The Most Entertaining Pace Bowler to Watch

[Burgey]

Mitchell Johnson was always entertaining. You never knew what type of entertainment you might get, but it was always there.

 

[Shady Slim]

guy who can't quite remember the quote from forrest gump:

Mitchell Johnson was always entertaining. You never knew what type of entertainment you might get, but it was always there.

 

[Xuhaib]

Shoaib Akhtar in 2002 was borderline superhuman.

Being a big muscular guy he was not built for fast bowling, but he persisted and generated pace through brute strength unlike someone with a complex biomechanical rhythm in Michael Holding.

He is still having knee issues even today shows how much he put his body through.

Shoaib 95-00 had an athletic built quite suited to pace bowling he lacked flexibility of a Holding or Mohammad Sami but was athletic enough later on he decided to go for brute strength and incorporated some body building training in his fitness I would not be surprised if some anabolics were involved. I belive he got obsessed with hitting 100 mph and decided to get their he needed more explosive strength and that shaved some years in his career he played till 2011 but was really done by 2006 I believe Pakistan would have been better served had he focused on becoming an 88-92 mph bowler as he enough skills and bowling intelligence (in general he is a very mentally sharp guy) to do well at those speeds and would have allowed him to stay on the field for longer periods.

 

[Arachnodouche]

His action also became noticeably suspicious as he piled on the muscle. At the start there was a legit case for hyperextension but by the time he destroyed Aus in Colombo (?), he was pretty blatant about it. I don't know about his intelligence though; always strikes me as one of those guys who become unbearably sappy once they've had a few drinks.

 

[subshakerz]

Shoaib 95-00 had an athletic built quite suited to pace bowling he lacked flexibility of a Holding or Mohammad Sami but was athletic enough later on he decided to go for brute strength and incorporated some body building training in his fitness I would not be surprised if some anabolics were involved. I belive he got obsessed with hitting 100 mph and decided to get their he needed more explosive strength and that shaved some years in his career he played till 2011 but was really done by 2006 I believe Pakistan would have been better served had he focused on becoming an 88-92 mph bowler as he enough skills and bowling intelligence (in general he is a very mentally sharp guy) to do well at those speeds and would have allowed him to stay on the field for longer periods.

Shoaib was his own worst enemy. Questionable fitness and attitude, long needless run up, obsession with speed. On top of that, he wasnt mentored well by Wasim and Waqar who were insecure. And he also lacked true bowling support. He was paired with wicket non-takers like Sami and Kaneria meaning he was really the only threat and had to go through long spells.

However, the phase from 2002 to 2007, he averaged something like 18 I think and was the deadiest short spell bowler imaginable. But really he should have ended up with 300 wickets and been a bonafide great with Imran, Wasim and Waqar.

 

[Xuhaib]

Shoaib was his own worst enemy. Questionable fitness and attitude, long needless run up, obsession with speed. On top of that, he wasnt mentored well by Wasim and Waqar who were insecure. And he also lacked true bowling support. He was paired with wicket non-takers like Sami and Kaneria meaning he was really the only threat and had to go through long spells.

However, the phase from 2002 to 2007, he averaged something like 18 I think and was the deadiest short spell bowler imaginable. But really he should have ended up with 300 wickets and been a bonafide great with Imran, Wasim and Waqar.

Yeah he was very good when he got the hang of test match lengths initially he was either too short or too full but Pakistan would have benifitted more if he had had averaged 22 in his peak not 18 but stayed at the park a bit more.

 

[Uppercut]

Peak Johnson at the Ashes probably.

Yeah this for me too. Just lined them up one after the other like he was at a firing range. He might as well have been shooting at them for all the time they had to react. The context of him having been bullied by England fans for years made it extra satisfying.

 

[Gob]

Shoaib 95-00 had an athletic built quite suited to pace bowling he lacked flexibility of a Holding or Mohammad Sami but was athletic enough later on he decided to go for brute strength and incorporated some body building training in his fitness I would not be surprised if some anabolics were involved. I belive he got obsessed with hitting 100 mph and decided to get their he needed more explosive strength and that shaved some years in his career he played till 2011 but was really done by 2006 I believe Pakistan would have been better served had he focused on becoming an 88-92 mph bowler as he enough skills and bowling intelligence (in general he is a very mentally sharp guy) to do well at those speeds and would have allowed him to stay on the field for longer periods.

Got them STDs too IIRC. PCB openly announced it or something can't remember. Fastest i can recall him was from99 WC. he was lightning

 

[Gob]

His action also became noticeably suspicious as he piled on the muscle. At the start there was a legit case for hyperextension but by the time he destroyed Aus in Colombo (?), he was pretty blatant about it. I don't know about his intelligence though; always strikes me as one of those guys who become unbearably sappy once they've had a few drinks.

haha great someone noticed it at last

So different. Almost Waqar like

 

[Bolo.]

Yeah this for me too. Just lined them up one after the other like he was at a firing range. He might as well have been shooting at them for all the time they had to react. The context of him having been bullied by England fans for years made it extra satisfying.

Not entirely sure I enjoyed peak Mitch., despite it being the arguably the best bowling spectacle in my.time of.watching cricket. I love the threat of a fast bowler, and bats cowering in fear, but i dont want people to.actually get hurt.

Massively to his credit, he was too much for me.

 

[subshakerz]

Not entirely sure I enjoyed peak Mitch., despite it being the arguably the best bowling spectacle in my.time of.watching cricket. I love the threat of a fast bowler, and bats cowering in fear, but i dont want people to.actually get hurt.

Massively to his credit, he was too much for me.

I think peak Mitch was actually the first test in SA the following series when he did the same to an even better batting lineup in their own backyard.

That delivery to DuPlessis is the stuff of nightmares. ABD was the only batsman to counter him, Mitch had to resort to slower balls to get him out.

 

[Kirkut]

Shoaib 95-00 had an athletic built quite suited to pace bowling he lacked flexibility of a Holding or Mohammad Sami but was athletic enough later on he decided to go for brute strength and incorporated some body building training in his fitness I would not be surprised if some anabolics were involved. I belive he got obsessed with hitting 100 mph and decided to get their he needed more explosive strength and that shaved some years in his career he played till 2011 but was really done by 2006 I believe Pakistan would have been better served had he focused on becoming an 88-92 mph bowler as he enough skills and bowling intelligence (in general he is a very mentally sharp guy) to do well at those speeds and would have allowed him to stay on the field for longer periods.

Chris Tremlett is another example I can think of who lost pace with more muscle he put on. Flintoff was not a gym freak but like Akhtar he relied on raw strength and got injured often.

 

[subshakerz]

Chris Tremlett is another example I can think of who lost pace with more muscle he put on. Flintoff was not a gym freak but like Akhtar he relied on raw strength and got injured often.

Flitnoff was the guy who mocked Shoaib for looking like Tarzan and bowling like Jane.

Then England toured Pakistan shortly after and Shoaib ripped them up.

 

[Kirkut]

Mitchell Johnson was always entertaining. You never knew what type of entertainment you might get, but it was always there.

Johnson had the most lethal short ball ever, you didnt need speed guns to know how scary he was.

We were seriously lucky not to face him at his prime, unlike England and South Africa.

 

[Daemon]

India did face Johnson in his prime - but the pitches completely negated any threat. That **** broke him.

 

[honestbharani]

India did face Johnson in his prime - but the pitches completely negated any threat. That **** broke him.

Nah.. this is the **** that broke him.

 

[Flem274*]

typical indians claiming credit for the good honest work of kane williamson, ross taylor and a flat aussie deck.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Those 2 seasons both contributed to it. The 2015-16 (v NZ) wickets are what finished him off, but the 2014-15 (v Ind) wickets softened him up.

Imagine coming off the 13/14 Ashes where Johnson destroyed England with pace and the very next season you dish out the slowest, lowest, flattest wickets in Australian history. Curators have questions to answer.

 

[Xuhaib]

typical indians claiming credit for the good honest work of kane williamson, ross taylor and a flat aussie deck.

No it was Younis Khan and UAE heat that landed the first blow. Kohli and friends continued the beat down and then Williamson team landed the finisher.

 

[Xuhaib]

His action also became noticeably suspicious as he piled on the muscle. At the start there was a legit case for hyperextension but by the time he destroyed Aus in Colombo (?), he was pretty blatant about it. I don't know about his intelligence though; always strikes me as one of those guys who become unbearably sappy once they've had a few drinks.

Nah he is quite a smart guy if you can sidestep the nauseating self praise and badmashi / phainta crap there is some decent tactical/technical input from him when he talks about fast bowling.

Also pretty great self marketer the way he has marketed himself to the low IQ sub cont cricketing masses through social media leaves me quite impressed its really an art to know your target market and do the sales pitch right to the cue Shoaib knows this art.