West Indies cricket legend Michael Holding has delivered a heartfelt tribute to the late Garry Sobers, who passed away at the age of 89, describing him as a humble great whose brilliance cannot be matched.

Sobers, widely regarded as the greatest all-rounder to have played the game, was viewed through the eyes of Australian great Ian Chappell, who held an extraordinary opinion of the Barbadian legend.

"Ian Chappell in particular revered the man and once told me, 'Mikey, this talk about Garry being the best all-rounder there is, he's the best batsman I've seen.' The all-round tag was obvious but he didn't want it to just end there, he singled him out as a batsman as well," Holding said.

Coming from an Australian, that unqualified praise holds special significance, given that Australians have long considered Don Bradman the greatest batsman of all time.

"There aren't enough words that can be written or said to fully give the great man justice but his humility is something that cannot be left out of any story," Holding (72) said in a text message to Cricbuzz on Saturday.

"I remember him as a great, who never spoke about himself. Never kept telling people what happened 'in his time'. He left others to talk about his greatness."

"Every West Indian cricketer would have and should continue to walk proudly knowing the best ever came from the same place they're from. His brilliance couldn't be matched by us lesser mortals but at the same time, you strive to uphold your own standards to as high a level as possible."

Sobers' remarkable career statistics speak for themselves. He scored 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78 in 93 Tests. In addition to those runs, he claimed 235 wickets at an average of just over 34, cementing his classification as the ultimate all-rounder.

Holding's international career, spanning 60 Tests and 102 ODIs from 1975 to 1987, began after Sobers had ended his illustrious career, which lasted from 1954 to 1974. One of the feared bowlers of his time, Holding confessed he probably missed playing alongside Sobers.

"Sir Garry was a bit before my time and I probably only saw him at Sabina Park twice when I was still at school. His greatness to me was exemplified by how the greats of his era spoke about him," Holding said.