Cricket Icon Michael Holding Breaks Down In Powerful Live TV Interview

Michael Holding was moved to tears when discussing racism during a live interview with Sky News UK.

Speaking ahead of the Test between England and West Indies at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton, the cricket legend shared his parents' experiences of racism, resulting in the former fast bowler's emotional reaction.

"To be honest, that emotional part came when I started thinking of my parents. And it's coming again now," Holding told the Sky News studio.

"I know what my parents went through, my mother's family stopped talking to her because her husband was too dark.

"I know what they went through, and that came back to me immediately.

"It's going to be a slow process but even if it's a baby step at a time, even a snail's pace, but I'm hoping it will continue in the right direction. Even at a snail's pace, I don't care."

In a powerful statement, both sets of players from West Indies and England took a knee before play began on day one of the first Test.

The moving gesture came not long after Sky Sports aired a raw and emotional video of Holding and ex-England cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent sharing their own experiences of racism while urging people to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

Speaking during the clip, Holding said: "What people need to understand, this stems from a long time ago, hundreds of years ago, the dehumanisation of the black race is where it started."

"People will tell you, 'That's a long time ago, get over it'. No, you don't get over a thing like that and society has not gotten over something like that.

"History is written by the conqueror, not by those that are conquered. History's written by the people who do the harm, not by the people who are harmed.

"We need to go back and teach both sides of history and until we do that and educate the entire human race, this thing will not stop."