Cliff Notes – Max Holden: ‘It’s flattering but I’ve got to concentrate on what I’m doing’
- Max Holden has gained recognition for his impressive performances, including a standout 184 against Lancashire and a 107 against Glamorgan, leading to mentions on the Sky Sports cricket podcast.
- Despite his recent success, Holden remains focused on his game, avoiding distractions and comparisons, while expressing admiration for peers from his Under-19 cohort who have progressed to international cricket.
Max Holden: ‘It’s flattering but I’ve got to concentrate on what I’m doing’
Max Holden is not a voracious consumer of podcasts. Experience has taught the Middlesex batter to ignore outside noise, so naturally those on cricket do not tend to pass his ears.
Nevertheless, they would have been burning over the last fortnight after Holden was namechecked in two successive episodes of the Sky Sports cricket podcast. On merit, of course.
An impressive 184 against Lancashire in the opening round of the County Championship – Middlesex were 7 for 3 in their second innings and plenty behind – was highlighted by Rob Key when England men’s managing director was asked who had caught his eye early doors.
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The following week, selector Luke Wright used Holden, a former England Under-19 captain, as an example of someone thriving having previously been in “our system”. Three days later, Holden shifted up and down the gears for an impressive 107 against Glamorgan in Middlesex’s first win of their Division Two campaign.
“I was actually made aware by one of my friends,” Holden tells ESPNcricinfo of his twin shoutouts. He resisted the urge to seek out the clips.
“It is flattering, but yeah…. equally, I’ve just got to concentrate on what I’m doing. I think I’d be foolish to start reading into things too much or spending time worrying about that, rather than the next thing I can influence.”
You can understand Holden’s restraint. Barring a brief taste of Lions cricket in the 2018-19 winter, his last real association with international cricket ended at Under-19 level. Neither Key, Wright nor any one else that matters from England have been in touch.
The ambition, however, has never been stronger, and the attachment to various iterations of England teams helped by familiar faces. Four of his cohort from the 2016 U19 World Cup – Dan Lawrence, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood and Mason Crane – now have Test caps to their names.
“It does feel like a really exciting era, and I’ve been watching it as an England fan first and foremost. Having played with and against a lot of these guys, it’s been cool seeing them go in and do well. Having been close to some of them, you know how good they are, and it’s fun watching them transition those skills into the Test arena.
“In some ways, it’s been quite inspirational, to watch how they’ve gone in certain situations. That in certain moments in games, if you have the belief and confidence, you can go about putting across your different individual strengths to play your best cricket.”
There’s no envy from Holden towards his peers, and that’s partly down to his own journey. Like most players of his generation, the 27-year old was reared on traditional red-ball fundamentals through the ranks at Middlesex. There were regular comparisons with Alastair Cook, which fit beyond the left-handedness and Gray-Nicolls gear.
But it was not long before Holden was engaging in a familiar conflict of his craft as he looked to push on his limited-overs game. Honing watchfulness in one code and destructiveness in the other – despite the crossed streams promoted by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes at the top table – remains a quandary for all batters. Despite being one of only four men to register centuries in all three formats for his county, Holden struggled for balance.
His 2023 was a microcosm of this: his best in T20 cricket (averaging 30.21 and striking at 177.16, with a 56-ball 121 not out against Kent in the Blast) came alongside one of his worst red-ball returns (19.00 across 23 innings).
Things have worked out better since. From the start of the 2024 season, Holden is averaging 53.03 across 27 County Championship innings, with four centuries – more than the three he managed in his previous 141 first-class knocks – all from No. 3. In amongst that was a four-game stint at the business end of the ILT20 for Desert Vipers – head coach Tom Moody recruited him early on in the 2024 English summer – which reaped 230 runs at 76.66, including a top score of 76 in the final against eventual champions Dubai Capitals.
So – what twigged?
“When I first got into the Middlesex team, a lot of the narrative was around my red-ball stuff and batting for a long time and concentration. Obviously that’s really important to me, and I felt, growing up, that was my strength. But I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself as a red-ball player.
“About seven years ago now, I had a long sit-down with coaches and dug into how I could be a good T20 player. I never had the power of guys who could just launch the out of the ground from ball one. So it became about manipulating the field, scoring options then, as I got more confident, which sort of bowlers to go after.
Max Holden steered Desert Vipers’ chase with 70 not out off 54 balls ILT20
“But then I struggled adapting, switching between the two. I felt I had different techniques. I’d stay still against the white ball, and then move more, with my trigger, against the red ball.
“The last couple of years, that’s all the same now. I’ve tried to keep my technique similar; my head position, bat path, my preparation in the nets. All my scoring areas are still strong, that rhythm is consistent across formats. Even in the winter, going from the ILT20 into pre-season training with Middlesex, I felt ready for the season without thinking ‘oh, I’ve got to go back to how I want to play in the Championship now’. It’s been a mixture of technical stuff and, I suppose, growing up and experiencing the ups and downs.
Consistency, as ever, is key, especially for a top-order batter who has only just discovered it at No. 3, having occupied every slot from one to eight in his professional career. It remains a constant work in progress, but Holden has help.
Middlesex assistant coach Rory Coutts remains a key confidant and eye, having worked with him since the age off 11 in his former role as head of youth cricket development. “He’s someone I’d always go back to if I had a problem or wanted advice. He’s good at spotting little bits in my game like ‘when you bat well, you do this and you’re not quite doing it at the moment’.”
Former Australian Test batter Simon Katich, head coach at Manchester Originals, is another who Holden can turn to. A 10-day period with former South Africa lynchpin Neil McKenzie – batting coach at Vipers – was particularly eye-opening.
None of the advice has been conflicting, largely down to Holden’s own dissemination. Close to a decade as a professional has grooved a phlegmatic disposition, one that Holden is keen to cultivate as the responsibilty he assumed grows.
“I think back to when I was younger – I’d spend the week dwelling on a low score or a bad shot. But given all the experience I have now, you just realise, well, these things happen. It’s part of the game. Just learn from it for next time.
Max Holden in jovial mood Getty Images
“Don’t get me wrong, immediately after there’s 15 minutes of annoyance of getting out, trying to think if the bowler did me there, or my technique or concentration was off. I’ll digest it in that moment.
“I guess a lot of young players are similar. They overthink things or spend evenings at home worrying about it. I don’t want do that. My girlfriend wouldn’t be very happy with me coming home every day worrying about what I’ve done wrong!”
This summer, arguably the biggest test of Holden’s newly found clarity will come from within his own dressing-room. Middlesex’s acquisition of Kane Williamson – a tie-up with the MCC ahead of a London Spirit gig as captain – will see the Black Caps legend on deck for the majority of the Blast and at least five Championship matches for the second half of the season. And we all know where he bats.
You can file this neatly into the “good problem to have” folder. The club’s promotion chase gets an undoubted boost, and whatever jolt for Holden comes at a time when he has never been more sure of himself as a first-class cricketer. Naturally, he sees no issue – only opportunity.
“He can bat wherever he wants!” Holden laughs, when asked if he’ll budge for Williamson. “I’m well aware he’s probably one of the best number threes of all time. So if Middlesex want to slide him in there, he’s more than welcome to it.
“If you’ve got someone of his calibre coming in and he wants to bat there, I’m more than happy to adapt and go wherever the guys need me. I’m going to try not to bombard him, but I’m going to learn as much as I can from him.”
