Michael Holding

Umpires called Holding Whispering Death because they could not hear him approach the crease: a long, silent, gliding run-up that ended in genuine express pace. His 14 wickets on a flat Oval pitch in 1976, when other bowlers toiled, show pace and accuracy beating the surface. His over to Geoffrey Boycott at Bridgetown in 1981 is the most famous over in Test history.