Sportspeople progress in their field based on ability and assiduousness. But good fortune often plays a part too. On tour of Pakistan in 1980, Michael Holding, in attempting a return catch during a One-Day International (ODI), reawakened a shoulder injury that had plagued him in the past. He was ruled out of the remaining games, which paved the way for the fearsome Sylvester Clarke.

The Jamaican’s injury cleared up after the series, and he fought hard to regain match fitness during the regional Shell Shield first-class competition. But when the squad for the first ODI against the visiting English team was announced, Holding’s name was absent. With the other fast bowlers getting the job done he became concerned that his place was in jeopardy. It happened, however, that during the Pakistan tour, Clarke had retrieved a block from the boundary marker and hurled it into the crowd in response to being pelted with various objects. A student, hit on the head and badly injured, required life-saving surgery.

Clarke’s case was placed before a disciplinary committee shortly before the first ODI of the English tour. The verdict was a three-match suspension, which meant the Barbadian had to be excised from the squad. Holding was named as replacement, and so resumed his international career at Arnos Vale in St Vincent where he bowled Chris Old and John Emburey to grab the last two wickets of the match, ensuring a two-run win for the West Indies.

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