Migara
International Coach
Any one would. Even that man doesn't know where the ball pitches.
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Lara vs De Villiers against pace
- Thread starter PlayerComparisons
- Start date
Yep..AB did really well vs pace otherwise.
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
Remember Lara smashing him in the 2007 WC. So much for struggles against "genuince pace"
HouHsiaoHsien
International Debutant
ABD is better tho against express pace(would take very few in cricket history over him), although Lara is superlative against medium pace, and overall the better player of fast bowlingRemember Lara smashing him in the 2007 WC. So much for struggles against "genuince pace"
PlayerComparisons
International Vice-Captain
What speed do you guys consider medium pace and fast?
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Slifer
International Captain
Not including speeds but just eye test:
Express:
Thompson
Holding
Patterson
Early Waqar
Shoaib
Lee
Tait
Mohammed Zahid
Fast
Marshall
Akram
Bond
Lillee
Bishop
Donald
Rabada
Fast medium
Ambrose
Walsh
Garner
Steyn
Imran
Bumrah
Medium Fast
McGrath
Pollock
Hadlee
Philander
Ok I'll admit some of the above is convoluted but for me, Express are those bowlers generally in the 90-95 mph+ range, Fast: occasionally in the 90+ but generally between 85 and 90, Fast-medium: between 85 and 80. Medium-fast: generally don't go much over 80 mph.
Express:
Thompson
Holding
Patterson
Early Waqar
Shoaib
Lee
Tait
Mohammed Zahid
Fast
Marshall
Akram
Bond
Lillee
Bishop
Donald
Rabada
Fast medium
Ambrose
Walsh
Garner
Steyn
Imran
Bumrah
Medium Fast
McGrath
Pollock
Hadlee
Philander
Ok I'll admit some of the above is convoluted but for me, Express are those bowlers generally in the 90-95 mph+ range, Fast: occasionally in the 90+ but generally between 85 and 90, Fast-medium: between 85 and 80. Medium-fast: generally don't go much over 80 mph.
PlayerComparisons
International Vice-Captain
Steyn, Imran, Bumrah as fast medium 
subshakerz
Hall of Fame Member
I agree on the speed ranges.
But Ambrose, Steyn, Imran and Bumrah are easily fast by that measure. Assuming we are talking at their prime.
PlayerComparisons
International Vice-Captain
McGrath was probably fast medium while Philander was medium pace
Slifer
International Captain
Well yeah prime Ambrose and Steyn were probably closer to fast. Most of what i know about Imran was radio coverage, very little televised. Bumrah is probably fast as well yes.
PlayerComparisons
International Vice-Captain
Express: 90-95: Shoaib, Lee
Fast: 85-90: Cummins, Bumrah, Steyn, Rabada, Gillespie
Fast medium: 80-85: McGrath, Pollock, Anderson, Hazlewood
Medium: 75-80: Philander
Fast: 85-90: Cummins, Bumrah, Steyn, Rabada, Gillespie
Fast medium: 80-85: McGrath, Pollock, Anderson, Hazlewood
Medium: 75-80: Philander
subshakerz
Hall of Fame Member
Early 80s Imran was most definitely fast. Steyn did operate in the 85 to 90 zone similar to Bumrah.
For South Africans, I am very well aquainted with both the eye test and the gun speeds. Donald was significantly faster than Rabada. Guns weren't really a thing until he was aging out, and IDK how fast he bowled early, but quick. He probably meets your definition of express by guns until he was 33 or so. Not sure if he belongs in the express category looking at the names you have picked, but early on, he was probably comparable to peak Waqar, and significantly quicker over career.
Steyn was a bit quicker than Rabada. Tricky comparison. Steyn topped out comparably, or a bit quicker. He bowled within himself in his last few years, but spent most of his career trying to be evil. Rabada got screwed by shitty management, and has spent most of his career bowling what I would call FM.
Pollock and Philander are absolutely not in the same speed category. Early Pollock might meet your gun definitions of express, or what I would call fast. He was Philander speed after mutiple injuries, but that's a minority of career, and Philander was always slow.
sayon basak
International Debutant
Imran was occasionally faster than medium pace, but was quite fast when he wanted to be. Steyn and Bumrah as fast medium should raise some eyebrows tho.Steyn, Imran, Bumrah as fast medium
Pretty sure Walsh and Steyn didn't bowl at the same pace.
Did you get to watch Imran during his career?
From what I have seen, he looks like genuine fast to me. But he is before my time, and highlights are a terrible way to judge a player.
sayon basak
International Debutant
No.
subshakerz
Hall of Fame Member
The speed tests in the late 70s shower him third behind Holding and Thommo.
Not sure those speed comps mean that much in terms of comparison to modern players. It's measured in a very different way.
And measuring some seriously done by dates players against some in their physical prime doesn't give much info on how fast they were over career.
subshakerz
Hall of Fame Member
Fair enough. Based on accounts and footage of him beating batsmen through the air, I would put prime Imran around Steyn level, as in consistently mid-80s and capable of cranking it to early 90s.
Here's a decent sample between him and Viv in their primes.
OverratedSanity
Request Your Custom Title Now!
Steyn could vary his pace a ton between spells which is why he's probably my favourite bowler ever to watch. At his best he bowled "only" mid 130s with the new ball to control the swing but then could crank it up all the way to 90+mph if he came back with the older ball and there wasn't much purchase. Made for much more exciting viewing than mere line and length merchants .
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