Medium-pacers

[chicane]

Harmison is fast. His average speed is above 90mph (145kph).

Not always, maybe around 88-89. Anywayz Zaheer Khan averages like that when fit, yet he's 'only' fast-medium.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Harmo is quicker than Zaheer - when he's fired up, he can really get pace up.

 

[masterblaster]

Zaheer has really slowed down due to injuries. There was a time when he hit about 142 kph.

Same with Agarkar, there was a time when he used to send down quick ones at about 142-143 kph. Now he's going more for consistency and accuracy.

Which is a good thing.

 

[Arjun]

Not always, maybe around 88-89. Anywayz Zaheer Khan averages like that when fit, yet he's 'only' fast-medium.

Zaheer is not a natural fast bowler- he just has a lot more muscle than all the Salvis and Balajis. He loses pace in unhelpful conditions or when he bowls a lot of overs. He doesn't maintain that pace. Not once has he got to the 150+ mark.

Same with Agarkar, there was a time when he used to send down quick ones at about 142-143 kph. Now he's going more for consistency and accuracy.

Which is a good thing.

He never had the body for fast bowling, so he wouldn't last long as a fast bowler. For his size, he has to bowl slower. If he was as tall as Harmison, he could be one of the best fast bowlers in action.

 

[Mingster]

Agarkar is not accurate.

 

[masterblaster]

I never said he was, I said he is 'going' or aiming for accuracy.

 

[Waughney]

Not once has he got to the 150+ mark.

Not many people do.

 

[Arjun]

Not many people do

At least one of the top five should. Australia's pace attack has Brett Lee and probably Shaun Tait (or even Jason Gillespie in top form), England has Harmison and Jones (or even Flintoff at his best), New Zealand has Bond (when fit) and Butler (when picked), Pakistan have quite a few, South Africa have Ngam (when fit), Zondeki (when fit) and Ntini (at his best) and a few more, and the West Indians have Lason, who touched 150+ in the World Cup. Why can't the Indians? Why are all their 'fast bowlers' just medium-pacers? Probably there is a lack of awareness about express pace. No doubt the awareness about accuracy and swing is good, but pace should not be left out.

 

[deeps]

nantie hayward was quick,around 150 if i recall correctly,and ntini was up there too..wat happneed to hayward?

 

[chicane]

Zaheer is not a natural fast bowler- he just has a lot more muscle than all the Salvis and Balajis. He loses pace in unhelpful conditions or when he bowls a lot of overs. He doesn't maintain that pace. Not once has he got to the 150+ mark.

He never had the body for fast bowling, so he wouldn't last long as a fast bowler. For his size, he has to bowl slower. If he was as tall as Harmison, he could be one of the best fast bowlers in action.

Wait a minute. Why does Zaheer have to be tall to bowl quick. Ever heard of Marshall and more recently Gough? Zaheer has been timed over 150, i've seen it myself, in the tour of England in 2002. But at the same tme how many times does Harmison exceed 150? Both bowl at around 90 mph with harmison being quicker by around 2 mph. Yet he's FAST and Zaheer is Fast Medium. The classifications are bullshit, there are a million such FAST bowlers listed on cricinfo.

 

[chicane]

Zaheer has really slowed down due to injuries. There was a time when he hit about 142 kph.

Same with Agarkar, there was a time when he used to send down quick ones at about 142-143 kph. Now he's going more for consistency and accuracy.

Which is a good thing.

I think he'll still bowl at that pace, he was just too early into the side in Pakistan.

 

[chicane]

Not many people do.

Yep. Not even Harmison regularly.

 

[Arjun]

Why does Zaheer have to be tall to bowl quick. Ever heard of Marshall and more recently Gough?

Zaheer is already tall, and so is Gough. Even Marshall was quite tall. Not giants, but tall by Indian standards- many fast bowlers of the past and present were/are as tall as Tendulkar. No tearaway fast bowler is as short.

Zaheer has been timed over 150, i've seen it myself, in the tour of England in 2002.

Either you may have misread that, or it may have been a defective speedgun.

But at the same tme how many times does Harmison exceed 150?

Quite often, but once he gets more than 25 overs, he loses pace.

The classifications are bullshit, there are a million such FAST bowlers listed on cricinfo.

There are a few wild ones, such as that one for Richard Johnson (RM), when he's faster than most RM's in international cricket, and also one for Vasbert Drakes - does he ever look RF to you? Not to me!

nantie hayward was quick,around 150 if i recall correctly,and ntini was up there too..wat happneed to hayward?

He may have fallen out of favour with the selectors, and is now playing county cricket.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Size has nothing to do with bowling fast, but rather with what is done with the ball whilst bowling fast (ie bounce etc). As Fidel Edwards and Tino Best.

 

[Arjun]

Size has nothing to do with bowling fast, but rather with what is done with the ball whilst bowling fast (ie bounce etc). As Fidel Edwards and Tino Best.

Size may neither be everything, nor the only thing, but it is something, for a fast bowler. According to Dennis Lillee, fast bowlers have unique muscles which help them bowl faster, which may be the case with Edwards and Best, who are a lot taller than most Indian fast bowlers.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Edwards and Best aren't tall at all. How tall is the average Indian pacer?

 

[tooextracool]

Zaheer is already tall, and so is Gough. Even Marshall was quite tall. Not giants, but tall by Indian standards- many fast bowlers of the past and present were/are as tall as Tendulkar. No tearaway fast bowler is as short.

care to name a few fast bowlers who were/are as tall as tendulkar??? and gough and zaheer are relatively short for fast bowlers.....anybody under 6 feet is considered to be short for a fast bowler!
regardless you've got the whole thing mixed up, its not height that gives you more pace.....in fact the best short bowlers tend to be fast. taller bowlers tend to get more out of a wicket than short bowlers hence the tendency to be more effective even without pace(glenn mcgrath).

 

[chicane]

Zaheer is already tall, and so is Gough. Even Marshall was quite tall. Not giants, but tall by Indian standards- many fast bowlers of the past and present were/are as tall as Tendulkar. No tearaway fast bowler is as short.

Ok so? I thought you were saying that harmo bowls quick because he's tall. And Zaheer's height is very much average for a fast bowler. Gough was even shorter, less than 6'. Which fast bowler right now is Sachin's height?! Shortest i've seen is AA and even he's 4 inches taller than SRT.

Either you may have misread that, or it may have been a defective speedgun.

Or you didn't see it and so it doesn't exist, right? That ball was delivered at Headingly I think. Even in practice at MRF PF in Chennai in 2002 (when he was taking over the mantle) Dennis Lilee had special praise for his pace and rated him among the quickest in the world, saying he was regularly bowling in the 145-150 region.

Quite often, but once he gets more than 25 overs, he loses pace.

I've been watching him since the Eng WI series and seen the avg and top pace figures, he probably topped off at 93 mph, now Shoaib's average ball comes in at around 94 mph, and he gets it up to 100, what a difference. I'm not saying Harmo isn't quick, but he isn't in Shoaib/Sami/Lee/Bond league.(who are really FAST)

There are a few wild ones, such as that one for Richard Johnson (RM), when he's faster than most RM's in international cricket, and also one for Vasbert Drakes - does he ever look RF to you? Not to me!

I think I remember Mervyn Dillon shown as FAST in the 2002 tour of India, then Ashish Nehra shown as Medium Fast and Chaminda Vaas shown as Fast Medium. Alan Donald was shown as FAST all through his career, while Srinath was shown as fast medium. Micheal Kasprowicz is shown as FAST. There seems to be no logic to these classifications, anyway like it matters.

 

[GermanShepherd]

Edwards and Best, who are a lot taller than most Indian fast bowlers.

Edwards is 5"8 and Best, 5"7 as per cricinfo reports.

The shortest bowler in India's national squad is Agarkar who is 5"9.
Everyone else is six foot or over (i.e Zaheer, Pathan, Balaji, Nehra).

Even the A team bowlers (Aiyappa, Munaf, Salvi and Trivedi) are six feet or above.

So I don't see how you came to your conclusion.

 

[chicane]

Edwards and Best aren't tall at all. How tall is the average Indian pacer?

All of the current ones are around the 6 mark. Munaf Patel is around 6'4.