Quickest Bowlers? Today or Yesteryear?

[Wallaby]

A lot of Shield batsman around still have nightmares about Rodney Hogg - at times he could fire up and be very fast and nasty - certainly in the 150s.

I think part of the 'fear factor' comes from how well you see the ball out of the batsman's hand - some seem to have a rhythm that makes following the ball more difficult than others. Mitch Johnson for example.

Mind you, having faced an ex-australian bowler, (who on the field probably barely cracked 130 downhill with a tailwind), in the indoor nets, off four paces, in runners - f### me, he was fast.

 

[PhatBoy]

This is probably one of my favourite spells of all time, and is frighteningly fast at times. South Africans are typically a tough bunch and this side had some hard nuts but they are visibly shitting themselves here.

An interesting comment below the video claimed that Malcolm was clocked in the 140s after he turned 40.

Had he been looked after properly by his selectors he could have had a vastly different career

 

[ROOTA#6]

This is probably one of my favourite spells of all time, and is frighteningly fast at times. South Africans are typically a tough bunch and this side had some hard nuts but they are visibly shitting themselves here.

An interesting comment below the video claimed that Malcolm was clocked in the 140s after he turned 40.

Had he been looked after properly by his selectors he could have had a vastly different career

I reckon it was Michael Slater who said that Devon Malcolm was the quickest he'd faced. He wouldn't have been easy with his action that's for sure

 

[PhatBoy]

I reckon it was Michael Slater who said that Devon Malcolm was the quickest he'd faced. He wouldn't have been easy with his action that's for sure

I’ve only seen a few videos of Michael Holding but Malcolm’s run to the crease always reminded me of it a bit, very laconic and then it became his own - wide on the crease and a flurry on delivery. That first two balls to Gary Kirsten were furiously fast.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I’ve only seen a few videos of Michael Holding but Malcolm’s run to the crease always reminded me of it a bit, very laconic and then it became his own - wide on the crease and a flurry on delivery. That first two balls to Gary Kirsten were furiously fast.

Michael Holding did athletics as a teenager and was a 400m runner. Had such a fluent, easy running style. Probably a good thing for any aspiring fast bowler to do as a kid.

 

[bullish23]

No idea if it was the quickest but Ambrose at the waca 91/92 was the scariest bowling I’ve seen.

 

[Mockcockpit]

I reckon it was Michael Slater who said that Devon Malcolm was the quickest he'd faced. He wouldn't have been easy with his action that's for sure

Gives Slater all he can handle here. The Poms would have killed to have had him at the WACA this week.

 

[footyfan1978]

I’ve only seen a few videos of Michael Holding but Malcolm’s run to the crease always reminded me of it a bit, very laconic and then it became his own - wide on the crease and a flurry on delivery. That first two balls to Gary Kirsten were furiously fast.

The wide of crease part reminds of Colin Croft a bit, but the arm action similar to Andy Roberts.

 

[footyfan1978]

No idea if it was the quickest but Ambrose at the waca 91/92 was the scariest bowling I’ve seen.

Nah, Ambrose not anything special with pace but bounce wise and length very similar to McGrath. Quickest probably over 150 km/h mark but only just.

 

[SwampRat]

I'm going to call bullshit on thommo's claim they measure the speed out of the hand. If that were the case, bouncers would not be 10kmh slower than yorkers but they are.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

I'm going to call bullshit on thommo's claim they measure the speed out of the hand. If that were the case, bouncers would not be 10kmh slower than yorkers but they are.

It’s not Thommo’s claim it’s simply factual. The speed is measure as it leaves the hand in the first metre and a half.
Bouncers off the pitch when they reach the batsman will be slower than a Yorker as the pitch has slowed the ball down but out of the hand I have seen no evidence the ball is released slower.

 

[footyfan1978]

I'm going to call bullshit on thommo's claim they measure the speed out of the hand. If that were the case, bouncers would not be 10kmh slower than yorkers but they are.

It is not his claim. Take your nonsense call to the people and their method back in mid to late 1970's of how they did their measurements then.

 

[thejockey]

I was just a lower grade plodding opening bat for my club. One time, I faced a guy named Terry Keays. I had nfi who he was or what he could do.

Lol!

Haha , one of the fellas at work played against him basically there whole careers . He almost has a story a week about it !

 

[thejockey]

This is probably one of my favourite spells of all time, and is frighteningly fast at times. South Africans are typically a tough bunch and this side had some hard nuts but they are visibly shitting themselves here.

An interesting comment below the video claimed that Malcolm was clocked in the 140s after he turned 40.

Had he been looked after properly by his selectors he could have had a vastly different career

Was unlucky enough to play against him , he would have been early to mid 40s at the time and it was rapid plus some

 

[thejockey]

A lot of Shield batsman around still have nightmares about Rodney Hogg - at times he could fire up and be very fast and nasty - certainly in the 150s.

I think part of the 'fear factor' comes from how well you see the ball out of the batsman's hand - some seem to have a rhythm that makes following the ball more difficult than others. Mitch Johnson for example.

Mind you, having faced an ex-australian bowler, (who on the field probably barely cracked 130 downhill with a tailwind), in the indoor nets, off four paces, in runners - f### me, he was fast.

Hogg played in my comp for a season , luckily I was a bit young at that stage to play against him
The guys at our club couldn't believe how much he moved the ball either way at high pace especially for a guy his age

In the GF he really cranked it up and put the brother of one of my teamates in hospital
Still was seriously quick when in the mood

 

[footyfan1978]

Hogg played in my comp for a season , luckily I was a bit young at that stage to play against him
The guys at our club couldn't believe how much he moved the ball either way at high pace especially for a guy his age


In the GF he really cranked it up and put the brother of one of my teamates in hospital
Still was seriously quick when in the mood

Crazy bastard too. Would hate to face him in his prime. He might have been slower than guys like Thommo and Holdng but if any bowler would make you feel like they really out to hurt you, Hoggy in a bad mood would be the one.

 

[FredLeDeux]

I was just a lower grade plodding opening bat for my club. One time, I faced a guy named Terry Keays. I had nfi who he was or what he could do.

Lol!

Terence Junior could send them down a bit sharpish.
However, he might be better known for his part as the defender against Daicos in this video:

 

[PhatBoy]

Was unlucky enough to play against him , he would have been early to mid 40s at the time and it was rapid plus some

Wow, that’s awesome!! Get a few off him?

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

I'm going to call bullshit on thommo's claim they measure the speed out of the hand. If that were the case, bouncers would not be 10kmh slower than yorkers but they are.

Thommo is right, although the current method is more accurate, it's still all about angle of release.

The speed measurement is across a single, horizontal plane. (visualised as left-to-right). Speed is measured by distance over time. The current tests are much smaller distances (30cm), whereas the original tests were over 2m but the follow similar principles.

A yorker path follows closer to the horizontal (left to right) than a bouncer (top left to bottom right). Ergo, it records a higher speed. It's also why shorter bowlers record higher ratings than their taller compatriots.

The tests showed a ~10-15% difference in release speed comparing bouncers to yorkers (same bowler), with the difference growing to >25% at the batsmen.

Thommo's fastest recorded result was a bouncer, yet it still recorded the fastest release speed overall, suggesting he was upwards of 10% faster than anyone else. He has also mentioned at some point he hadn't warmed up, only bowled a few deliveries and was recovering from a sore shoulder at the time.

I have no doubt Thomson is the fastest of all time, nor that he was noticeably quicker than 2nd. 170? Perhaps.

As to perspective, I was timed in high 120s as a teen and was considered fast. I faced blokes who felt express, but when they went to State level they were considered "Medium" pacers and only just tipped the 130s. Facing a bowling machine and building up to 140 was scary at 145 I stepped back as I couldn't even see the ball.

 

[footyfan1978]

Thommo is right, although the current method is more accurate, it's still all about angle of release.

The speed measurement is across a single, horizontal plane. (visualised as left-to-right). Speed is measured by distance over time. The current tests are much smaller distances (30cm), whereas the original tests were over 2m but the follow similar principles.

A yorker path follows closer to the horizontal (left to right) than a bouncer (top left to bottom right). Ergo, it records a higher speed. It's also why shorter bowlers record higher ratings than their taller compatriots.

The tests showed a ~10-15% difference in release speed comparing bouncers to yorkers (same bowler), with the difference growing to >25% at the batsmen.

Thommo's fastest recorded result was a bouncer, yet it still recorded the fastest release speed overall, suggesting he was upwards of 10% faster than anyone else. He has also mentioned at some point he hadn't warmed up, only bowled a few deliveries and was recovering from a sore shoulder at the time.

I have no doubt Thomson is the fastest of all time, nor that he was noticeably quicker than 2nd. 170? Perhaps.

As to perspective, I was timed in high 120s as a teen and was considered fast. I faced blokes who felt express, but when they went to State level they were considered "Medium" pacers and only just tipped the 130s. Facing a bowling machine and building up to 140 was scary at 145 I stepped back as I couldn't even see the ball.

Well explained. Basically with a bouncer, joe public needs to think about year 10 stuff like Pythagoras's Theorem and consider the horizontal component of the balls velocity for a bouncer is going to be lower than a normal deliveries horizontal component for the same bowler pitching it up further rather than trying to bang it into the ground half way down the pitch which is essentially what he trying to do with a bouncer. So naturally the recorded speed of ball for the same bowler will read slower for times he does bouncers.

 

[SwampRat]

Thanks. So a bouncer is slower not because it slows off the pitch, but because it has further to travel? Makes sense.

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

Thanks. So a bouncer is slower not because it slows off the pitch, but because it has further to travel? Makes sense.

Both actually. It has further to travel, AND it is slower off the pitch.

The measurements used 'out of the hand' are affected by the greater angle discrepancy - almost a "false reading" in a sense, but the ball also expends far more energy on impact with the ground, resulting in greater energy loss than one with a lesser impact angle and a slower delivery once received at the batting crease.

There is much to be said for the effect of perception though. 140k at the throat feels a darn sight quicker than a half-volley wide of off stump.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Both actually. It has further to travel, AND it is slower off the pitch.

The measurements used 'out of the hand' are affected by the greater angle discrepancy - almost a "false reading" in a sense, but the ball also expends far more energy on impact with the ground, resulting in greater energy loss than one with a lesser impact angle and a slower delivery once received at the batting crease.

There is much to be said for the effect of perception though. 140k at the throat feels a darn sight quicker than a half-volley wide of off stump.

And then there's the bat-breaking yorker, the specialty of a couple of "chuckers" I played against in my younger days.

 

[thejockey]

Wow, that’s awesome!! Get a few off him?

enough to not be totally embarrassed but certainly not enough to think i was ever going to be playing test cricket, made me well aware of my place in the game !

 

[Ron The Bear]

Both actually. It has further to travel, AND it is slower off the pitch.

Worth noting that the bouncer is generally an "effort" ball, with most bowlers putting a little extra into it. And as the ball is typically held cross-seam, trajectory tends to vary more than with other balls; it might "prop" and bounce steeper and slower, or it may hit the front of the seam and come through lower and quicker. Anywhere else on the ball and it might skid, depending on the wicket.