The Fastest Bowler ever?

[sayon basak]

To be honest, extrme pace doesn't preclude the ability to get a lot of movement.

in fact Shoaib showed in his best spells, that the faster the pace, the more insane reverse swing you had the potential to bowl.

Some of his best ever swinging yorkers were freakish even by Waqar standards, and to think they were coming in a yard quicker too.

What about accuracy though, specially in his off days?


And Waqar wasn't an express quick the way Akhtar/Lee/Thomson/Tait were.

 

[Patience and Accuracy+Gut]

To be honest, extrme pace doesn't preclude the ability to get a lot of movement.

in fact Shoaib showed in his best spells, that the faster the pace, the more insane reverse swing you had the potential to bowl.

Some of his best ever swinging yorkers were freakish even by Waqar standards, and to think they were coming in a yard quicker too.

Waqar was just something else.

 

[sayon basak]

As great as McGrath was, I would rather be a Thomson than be McGrath.

Although it's stupid, I'd say it's your choice.

 

[Patience and Accuracy+Gut]

Although it's stupid, I'd say it's your choice.
View attachment 43569

My opinion probably is more influenced by my childhood days and how I have ever played cricket. The only thing I ever tried to do was bowl fast.

 

[shortpitched713]

Waqar was just something else.

He was the most effecive, accurate master of the express swinging Yorker in history, no doubt.

But if you look at some of the individual balls, for example in his spell against New Zealand, I think Shoaib's were among the most unplayable in history. The New Zealand batters couldn't have gotten behind some of those with 3 bats widths, let alone what they were actually using.

 

[sayon basak]

My opinion probably is more influenced by my childhood days and how I have ever played cricket. The only thing I ever tried to do was bowl fast.

Respectable I guess.

 

[slcricfan1]

I thought the speeds in the 2003 world cup were all suspiciously high

 

[DrWolverine]

It’s not just about stats or having a long career. It’s just total different feeling when you have the power to dominate and see the other guy shaking. No stats can ever match that.

True

An express fast bowler like Shoaib or Thomson evokes a thrill and feeling of excitement that can’t be seen through sheer numbers alone

 

[DrWolverine]

And my point was not about bowling too fast. It's cool.

When we were young, we did not want to get the most wickets. We wanted to bowl super fast and wanted to be admired or seen in awe by others.

I am guessing the express fast bowlers have that kind of mentality and it is something they can’t change.

 

[DrWolverine]

Not everyone thinks the same way.No amount of stats can ever give you the same level of personal satisfaction.

Similarly - If Viv Richards played with a little bit of caution, he would have easily won the 3rd World Cup. He could have had much better stats if he changed his style of batting in the later stages of his career but he loved batting in the same way which gave him joy.

 

[Patience and Accuracy+Gut]

Similarly - If Viv Richards played with a little bit of caution, he would have easily won the 3rd World Cup.

No idea here mainly because I have no idea how batsman even think. Especially someone as dominant as Viv.

 

[DrWolverine]

Not everyone thinks the same. Look at Sunil Narine. He would prefer to be a T20 franchise cricketer and earn hundreds of crores rather than play for his country.

 

[honestbharani]

Just look at the flick of the wrist! Unreal stuff!

Yeah but you gotta subtract 8 or 10 Ks for the RSA speed gun. Still an unreal shot obviously.

 

[sayon basak]

Here are all the instances where Brett Lee touched 160 kmph.

 

[sayon basak]

Shoaib Akhtar's fastest over:-

Shoaib Akhtar breaking the 100 mph barrier 💨 #cricket #cricketshorts #ytshorts

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 👉 @ICC Follow us for more 👇 Website - http://www.icc-cricket.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/iccInstagram - http...

youtube.com

Average bowling speed=158.03 kmph

Shaun Tait's fastest over:-

Average bowling speed= 156.41 kmph

Brett Lee's fastest over:-

Average bowling speed= 155.57 kmph

I found a faster over from Lee (vs Eng) where his average speed was 156.13 kmph.

 

[Johan]

Similarly - If Viv Richards played with a little bit of caution, he would have easily won the 3rd World Cup. He could have had much better stats if he changed his style of batting in the later stages of his career but he loved batting in the same way which gave him joy.

I always think of this, and the conclusion always has been that people like Viv Richards, Fred Trueman and so forth, if they played differently and more cautiously to not lose the wicket or leak runs, if they were even a little bit more defensive, they would lose the immense sense of self they had and they wouldn't be as good anymore.