Facing up to real quick bowling

[smash84]

A really good piece on cricinfo today. Absolutely loved it

Blogs: Jon Hotten: The quickest spell I ever faced | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo

Kind of reminds me of the time when I used to play street cricket in Pakistan with a taped tennis ball. Even then some of the bowlers who were lightning quick could give you a thought or two about getting hit. I always wonder what it would be to facing somebody like Akhtar or Lee at full throttle.

This article also kind of sums up why the likes of Viv Richards are so special. Facing up to all those express bowlers, looking them in the eye, and not flinching.

So folks, has there been a time in your life where you really feared for preservation of self while facing a quick bowler?

 

[GuyFromLancs]

A really good piece on cricinfo today. Absolutely loved it

Blogs: Jon Hotten: The quickest spell I ever faced | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo

Kind of reminds me of the time when I used to play street cricket in Pakistan with a taped tennis ball. Even then some of the bowlers who were lightning quick could give you a thought or two about getting hit. I always wonder what it would be to facing somebody like Akhtar or Lee at full throttle.

This article also kind of sums up why the likes of Viv Richards are so special. Facing up to all those express bowlers, looking them in the eye, and not flinching.

So folks, has there been a time in your life where you really feared for preservation of self while facing a quick bowler?

Numerous times. I've been hit on the hand, fingers, forearm, thigh, box, I've had one catch my neck.

Fastest ever faced was thankfully on a low-bouncing astro-turf wicket - otherwise I may seriously have had to consider not turning up. He was a former pro from Pakistan who played in the Lancashire league for Bacup. Can't remember his surname, but he was seriously quick. It was scary. Even on that hollow wicket, I bet he could have bounced any smartarse who happened to land a fortune shot against him.

 

[harsh.ag]

I remember playing in the school league as a 15 year old, and there was this tall, aggressive quick bowler, Tinu-something (who must have been at least 17 - apparently he had been held back a year for poor grades) who was bowling very quick, and bowling bouncers. It was a scary experience. Thankfully I was good at defending short balls, but I was scared for my head (in case one got past) and decided to hook the next few so as to get him off bowling them. The first one got a top edge, but landed safely. The next one was better, and I got a four, but my balance was not great. He must have seen a desperate look on my face, 'cause he laughed a little. I got out to a spinner the next over. The thing I learned was to never, ever show the bowler I was scared. It became better from there on.

 

[Shri]

I remember facing a quick bowler once in school. Definitely way faster than anyone else who showed up for trials that day. Hit me on the jaw the first ball, the left shoulder with the next ball and on my ribs the next ball before staring at me and mouthing off. This was the soft trial using tennis balls before letting him bowl with the leather ones. The coach missed all those deliveries and saw him bowling only half volleys for the next three balls and was not sure what to do. He picked him as a sub and asked me if we should select him for the first XI. I told him he was **** but had pace and the other traitors said he was ****ing good when he started. I was benched for lying and he played every game for us. WAC.

He was nowhere near county cricket speeds but was too quick for our age group at the time. Makes you respect batsmen who can smash 100Mph bowlers around in international cricket.

 

[smash84]

Mine was with a with a taped tennis ball when our neighborhood team (mohalla team) was playing another mohalla. I was the captain (meaning I would bat whenever I want and bowl whenever I want ). We might have an average age of around 14 in that team, I was 16. The other team's average age was probably closer to 18-19. One of their guys who was probably in his early twenties and maybe around 6ft 2 in (which is very tall in mohalla cricket) came onto bowl. I had initially decided to come in at number 3. I saw him bowl our opener first ball with a delivery neither us sitting on the sides nor the batsman saw. His stumps which was a wooden board leaning against a trash can was seen flying in the air with a bang. Seeing that first ball I naturally demoted down the order giving the argument that we can't let all our best batsmen get out in the first over (it was an 8 over match). Nobody bought it obviously but I was the captain anyway . There was a 2 over limit for the bowlers and thankfully i only had to face 3 deliveries from the **** who had decided to return in the death overs. His first over had cost us 3 wickets and the fourth batsman was hobbling whom he had hit with a lightning quick full toss on the shins. When it was my turn to face him in the 7th over the first delivery that I got was a little outside off stump and by the time I was getting into position to play a shot, the ball had passed me by. The second delivery was a bouncer which was very short and it ended up flying well over my head and the keeper's as well for byes. The third delivery was a ridiculously quick yorker that I had no chance of playing and was clean bowled. I was acting as if I was ruing getting out and I wanted to be there till the end. Inside I was thanking my stars for getting out and not having to play that quick bowling.

Surely did start appreciating the blokes who could play with the leather ball and not get too psyched out with pace.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Fastest I faced was, again in gully cricket. Faced some medium pacers bowling with a real ball but no one was close to as fast as this guy called Aalap. Height wasn't anything remarkable and in face and build he looked a bit like Agarkar. Was bloody quick though. I generally came in at no. 4 those days... The opener and the no. 3 were both clean bowled. The stump which was a trash can made a ridiculously loud sound when the ball hit. Bang! Bang! Echoed across the colony...


Facing the hattrick ball, I did what most guys did, which was to do a Watson and try to protect the stumps with my legs. Obviously, we played with Pakistani rules, so no lbws. Kept out the first 3 balls I faced from this guy reasonably well with my knee. I was feeling quietly confident now because though I couldn't hit the ball, I could at least see it. Next ball was a juicy full toss on off stump. I struck it beautifully into the ground... It lobbed up on the bounce to the man at cover and just like that, I was out. Those "One tip (bounce) , one hand catch out" rules were pure BS, eh?

 

[smash84]

couldn't have been very pacy if you were keeping him with your bare legs

 

[OverratedSanity]

couldn't have been very pacy if you were keeping him with your bare legs

Tennis ball. And it hardly got up to manhood threatening heights which made it even harder to keep out.... Pretty much yorkers all day with a couple of half trackers each over

 

[Binkley]

I faced Heath Davis in the nets reasonably often, and played once or twice against him when were both at school. One of my top edges off his bowling at school once flew for six, and then over the gym and into the netball courts. He was pretty terrifying, even if he always acted as if he was just mucking about and didn't really care. He also over-stepped constantly, so it felt like I was often facing him from 20 yards rather than 22. I was pretty rubbish though, so I don't recall him ever bouncing me (except after the six, and then the ball was so short I didn't even have to duck) and he wasn't the guy who terrified me most. That was a guy who played against us on a pitch with huge amounts of pace and bounce and who didn't bowl a ball at me that was not aimed at my ribs or head. That was the one time I was truly worried for my safety. I remember after one ball whistled past my nose and I ended up on my backside that I found myself saying aloud "Jesus Christ, its not a f**king test match". That comment seemed to just make things worse. I have never been so relieved to get out in my life (caught at slip, fending a ball away from my face).

 

[salman85]

Faced Aizaz Cheema numerous times in street cricket..He rarely bowled fast, and stuck to bowling leg spin because well..he was unplayable when he bowled fast and it made the game very uneven.

But when he did bowl fast, it was insane.I was pretty young at the time, probably 14-15, and he was in his early 20s.Back then i used to think that if he ever makes it to the national team he is going to be as quick as Shoaib.Then when he went on play international cricket i realized that despite being quick, he was nothing compared to Shoaib n co.Maybe his pace went down over the years since he made his debut pretty late, or maybe he just wasn't that quick to begin with.

But despite all of that, he remains the most scary bowler i have ever faced during my cricket playing days.Everytime he would take his run up to bowl fast and i would face him, the only thing i would be worried about were my balls.It was only tape ball cricket, and i survived..but still .

Plus we had that national street cricket rule of Pakistan - when you play in the street, if you hit the ball in the air inside a house, you're out.Made the prospect of facing a man of Aizaz' pace in street even worse with edges flying all over the place.

PS - Has anyone played tape ball cricket with the tape only half around the ball? Makes you think you're the greatest swing bowler in history.The ball swings miles, literally.

 

[Dan]

Faced a guy last season who is apparently quite a high grade baseballer. and man was he quick.

First game against us (this is just park cricket, btw - average age of the team in the early 40s, astroturf pitches etc), he takes 6/10 in 8 overs. I faced 4 balls I think - first was way too quick and beat me outside off, second I saw early enough to push to point, the third was a beamer that went for 4 byes, the fourth caught my outside edge to the 'keeper. I walked off somewhat happy, because at least I didn't get bowled.

The second game in which I faced him, we'd been bowled out for 35ish already and they wanted to beat us outright. Being the junior member of the side at the end of a long day, I got re-promoted to open the innings. I appealed against the light (banking on the local unqualified umpires not to know the rule change), and their captain was not particularly impressed. Much of my thoughts for the next week were how to avoid my impending death.

Came back the following Saturday and, lo and behold, he decided to bounce me first ball. Joke was on him, however, as the ball went 2m over my head and sailed through at head height to the wicketkeeper, standing 30m back and halfway down a hill. Next ball was about rib height, but outside off stump. I fence it through gully for an easy one, but my partner is having none of it. One of the other deliveries was pushed to cover; the opposition had no idea how someone could get his bowling in front of square.

Teammates estimated him at 130km/h, but I have no idea how accurate that would be.

I ended up facing the other opener the following over, and struggled to get bat on ball - I was through the shot way too early. Batted about a foot outside my crease to him, and charged further down to make it seem quicker, and started hitting him over cover.

Nothing has felt quick since, including the other ex-grade players I've come up against.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I faced Heath Davis in the nets reasonably often, and played once or twice against him when were both at school. One of my top edges off his bowling at school once flew for six, and then over the gym and into the netball courts. He was pretty terrifying, even if he always acted as if he was just mucking about and didn't really care.

Heath Davis' speed - both casual and quick. Perfect.

 

[Binkley]

Heath Davis' speed - both casual and quick. Perfect.

Casual, quick and more than a little bit crazy. If half the stories that circulated around the club about him were true, I am amazed he was ever able to bowl a single ball.

EDIT: Nice enough guy in my personal experience though.

 

[wiff]

Imagine playing against Punchbowl high school in the 70s. Pascoe and Thomson.

 

[benchmark00]

My dear old (and senile) grandfather always tells stories about the time he fielded at first slip to Jeff Thomson at the WACA.

He says that every ball would fly over the keepers head and half-volley into the sight screen. He remembers the opposition batsmen turn around and see it landing so close to the sight board and the colour would completely run out of their face!!




Wait, that's not my senile grandpa, that's Ian Chappell.

 

[Jono]

No, it was your grandpa. Ian Chappell is your grandpa.

 

[benchmark00]

That would explain my ability to play horizontal bat strokes.

 

[Spikey]

and your mostly sub-par commentary

 

[wiff]

and your mostly sub-par commentary

Ian's children are Mark Nicholas and Ian Healy who had children named Watershed and Benchmark

 

[benchmark00]

Wiff has got his man!