Best Fast Bowler Weapons

[vic_orthdox]

Some here may argue otherwise, but you're right: Harvey is not a fast bowler (although his slower ball is one of the best that I've ever seen). In his stead, I'd give Spofforth the title.

It's interesting, Harvey when he wanted to could ramp it up and bowl pretty bloody quickly. He had a fairly quick bouncer, and could be deceptively quick because it all came in the last few steps of his run-up.

EDIT: I'm obviously not saying that he deserves to be named in this sort of company, but he could bowl at a similar pace to McGrath. Just because he was a fair bit shorter and didn't really bowl with the new ball, though, he ends up being referred to as a medium pacer.

 

[Xuhaib]

Run-up - Michael Holding
Action - Richard Hadlee
Attitude- Dennis Lillee
Variation- Wasim Akram
Athleticism- Allan Donald
Wrist action - Imran Khan
Outswing- Kapil Dev
Inswing- Imran Khan
Incutter- Mohd Asif
Outcutter - Malcom Marshall
Yorker - Wagar Younis
Bouncer - Andy Roberts
Longevity- Courtney Walsh
Akward Bounce- Curtley Ambrose
Beamer- Brett Lee
Slow Ball- Ian Harvey
Control- Glenn McGrath
Half Volley- Mohd Sami

Ok slight change.

Best Yorker- Garner
Best Reverse Swing- Waqar or Malinga
Best Slow Ball- Prasad ?

 

[Perm]

mostly because mullets suck

Boooo.

 

[SJS]

Run-up - Michael Holding
Action - Richard Hadlee
Attitude- Dennis Lillee
Variation- Wasim Akram
Athleticism- Allan Donald
Wrist action - Imran Khan
Outswing- Kapil Dev
Inswing- Imran Khan
Incutter- Mohd Asif
Outcutter - Malcom Marshall
Yorker - Wagar Younis
Bouncer - Andy Roberts
Longevity- Courtney Walsh
Akward Bounce- Curtley Ambrose
Beamer- Brett Lee
Slow Ball- Ian Harvey
Control- Glenn McGrath
Half Volley- Mohd Sami

Merv Dillon - Scowl
Srinath - look of victim of travesty of justice

Both after being hammered to or above the boundary off a long hop

 

[Athlai]

What just happened factor - Malinga

 

[shankar]

Who had the best glare?

 

[Chubby Rain]

Who had the best glare?

Ambrose, when he was in the mood.

 

[honestbharani]

best way to look like an idiot by sledging batters - Nel and Sreesanth.

 

[Athlai]

Best Jellybeen Fuelled performance - Khan

 

[adharcric]

Who had the best glare?

Sreesanth. Come on, at least he tries.

 

[The Sean]

Particularly agree with these.

Slow Ball - Ray Lindwall
Sheer Pace - Jeff Thomson

Suggest these. Ian Harvey belongs nowhere near this list.

Agreed, I reckon Lindwall is a strong contender for best run-up and action as well - I love watching the old footage of him bowling. Larwood too - uncannily similar to Lindwall, though a little higher and more powerful and not quite as smooth.

I've never seen footage, but from what I've read Ted McDonald would also be a contender for best/smoothest run-up. Neville, what do you remember of him...?

 

[umop 3p!sdn]

We had an argument about the meaning of "pace" but what about "fast" is hard to understand?

Boje speed can be underestimated, I'm sure he's left some battle wounds on the odd batsmen.

 

[Richard]

Not seen anything really of Thomson, but Shoaib is the only one I've ever seen blow batting lineups apart with sheer pace.

Not really - I've only ever seen him take 1 single wicket (of a genuine batsman - and a WAn to boot) purely by beating for pace.

 

[Richard]

It's interesting, Harvey when he wanted to could ramp it up and bowl pretty bloody quickly. He had a fairly quick bouncer, and could be deceptively quick because it all came in the last few steps of his run-up.

EDIT: I'm obviously not saying that he deserves to be named in this sort of company, but he could bowl at a similar pace to McGrath. Just because he was a fair bit shorter and didn't really bowl with the new ball, though, he ends up being referred to as a medium pacer.

I recall Harvey bowling at at least 85mph in some domestic finals in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

 

[Richard]

Run-up - Michael Holding
Action - Richard Hadlee
Attitude- Dennis Lillee
Variation- Wasim Akram
Athleticism- Allan Donald
Wrist action - Imran Khan
Outswing- Kapil Dev
Inswing- Imran Khan
Incutter- Mohd Asif
Outcutter - Malcom Marshall
Yorker - Wagar Younis
Bouncer - Andy Roberts
Longevity- Courtney Walsh
Akward Bounce- Curtley Ambrose
Beamer- Brett Lee
Slow Ball- Ian Harvey
Control- Glenn McGrath
Half Volley- Mohd Sami

Could put Donald fairly close to the top of all of those, TBH (barring the Half-Volley, Beamer bits), something you could do for few if any others. Marshall's outswinger and inswinger were both the stuff of legend, however. Just that nothing stood-out above other traits the way they did with Imran et al, because Marshall could bowl everything you could want.

 

[neville cardus]

It's interesting, Harvey when he wanted to could ramp it up and bowl pretty bloody quickly. He had a fairly quick bouncer, and could be deceptively quick because it all came in the last few steps of his run-up.

Yes, Freak could be startlingly rapid, but I think that he preferred the irksome guile of his medium-pacers.

EDIT: I'm obviously not saying that he deserves to be named in this sort of company, but he could bowl at a similar pace to McGrath. Just because he was a fair bit shorter and didn't really bowl with the new ball, though, he ends up being referred to as a medium pacer.

Rightly so, too, because he bowled at medium pace far oftener than he flung it down.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Yes, Freak could be startlingly rapid, but I think that he preferred the irksome guile of his medium-pacers.



Rightly so, too, because he bowled at medium pace far oftener than he flung it down.

At his last club in Melbourne, he was bestowed with the nickname "Harvey Norman".

In Australia, Harvey Norman is an electronics store, which often has deals that involve "no interest".

 

[neville cardus]

I've never seen footage, but from what I've read Ted McDonald would also be a contender for best/smoothest run-up. Neville, what do you remember of him...?

Ah yes! Ted McDonald! I agree unequivocally, Sean. His was without doubt the most pleasingly elegant action that I ever did see -- silky as Ranji's flannels and effortlessly potent as Victor's off-drive. 'Twas a glorious sight, and one which will remain imprinted on my mind forever.

Most of McDonald's innate splendour, I'd venture, stemmed from the fact that he was a manifestly side-on bowler; I've always preferred that sort to the open-chested tyranny that we see so frequently nowadays. His head and shoulders were in positions which epitomised perfection; the action (as with all of the most quintessentially handsome) was high and strong and forceful, yet it carried with it more than just feral, untamed might; there was a polished sort of loveliness to it, a grace to which not even my prolific pen could possibly do justice -- yet even with his gorgeous grace there came a perpetual menace, that element of nastiness without which a fast bowler simply cannot do his malevolent best. McDonald was as a carnivorous swan, a ferocious bamby, and I loved him all the more for it.

 

[Richard]

At his last club in Melbourne, he was bestowed with the nickname "Harvey Norman".

In Australia, Harvey Norman is an electronics store, which often has deals that involve "no interest".

Interesting. Harvey did more than once strike me as someone who was more concerned about having a good time than making the most out of any cricketing ability he may have had.

Not meaning to sound harsh, but he often experimented too much for my liking. He had several superb seasons, but went off the boil rather earlier than some.

 

[Matt79]

Agreed, I reckon Lindwall is a strong contender for best run-up and action as well - I love watching the old footage of him bowling. Larwood too - uncannily similar to Lindwall, though a little higher and more powerful and not quite as smooth.

I've never seen footage, but from what I've read Ted McDonald would also be a contender for best/smoothest run-up. Neville, what do you remember of him...?

Ray did of course decide to become a fast bowler after seeing Larwood bowl, and sought to emulate Larwood's style in his own - although its probably overstating it to say he copied it lock-stock...