There is some footage here from his debut series. Check 1:20 onwards and throughout the video. Seems a yard quicker than where he was later on. He is actually bouncing out batsmen.
Not express, but he was labeled a genuine fast for the majority of his career. Fastest I remember seeing him timed was something like 148, but my memory is hazy. May have clocked faster while I was watching that I don't remember, when I wasn't watching, or when the gun wasn't on (and there was seldom a gun early in his career).
1996 WC, Pollock was one on one was as quick as Donald. That was the first time I saw him and my reaction was "****, how does he bowl that quick with that lazy runup?"
Donald, Schultz and Pollock in same match. That is some serious heat, very similar to what West Indies managed to produce in 80s.
They also had Fanie Devilliers around that time. Really quality pace stocks.
Yeah he was good enough as a fourth seamer but well below the others. That 8fer was amazing in that in my recollection I wondered how he got those wickets since he didnt seem that menacing.
MacMillan, Snell and Matthews were not express, Big Mac could hit the bat hard, but others were pretty much fast medium. Nantie Hayward was fast but his compass was most of the time has gone haywire
Snell was still pretty quick, although far from express. The other 2 were slow, and the only quality players on that list.
I have seen Snell in action in 1994 tour to SL, and looked very pedestrian. Dulip Liyanage and Champaka Ramanayake were hurrying batsmen more than him. Liyanage of course was pacy, but Ramanayake was just medium fast. On Snell's side of story he bowled mostly to de Silva and Ranatunga, who were playing Donald and Schultz pretty well.
Long time ago and he didn't play much, but I thought he looked 140+, and he looks pretty quick on youtube to me. Mathews was low 130s and looked a fair bit slower. Mcmillan from the few balls I saw clocked was also low 130s, but judging his pace was beyond me.
