The Surfer

Who is the quickest bowler of them all?

Jeff Thomson questions the accuracy of the speed radar used to measure today's quick bowlers, so how do they compare with him

George Binoy
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Jeff Thomson questions the accuracy of the speed radar used to measure today's quick bowlers, so how do they compare with him? asks Mike Selvey in the Guardian.
Brett Lee has been very fast and so was Shaun Tait the other day, for example. Think Shoaib again, or Allan Donald, or Waqar Younis. A lot have bowled quick deliveries from time to time, but sometimes the pitch and the carry flatter to deceive. Graham Gooch, who faced pretty much everything around in the 70s, 80s and early 90s was fearful for his wellbeing only once, against the West Indian Patrick Patterson at Sabina Park. I can honestly say that I have never witnessed bowling consistently faster than that of Michael Holding and Thomson, which leads me down another avenue because of course the argument is hypothetical given the absence of data from the past.

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo