propelled a bullet of a delivery to the other end. Not for nothing was he called “Whispering Death.” He was always compelling viewing, whether he captured five for few or none for plenty.