Is Pace An Overrated Asset?

[Tom Halsey]

Very interesting when you consider the respective conditions.

Very looking like Botham was better when you consider the respective conditions.

 

[Arjun]

Pace may not get wickets all the time, but is very lethal when used well. This way, the bowlers will get wickets even in conditions not suited for them- look at Lee, Akhtar, Bond and Harmison.

They add variety and attacking power to an attack which may just be very average and no real problem for a batting side. On flat pitches, they would smash the swing bowlers and line/length bowlers around, but the faster bowlers take wickets.

Even swing bowlers have to be careful. If they don't use swing conditions well, they may not be so effective. On flat pitches, they're targets. They may not adapt to non-swinging or non-seaming conditions too well.

Line/Length bowlers have to last long. Even if they're getting hit for lots of runs, they should stick to the best line and length- McGrath is a role model here, even when there's the odd Razzaq/Cairns who starts hitting him around.

This will make a good pace attack-

A line/length bowler
A swing/seam bowler
A FAST bowler.

 

[tooextracool]

This will make a good pace attack-

A line/length bowler
A swing/seam bowler
A FAST bowler.

err any successful fast bowler must be capable of at least 2 out of those 3......

 

[Arjun]

err any successful fast bowler must be capable of at least 2 out of those 3......

These are each bowler's main strengths. Look at the Australian attack-
McGrath bowls line/length for a long time
Gillespie attacks, with swing and seam at a good pace
Brett Lee bowls at express pace

 

[Pinkline Jones]

Tendulkar the greatest batsmen in the world bar none.
I think that Paul Okon or any of the Australian soccer players for that matter are far more overrated than Posh Beckham.

 

[Camel56]

With regards to pace being an over- rated asset, id have to agree. I think you'll find the ladies are more interested in stamina than speed. Also a big members end helps.

 

[SJS]

Pace alone is clearly over rated. What gets a batsman is his inability to get his bat in the right spot and in that movement (we are not talking slow bowling here) , both in the air and off the wicket, have to be the major ingredient.

Speed can help by being present in addition to movement and control over line and length. By itself, it can beat only the lesser accomplished batsmen.

One has to look at the records of the real speed merchants like Akhtar and Lee from today and Thomson and others from the past and compare them with their peers who had movement and control over line and length as major assets and the argument becomes settles itself. The terror of speed of a new express-bowler-on-the-block last only so long and then people realise if they react to him early and decisively he is not a threat. After that, to survive, they have to , either ad the other virtues to their speed or face a gradual dearture from the scene.

Just look at the top wicket takers in world cricket history and you will see which is the common element among them.

Speed is an asset for faster bowlers but only as an addition to the virtues of control and movement. It is over-rated if one thought it was a weapon by itself.

 

[Tom Halsey]

and not a particularly effective or ineffective bowler.

He was pretty effective last summer, or did I imagine that?

 

[Prince EWS]

Well, I have a rule for bowlers.

You HAVE to have accuracy. There is no getting out of this one! You simply must have it!

And to be a threatening bowler, you must have EITHER pace or movement as well as the accuracy.

If you can find a bowler with all three, thats brilliant, but they are rare.

You need accuracy and either pace or movement (be it swing or seam).

 

[DocHead]

Whether or not they're overrated is one matter, but by God, they are awesome to watch. Brett Lee is the only Aussie I actually like.

From that 1..5 rating, 2,3 & 4 may be the backbone, but 1 & 5 are what makes it worth watching. A wicked fast bowler, and a top class spinner in full cry is as good as Tendulkar in his pomp.

You can't tell me a stump cartwheeling towards the keeper from a nasty inswinging yorker from Sami isn't an incredible sight.

 

[Prince EWS]

Whether or not they're overrated is one matter, but by God, they are awesome to watch. Brett Lee is the only Aussie I actually like.

From that 1..5 rating, 2,3 & 4 may be the backbone, but 1 & 5 are what makes it worth watching. A wicked fast bowler, and a top class spinner in full cry is as good as Tendulkar in his pomp.

You can't tell me a stump cartwheeling towards the keeper from a nasty inswinging yorker from Sami isn't an incredible sight.

But the fact that they are crowd-pleasing surely isnt merit to give them a free ticket into the side!

 

[SJS]

You can't tell me a stump cartwheeling towards the keeper from a nasty inswinging yorker from Sami isn't an incredible sight.

Sure.

So is a screaming drive straight past the bowler hitting the pavillion rails before the fast bowler has completed his follow through. Which is what will happen against a top batsman if the bowling is just fast and up-and-down without movement.

 

[sledger]

He was pretty effective last summer, or did I imagine that?

what have we told you abuot imagining things again ?

 

[sledger]

With regards to pace being an over- rated asset, id have to agree. I think you'll find the ladies are more interested in stamina than speed. Also a big members end helps.

from my recolection the ladies prefer a real camel as opposed to you

 

[twctopcat]

A fast inswinging yorker from someone with the pace of akhtar is the only truly unplayable delivery in cricket IMO.Awesome to watch.

 

[twctopcat]

With regards to Simon Jones i think he has bowled better than his figures suggest and to be fair to him he hasn't actually bowled much at all in 2 years. He himself seems to admit that he is still recovering in terms of rythm since the injury. I think he will be a great asset in years to come.

 

[Richard]

Whether or not they're overrated is one matter, but by God, they are awesome to watch. Brett Lee is the only Aussie I actually like.

So do most of us - he's the only one who gives our sides some respite!(except when MacGill's playing)

 

[Richard]

Pace alone is clearly over rated. What gets a batsman is his inability to get his bat in the right spot and in that movement (we are not talking slow bowling here) , both in the air and off the wicket, have to be the major ingredient.

Speed can help by being present in addition to movement and control over line and length. By itself, it can beat only the lesser accomplished batsmen.

Brilliantly put!
I am so envious of these people who can just say something perfectly first time.
I've been trying to say this for... well, as long as I've realised it was the case (about 3 years)... and I've never managed to put it this well.

Well, I have a rule for bowlers.

You HAVE to have accuracy. There is no getting out of this one! You simply must have it!

And to be a threatening bowler, you must have EITHER pace or movement as well as the accuracy.

If you can find a bowler with all three, thats brilliant, but they are rare.

You need accuracy and either pace or movement (be it swing or seam).

This is excellently phrased too.
But personally I'd say you even pace with excellent accuracy won't cause an especially large amount of problems - even Lee has had spells where he's bowled accurately, and still he hasn't looked like taking many wickets.
Good accuracy alone - not great.
Good accuracy with 90mph pace - not particularly great.
Good accuracy and movement (lots of different techniques) - very good indeed.
Good accuracy, movement and 90mph pace - all-time great in the making.
Movement with 90mph pace but not-exceptional accuracy - bowler who will always pose a threat but will lose as many games as he'll win.

 

[Richard]

A fast inswinging yorker from someone with the pace of akhtar is the only truly unplayable delivery in cricket IMO.Awesome to watch.

Agree with the awesome to watch bit - along with the ball that pitches way outside off on Long-Hop length and turns back to beat the attempted cut and disturb the woodwork.
But IMO a ball that pitches on off and moves away enough to hit the outside edge is equally realistically unplayable. (Nothing is totally unplayable - you can play completely down the wrong line\length and play a ball you have no right to play - it's just not realistic)

 

[twctopcat]

Agree with the awesome to watch bit - along with the ball that pitches way outside off on Long-Hop length and turns back to beat the attempted cut and disturb the woodwork.
But IMO a ball that pitches on off and moves away enough to hit the outside edge is equally realistically unplayable. (Nothing is totally unplayable - you can play completely down the wrong line\length and play a ball you have no right to play - it's just not realistic)

Agreed but i meant the yorker in that if done well enough at 90mph i can't see a way of stopping it unless you have super reactions. With the edge it won't get the batsmen every time if you see my point. I prob wouldn't be good enough to get the edge!