fastest bowler ever?

[open365]

You can't say that no one has ever bowled that fast until you have faced every single delivery ever bowled, which I doubt you have. Many, many spectators, including highly esteemed writers and columnists, have said that they believe that Frank Tyson was faster than any bowler that they have ever seen, and that they could easily understand that he would break the 100mph mark with his stock effort ball, unlike any other bowler. Now I'm not catorgorically stating that I believe that Tyson bowled as fast as he claimed, but given the day and condition, I find no reason why anyone shouldn't believe him, since you don't really get 75 year old men lying about how fast they bowled in internet columns.

Well we obviously do.

119MPH is just unbelievably fast, if you've ever seen anything close to 90mph you'll know that bowling that speed is immpossible.

And hasn't anyone mentioned Mohamad Zahid? Apparently he was quicker than Shoaib.

 

[aussie]

interesting, but i've heard my father & his other friends saying when they went to watch county cricket in the 50's & say Tyson bowling for Lancashire they are convinced he is the fastest bowler off all time.

 

[TT Boy]

And hasn't anyone mentioned Mohamad Zahid? Apparently he was quicker than Shoaib.

Brian Lara called him the fastest bowler in the world at one time. Also there’s a video of Zahid on Google bowling a 105mph yorker though the description states ‘probably faulty radar gun’.

 

[PhoenixFire]

It's weird, either Cricinfo have made a mistake or theres something odd, because it says that he's (Muhammad Zahid) is only Fast Medium, but I saw that video and he's certainly just Fast.

 

[silentstriker]

You can't say that no one has ever bowled that fast until you have faced every single delivery ever bowled, which I doubt you have. Many, many spectators, including highly esteemed writers and columnists, have said that they believe that Frank Tyson was faster than any bowler that they have ever seen, and that they could easily understand that he would break the 100mph mark with his stock effort ball, unlike any other bowler. Now I'm not catorgorically stating that I believe that Tyson bowled as fast as he claimed, but given the day and condition, I find no reason why anyone shouldn't believe him, since you don't really get 75 year old men lying about how fast they bowled in internet columns.

It is physically impossible to bowl a delivery that fast. If it was sligthly faster than the fastest delivery that we know of - then you may be right. But even baseball deliveries aren't bowled that fast. The fastest baseball delivery has been 103 mph (or thereabouts). You expect me to believe that a cricket bowler bowled deliveries 16 mph faster? I don't like using the word impossible - but its impossible. Saying he bowled a delivery at 105mph might be believable (though it would be highly unlikely), but 119 mph is impossible.

I am not disputing nor agreering witht he claim that Tyson was the fastest ever, but he did not bowl at 119 mph.


By the way, I never said he was lying. He might very well believe that he bowled at 119mph, but he is wrong. Whether he is delusional or whether there was a radar gun problem, I don't know.

Its like claiming that someone ran a mile in three minutes. You'd want some proof aside from hearsay. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. The current record being 3 minutes, 43 seconds....its a huge jump to go from 3:43 to 3:00. If someone told me that a person ran a mile in 3:42, or 3:41, it might be believable, but I'd still want to check the news to make sure....but most sane people would dismiss the 3:00 out of hand unless they actually saw it on video or in person.

 

[BoyBrumby]

It is physically impossible to bowl a delivery that fast. If it was sligthly faster than the fastest delivery that we know of - then you may be right. But even baseball deliveries aren't bowled that fast. The fastest baseball delivery has been 103 mph (or thereabouts). You expect me to believe that a cricket bowler bowled deliveries 16 mph faster? I don't like using the word impossible - but its impossible. Saying he bowled a delivery at 105mph might be believable (though it would be highly unlikely), but 119 mph is impossible.

I am not disputing nor agreering witht he claim that Tyson was the fastest ever, but he did not bowl at 119 mph.


By the way, I never said he was lying. He might very well believe that he bowled at 119mph, but he is wrong. Whether he is delusional or whether there was a radar gun problem, I don't know.

Its like claiming that someone ran a two minute mile. You'd want some proof aside from hearsay. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

I'd doubt there were radar guns taking the speed in the 50s.

As for Baseball pitchers, whilst they could certainly generate more power via their arm actions (they are literally chucking it, after all ) they don't have the kinetic energy to help them to assist their speed like fast bowlers. The average quick runs in off 30 yard run ups, pichers do it all from the mound.

 

[silentstriker]

I'd doubt there were radar guns taking the speed in the 50s.

As for Baseball pitchers, whilst they could certainly generate more power via their arm actions (they are literally chucking it, after all ) they don't have the kinetic energy to help them to assist their speed like fast bowlers. The average quick runs in off 30 yard run ups, pichers do it all from the mound.

Very true. Thats why I said I might believe if it was slightly faster, but not 119mph. But even though cricket bowlers do get more kinetic energy - they still bowl slower on average than baseball pitchers. The energy itself does not make up for the arm action.

But I am forgetting that it does not, and assuming cricket bowlers do it the same way as baseball pitchers, and its still not even close. I bet if your an up and chucked it (ala Lee or Akhtar), you might pass baseball pitchers, but you still wouldn't get anywhere near 119mph.

And if there were no radar guns in 1950, then its impossible to know the speed. What did they use? Stopwatch?

 

[FRAZ]

Shoaib Akhtar . Thats it !!!!

 

[Tim]

Shane Bond could have been up there with Shoaib & Lee but he's just had far too many injury set backs to ever compete with them.

 

[Xuhaib]

Well we obviously do.

119MPH is just unbelievably fast, if you've ever seen anything close to 90mph you'll know that bowling that speed is immpossible.

And hasn't anyone mentioned Mohamad Zahid? Apparently he was quicker than Shoaib.

Zahid was like Holding the lift he got made him look more pacy i am quite sure Shoaib or Waqar (in his prime) were faster then him.

 

[Macka]

Stuff from cricinfo on how fast people have been clocked at.

http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/STATS/FC/BOWLING/BOWLING_SPEEDS_OTHER.html
http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/STATS/FC/BOWLING/BOWLING_SPEEDS.html

 

[PhoenixFire]

Fastest Bowler Ever

SilentStriker, if you had actually bothered to read my post, I actually stated that I wasn't claiminf that Tyson bowled that fast, I was just repeating what he himself had earlier said in an interview to Wisden. Here is the artice, make up your own mind.

 

[no1_gangsta_786]

I have heard that Shane Bond was a very good and pacy bowler before hes injuries. I have never seen him play...can anyone tell me how fast he used to be before his injury and how much pace he has lost?

 

[PhoenixFire]

Shane Bond

According to Cricinfo, he attained a speed of 92.2 MPH or 148.8 KPH.

 

[Tim]

That cricinfo list is totally outdated. Bond's highest was 153 km's back in 2003 in the West Indies. But he's never consistently been able to play enough cricket to improve his chances of going higher than that.

In South Africa this year he managed to reach 148 kms. I have my doubts whether he can go any higher now but he reckons he is holding back to make sure he stays accurate..so who knows? he really needs consistent cricket.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Will be good to see him back playing at whatever speed.

 

[Sir Redman]

That cricinfo list is totally outdated. Bond's highest was 153 km's back in 2003 in the West Indies. But he's never consistently been able to play enough cricket to improve his chances of going higher than that.

In South Africa this year he managed to reach 148 kms. I have my doubts whether he can go any higher now but he reckons he is holding back to make sure he stays accurate..so who knows? he really needs consistent cricket.

I remember against Sri Lanka earlier this year he bowled at 152 km/h during one of the ODIs (think it was this one) and also bowled a few more above 150 in that over (I seem to remember I made a post about it).

Anyway, I'm not too concerned about whether he's bowling as quick as Lee or Akhtar, he's still miles ahead of all our other bowlers even at 140 k's. I saw on cricinfo the other day that he's "fully fit" for the Champions Trophy, so going on past experience I'd give him a one in ten chance of playing.

 

[Burgey]

Personally, I think Thommo, but there is no definative answer.

Mark Waugh and Mark Taylor spoke on this issue and I recall them saying words to the effect of all of the fast bowlers were as quick as each other on their day, when they get it right but that if you're hitting the ball well it really doesn't matter. I recall seeing Alan Donald in 1993 at the MCG and he bowled a spell in murky conditions which seemed as quick as any I've seen - got plenty of movement as well. Mark Waugh maintained that Devon Malcolm bowled some of the quickest spells he's faced when he got it right, especially the Oval in 1993. I recall him going crazy at top pace against the South Africans one day as well.

 

[bagapath]

this is an attempt by a rookie to make a chronological list of the fastest bowlers from the beginning of test cricket till date - the one goughy started some time back. most of it is based on anecdotal evidence from various cricket books i've read. more recent names come from my years of watching cricket.

"demon" spofforth
constantine
larwood
miller
tyson
hall
lillee
holding
thomson
marshall
imran (at least in 1982 - 83)
waqar
donald
devon malcolm
akhthar
lee
bond

 

[_TiGeR-ToWn_]

Bit hard to decide who is the quickest due to no factual evidence. But yeah Thommo was a real quick bowler, so If i said anyone it would be him.