Ambrose or Mcgrath?

[smash84]

Seems like Hadlee played for about the same duration.

so did wasim

 

[tshep]

mcgrath

 

[OverratedSanity]

so did wasim

What Walsh remarkable though was that he bowled really fast and hit the deck hard right till the end. Wasim and Hadlee were different kinds if bowlers. 18 years of that kind of bowling must really take a toll on the body.

 

[robelinda]

Wals was just above medium pace by the end. Mostly around 130.

 

[cricmahanty]

Played more test matches and thus bowled more deliveries than both Hadlee and Wasim. Thus the Cricinfo tag of having bowled faster for longer than any man in history.

As for the pace, I'd like to believe that in his prime, Walsh must have been quicker than Hadlee. Slowed down towards the end of his career to the low 130s though.

 

[Manee]

Wals was just above medium pace by the end. Mostly around 130.

Got some occasionally massive seam movement in his final series in England in 2000, but yes was medium pace. I've never understood how a bowler like Walsh or Asif can get so much more seam movement (movement to the level of a spinner) than everyone else. I understand there is more to it but it seems to be a matter of just hitting the seam, which most pace bowlers do attempt to do successfully at some point.

 

[Prince EWS]

Got some occasionally massive seam movement in his final series in England in 2000, but yes was medium pace. I've never understood how a bowler like Walsh or Asif can get so much more seam movement (movement to the level of a spinner) than everyone else. I understand there is more to it but it seems to be a matter of just hitting the seam, which most pace bowlers do attempt to do successfully at some point.

Ahh Asif. It hurts me that we'll never be talking about him in these sort of threads.

 

[smash84]

asif was such a ridiculously skilled bowler......it is unfortunate that he was a massively skillful cheat as well

 

[Slifer]

I put Courtney Walsh in the same bracket as the likes of Jason Gillespie: ****ing awesome and if offered one for my team I'd take them every time, but they're not quite on the same level as Marshall, Hadlee, McGrath, Ambrose, Imran, Lillee, Trueman and friends.

Top tier : Ambrose, Marshall, Hadlee, Wasim, Imran, Trueman, Donald, Steyn, Lillee, Mcgrath
2nd tier : Garner, Walsh, Roberts, Holding, Waqar, Pollock, Lindwall, Ahktar, Davidson, Hall, etc

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Got some occasionally massive seam movement in his final series in England in 2000, but yes was medium pace. I've never understood how a bowler like Walsh or Asif can get so much more seam movement (movement to the level of a spinner) than everyone else. I understand there is more to it but it seems to be a matter of just hitting the seam, which most pace bowlers do attempt to do successfully at some point.

I think it's down to the amount of backspin one can impart on the ball (WARNING, Physics ahead). The faster a ball spins along its seam the greater rotational inertia it has so the angled edge of the seam will hit the turf and provide more movement as the seam due to the rotational inertia holds a significant "rigidity" to its motion. It isn't just going to hit the pitch and scramble so more change of direction will occur.

 

[kyear2]

Top tier : Ambrose, Marshall, Hadlee, Wasim, Imran, Trueman, Donald, Steyn, Lillee, Mcgrath
2nd tier : Garner, Walsh, Roberts, Holding, Waqar, Pollock, Lindwall, Ahktar, Davidson, Hall, etc

Would definitely place Holding and possibly but not definitively Garner and Waqar into the first group.

 

[robelinda]

Walsh moved the ball a RIDICULOUS amount on that Eng 2000 tour. Unplayable spells. He and Curtly just couldnt rip through the whole batting lineup on their own though, the rest of the attack was close to ****** standard. There would be barely a single hit for 10 overs of Walsh/Curtly, then King or Maclean would come on and get smacked around for an hour.

 

[kyear2]

Walsh moved the ball a RIDICULOUS amount on that Eng 2000 tour. Unplayable spells. He and Curtly just couldnt rip through the whole batting lineup on their own though, the rest of the attack was close to ****** standard. There would be barely a single hit for 10 overs of Walsh/Curtly, then King or Maclean would come on and get smacked around for an hour.

yup, remember those days clearly. Those are the days a quality spinner would have been useful. King did have potential, just never managed to harness it.

 

[sambha]

Mcgrath any day!!!