Could Jeff Thomson have been the greatest?

[aussie tragic]

Jeff Thomson took 200 wkts at 28.00 in 51 Tests. If you just consider these stats, it looks a pretty ordinary career compared to Lillee, Hadlee, Imran, Ambrose, Walsh & Marshall.

However, if you remove his first Test in 1972 in which he took 0-110 off 19 overs (he played with a broken foot but didn’t tell anyone in case he got dropped), and only consider his career before he had the sickening collision with Turner in 1976, he had the following record:

15 Tests, 78 wkts @ 24.10 (5/0), SR 46.8

After his pace reducing shoulder injury, his record was:

35 Tests, 122 wkts @ 29.59 (3/0), SR 55.1

Is it fair to say that Jeff Thomson would have been one of the greatest bowlers ever if not for this unfortunate accident when he was only 26?

Some quotes about Thomson:

"He frightened me, and I was sitting 200 yards away" (Keith Miller)

“Thomson's raw pace had left nerves shattered”

“Thomson struck Lloyd so hard in the groin that his protective box was turned inside out”

“Denness noted Lloyd's reaction when he returned to the dressing room after one innings. Within seconds his body was quivering. His neck and the top half of his body in particular were shaking. He was shell-shocked.”

[silentstriker]

One of the greatest ever? Yea, possibly. But really, it wasn't ever going to happen. For example, Waqar Younis:

In his first 33 matches had 190 wickets at 19.15. At a ridiculous and amazing strike rate of 36 and 5.75 wickets per test. He could have been the best ever. The problem is with guys like that, is that its almost inevitable that they get injured.

[aussie tragic]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

The problem is with guys like that, is that its almost inevitable that they get injured.

Yeah but in Thomson's case it was an accident rather than a bowling injury; either way same result though I guess.

btw, I didn't know Younis had such an awsome record up to his 33d Test

[silentstriker]

Originally Posted by aussie tragic

Yeah but in Thomson's case it was an accident rather than a bowling injury; either way same result though I guess.

btw, I didn't know Younis had such an awsome record up to his 33d Test

Yea, I know. But he only played 51 tests, and I am not even sure he could have played all of those without a serious injury occurring and messing up his speed even if his accident hadn't occurred.

[Goughy]

Waqar was great. His record was incredible.

Thommo is more of a best selling novel rather than a literary masterpiece. He was without the craft and subtlety of an artist but possessed the rip roaring excitement of an airport book.

Popular and dynamic describe Thommo. Alltime great is probably too far a stretch.

I know it has been posted before but here is a link that shows how much quicker Thommo was than his peers even after the injury.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPDW7hj1yfs

A special talent

[aussie tragic]

Maybe "the greatest" was a bit much and I should have asked could he have been the "most feared bowler of all time" (if he doesn't have that honour already). btw, I saw Thomo bowl in 1981 and I shudder to think how fast he was pre-injury in 1975-76.

[silentstriker]

Hmm, I am a little bit underwhelmed at that link. It looks like most were in mid to upper 130's...which is not really even all that fast. Thommo was fast, but he was the only one that really went past 90mph (and not much faster at that).

I mean, I've seen Sreesanth bowl a ball at 143kph....(though he is usually in the mid 130's)

No one bowled a single delivery in the 150's...

[silentstriker]

Originally Posted by aussie tragic

Maybe "the greatest" was a bit much and I should have asked could he have been the "most feared bowler of all time" (if he doesn't have that honour already). btw, I saw Thomo bowl in 1981 and I shudder to think how fast he was pre-injury in 1975-76.

Well, he might have been the fastest bowler of all time...which could be translated into the most feared. Especially in the pre-helmet era.

[adharcric]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

Hmm, I am a little bit underwhelmed at that link. It looks like most were in mid to upper 130's...which is not really even all that fast. Thommo was fast, but he was the only one that really went past 90mph (and not much faster at that).

I mean, I've seen Sreesanth bowl a ball at 143kph....(though he is usually in the mid 130's)

No one bowled a single delivery in the 150's...

Yeah I think the speeds in that link are way off ... or else Agarkar would've been express in that era.

[Lillian Thomson]

For the two home series against England and West Indies in the mid-70's he was the most feared bowler, mainly because of his slinging action and erratic deliveries. When he arrived in England for the World Cup in 1975 he at times sprayed the ball all over the place. He bowled one spell a bit later against the full West Indies side for a packerless Australian side in the West Indies that many think was the fastest ever spell of bowling. Sadly his peak was too short, he was very average in the 1982/83 series and by the time he came to England in 1985 he'd lost his pace and didn't play in all the Tests.
For those 2 years he was as fast, though not as accurate, as anyone in history.

[archie mac]

Originally Posted by Lillian Thomson

For the two home series against England and West Indies in the mid-70's he was the most feared bowler, mainly because of his slinging action and erratic deliveries. When he arrived in England for the World Cup in 1975 he at times sprayed the ball all over the place. He bowled one spell a bit later against the full West Indies side for a packerless Australian side in the West Indies that many think was the fastest ever spell of bowling. Sadly his peak was too short, he was very average in the 1982/83 series and by the time he came to England in 1985 he'd lost his pace and didn't play in all the Tests.
For those 2 years he was as fast, though not as accurate, as anyone in history.

I watched him as a kid in both the 1974/75 and 75/76 series and as an 11yo he was the fastest thing I had ever watched, and I still think that true 30 years later.

I thought he bowled well in the 82/83 series But past his best by 1985

[Perm]

He could have been good, but not great I don't think. With an action like that he was always going to get a few injuries along the way that would have limited his potential. Definately one of the most feared bowlers ever though.

[social]

Originally Posted by Perm

He could have been good, but not great I don't think. With an action like that he was always going to get a few injuries along the way that would have limited his potential. Definately one of the most feared bowlers ever though.

Not really - had almost the perfect bowling action

Try it for yourself, it hardly puts any strain on the body

[social]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

Hmm, I am a little bit underwhelmed at that link. It looks like most were in mid to upper 130's...which is not really even all that fast. Thommo was fast, but he was the only one that really went past 90mph (and not much faster at that).

I mean, I've seen Sreesanth bowl a ball at 143kph....(though he is usually in the mid 130's)

No one bowled a single delivery in the 150's...

In those days, they calculated speed differently.

They measured time taken for ball to travel 22 yards, then calculated average speed.

Nowadays, it's speed at a point measured few feet from release, i.e. maximum speed

I've no idea where he got the info from but Geoff Lawson claims that, using the latter, Thomson bowled at over 170 ks during 75/76

Saw Thomson play pre-injury, and although I was only about 10, it looked frightening - still have a tape of him bowling to Zaheer Abbas in the test match where he was injured and Abbas was literally playing every ball from a foot or 2 outside leg stump.

Played at Bankstown Oval (home of the Waughs, etc and Thommo's home ground before he moved to Brisbane).

It's the same size as the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Site screens sat on top of boundary fence at either end.

Thomson, in 73/74, on one occasion, bowled a bouncer which after pitching, hit the screen on the full.

[silentstriker]

Originally Posted by social

In those days, they calculated speed differently.

They measured time taken for ball to travel 22 yards, then calculated average speed.

Nowadays, it's speed at a point measured few feet from release, i.e. maximum speed

I've no idea where he got the info from but Geoff Lawson claims that, using the latter, Thomson bowled at over 170 ks during 75/76

Saw Thomson play pre-injury, and although I was only about 10, it looked frightening - still have a tape of him bowling to Zaheer Abbas in the test match where he was injured and Abbas was literally playing every ball from a foot or 2 outside leg stump.

Played at Bankstown Oval (home of the Waughs, etc and Thommo's home ground before he moved to Brisbane).

It's the same size as the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Site screens sat on top of boundary fence at either end.

Thomson, in 73/74, on one occasion, bowled a bouncer which after pitching, hit the screen on the full.

170kph is over 105 mph. Thats faster than the fastest baseball delivery every bowled. That is extremely hard to believe.

Note: I am not disputing that he was fast, by all accounts he was probably the fastest ever. But 105mph is a bit over the top. I would say he might have bowled 155kph consistently, which is unbelievably fast.