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A history of fast bowling
- Thread starter Starfighter
- Start date
Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Now to jam in a few minor bowlers:
Lisle Nagel was a Victorian bowler whose twin brother Vernon also played first-class cricket. 6'6" (a fact not lost Arthur Mailey) he bowled fast-medium and could make the ball swing or swerve sharply. Against the MCC in 1932 he took 8/32 swinging the ball strongly into a favourable breeze, and was selected in the first test, but only took two wickets and was dropped.
Harry Alexander was a Victorian fast bowler who played in the fifth test of the 32/33 Ashes after Wall withdrew injured. With a bounding chest-on action and a reputation for cutting up the pitch in his follow-through he was quite fast at times, maybe faster than Wall, but not all that accurate. He only took one wicket in the test (though I think there may have been some dropped catches) but succeeded in hitting Jardine, much to the crowd's delight.
The following two are from the MCC's tour of Australia in 1935/36. The bowler at the start is West Australian fast bowler Ron Halcombe. He was one of the fastest Australian bowlers of the period but his action was often questioned and he was no-balled for throwing. The footage clearly shows why. The other notable bowler appears at 1:52. This is Arthur 'Sandy' Baxter, a Scottish amateur fast-medium bowler whose action has a remarkable resemblance to Mike Procter's, and who was not surprisingly known for bowling inswing.
An additional slow motion analysis of Holcombe's action appears here: https://www.britishpathe.com/video/...-RONALD-HALCOMBE-FILMED-IN-SLOW/query/cricket
This is the first instance I'm of which I'm aware of high speed cameras being used to examine a suspect action.
Additional footage of Baxter, playing for the MCC against South Africa in 1935, is here: https://www.britishpathe.com/video/...KET-MCC-V-SOUTH-AFRICA-AT-LORDS/query/cricket
Lisle Nagel was a Victorian bowler whose twin brother Vernon also played first-class cricket. 6'6" (a fact not lost Arthur Mailey) he bowled fast-medium and could make the ball swing or swerve sharply. Against the MCC in 1932 he took 8/32 swinging the ball strongly into a favourable breeze, and was selected in the first test, but only took two wickets and was dropped.
Harry Alexander was a Victorian fast bowler who played in the fifth test of the 32/33 Ashes after Wall withdrew injured. With a bounding chest-on action and a reputation for cutting up the pitch in his follow-through he was quite fast at times, maybe faster than Wall, but not all that accurate. He only took one wicket in the test (though I think there may have been some dropped catches) but succeeded in hitting Jardine, much to the crowd's delight.
The following two are from the MCC's tour of Australia in 1935/36. The bowler at the start is West Australian fast bowler Ron Halcombe. He was one of the fastest Australian bowlers of the period but his action was often questioned and he was no-balled for throwing. The footage clearly shows why. The other notable bowler appears at 1:52. This is Arthur 'Sandy' Baxter, a Scottish amateur fast-medium bowler whose action has a remarkable resemblance to Mike Procter's, and who was not surprisingly known for bowling inswing.
An additional slow motion analysis of Holcombe's action appears here: https://www.britishpathe.com/video/...-RONALD-HALCOMBE-FILMED-IN-SLOW/query/cricket
This is the first instance I'm of which I'm aware of high speed cameras being used to examine a suspect action.
Additional footage of Baxter, playing for the MCC against South Africa in 1935, is here: https://www.britishpathe.com/video/...KET-MCC-V-SOUTH-AFRICA-AT-LORDS/query/cricket
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Line and Length
Cricketer Of The Year
I remember Ron Halcombe as a sports commentator on the ABC in the late '50s and '60s. He called both cricket and Australian rules football.
His action certainly appears suspect but he probably would get away with it today.
His action certainly appears suspect but he probably would get away with it today.
Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
England's other notable left-armer of the period had an even shorter career than Voce. Edward 'Nobby' Clark (if anyone knows why the nickname 'Nobby' is so popular amongst people named Clark, feel free to explain) played only eight tests, one in 1929 (which I forgot about) and the others over 1933 and 1934. He was considered one of the fastest bowlers in England on his day and was one of increasingly few left-armers who bowled mainly around the wicket in the manner advocated by Foster, as spin continue to decline as the main method of moving the ball. He bowled off a skittish, twelve paced run including a distinctive hop near the start and a small jump into the crease. His arm action is tangled and awkward and he brings his arm through seemingly too early, followed by very awkward and minimal follow through. One aspect which stands out to me from the footage is that he seems to throw, and I'm surprised that no suspicions were ever raised. He was known for being a tempestuous and sensitive character who sent down excessive bouncers when fired up and often overdid leg theory but who was easily discouraged by dropped catches and niggling issues. After the 1929 match he next played against the West Indies in 1933 where he was tricky to play on difficult pitches before touring India where did reasonably well and left a few batsmen injured as well. After a poor match in the 2nd test his final test was at the Oval in 1934 where against the powerful Australian side he took his only test five-for, bowling to a leg field as the Australians went for second innings runs.
(high-speed at 2:19)
(high-speed at 2:19)
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Line and Length
Cricketer Of The Year
A number of possible explanations exist for the use of Nobby as a nickname for people with the surname Clark. These include:
- Clerks in the City of London used to wear Nobby hats, a type of bowler hat. Alternative spellings include "Knobby" and "Clarke".
- 16th century monks wrote letters for the illiterate. These monks were referred to as "Clerks". The outcome of so much writing causes calluses on the fingers "nobs" and therefore "Nobby Clerks" was born.
- In England the term "nob" is used to refer to a member of the aristocracy and by extension a posh person. Clerks were also required to maintain a high standard of dress, and were paid a clothing allowance. The result was that they always appeared smart. A clerk would deal with the common people but would be better educated, better paid and in a position of relative power. To the uneducated, clerks were posh and therefore considered to be "nobs". Hence, nobby Clark. Both the Oxford English and the English Dialect Dictionaries list nobby as being of a rich man, a nob or toff, or “smart”, and gives it a wide distribution, so smart persons were "nobby".
Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
The next bowler is the best of all-time according to one iteration of @Prince EWS's standardised averages.
Emmanuel 'Manny' Martindale was the best of the West Indian fast bowlers from their early period and like the others modest in height at 5'8 1/2", unlike the giants from the seventies and eighties. After a neat, fourteen pace runup he bowled with a typical, low-armed slinging action with a very bent front leg and remarkably little use of the front arm. He brought his arm around smoothly rather than having any real whip, although had a pronounced wrist action, but was able to generate intimidating pace on occasion. He could also swing the ball sometimes, mainly moving it away in England in 1933 but later mainly moving it in. Unfortunately, although he is described as bowling 'tremendously' fast at times there are few comparisons to the pace of contemporary bowlers in the small amount of literature have access to, although Ken Farnes is quoted in The (Queensland) Telegraph in 1938 as saying he was the fastest in the world at the time.
On a slow pitch at Old Trafford in 1933 he bowled to a leg field and ended with 5/73 as well as hitting Hammond on the chin, while Jardine scored his only test century, and he followed it up another five-for in the next test. Against a rather weak England side (England tending to spare important county players from the less important tours at the time) in the West Indies in 1935 he was at his fastest and was very effective on often rain affected pitches. His best test figures of 5/22 were taken in a losing cause at Bridgetown after Jackie Grant had declared only 73 ahead to get England in on the wet pitch (England won by four wickets), and at Kingston he knocked out Bob Wyatt after he ducked into a ball that failed to rise. Like many of his fellow West Indians he signed to the Lancashire league in 1936. The 1939 tour of England, truncated as international tensions built, saw a dramatic falling off in his bowling with both the pace and accuracy absent, taking only four wickets in three tests. The third test was his last first class match but he continued to play in various leagues until 1963.
Also appearing at 0:46 is Vincent Valentine, a very obscure fast-medium bowler who played most of his first class cricket on the 1933 tour, more or less to fill Constantine's place as the latter was playing league cricket.
Emmanuel 'Manny' Martindale was the best of the West Indian fast bowlers from their early period and like the others modest in height at 5'8 1/2", unlike the giants from the seventies and eighties. After a neat, fourteen pace runup he bowled with a typical, low-armed slinging action with a very bent front leg and remarkably little use of the front arm. He brought his arm around smoothly rather than having any real whip, although had a pronounced wrist action, but was able to generate intimidating pace on occasion. He could also swing the ball sometimes, mainly moving it away in England in 1933 but later mainly moving it in. Unfortunately, although he is described as bowling 'tremendously' fast at times there are few comparisons to the pace of contemporary bowlers in the small amount of literature have access to, although Ken Farnes is quoted in The (Queensland) Telegraph in 1938 as saying he was the fastest in the world at the time.
On a slow pitch at Old Trafford in 1933 he bowled to a leg field and ended with 5/73 as well as hitting Hammond on the chin, while Jardine scored his only test century, and he followed it up another five-for in the next test. Against a rather weak England side (England tending to spare important county players from the less important tours at the time) in the West Indies in 1935 he was at his fastest and was very effective on often rain affected pitches. His best test figures of 5/22 were taken in a losing cause at Bridgetown after Jackie Grant had declared only 73 ahead to get England in on the wet pitch (England won by four wickets), and at Kingston he knocked out Bob Wyatt after he ducked into a ball that failed to rise. Like many of his fellow West Indians he signed to the Lancashire league in 1936. The 1939 tour of England, truncated as international tensions built, saw a dramatic falling off in his bowling with both the pace and accuracy absent, taking only four wickets in three tests. The third test was his last first class match but he continued to play in various leagues until 1963.
Also appearing at 0:46 is Vincent Valentine, a very obscure fast-medium bowler who played most of his first class cricket on the 1933 tour, more or less to fill Constantine's place as the latter was playing league cricket.
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Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Really tall, big fast bowlers were a definite rarity in the years prior to World War II and weren't all that common for many years afterwards, certainly compared to their predominance today. Many coaches in Australia these days would look at some of the very fine bowlers I have listed and tell them to go concentrate on their batting instead. However, in the thirties England produced a bowler who could stand up - literally - to any today.
At somewhere between 6'4" and 6'7" (depending on what text you read) Ken Farnes was (as far as I know) the tallest bowler going around England at the time and although perhaps not the quickest his height made him very difficult to handle.
The Essex amateur and schoolteacher was a quiet character off the field but could be very aggressive on it, never forgetting to pitch short if he felt like it (to the dismay of an Essex predecessor, Charles Kortright, then often considered the fastest bowler ever). In a Varsity match in 1933 - a genteel event, newsreels of which show more shots of ladies' hats than cricket - he decided it was time to bring out the leg field that had caused so much controversy in Australia. He could also be more conventionally difficult, darting the ball about off the seam combined with steep lift - Bradman once noted that Farnes was more difficult to play than Larwood.
It's when one comes to watching him, however, that he becomes a bit of an enigma. He was widely respected and at times feared, and left a trail of injuries to back this up, including knocking out Bill Edrich, a renowned player of real pace. Yet his style is far from what we associate with really quick bowlers today. He bowled off a short run of only ten paces, which began as a dash early on in his career but later became even more measured, with a slower launch. His action was quite ungainly and although it changed quite a lot over the years it never lost this quality, seeming to swing his arm out of time with his body. Early on in his career it is somewhat reminiscent of Carl Rackemann, with a very bent front arm and knee and little follow through. Later on he made made his gather more conventional, raising his right hand up above his shoulder and staying chest on for longer, and having a straight front arm and straighter front leg. I'm not the only person here to note that he looks rather unimpressive which makes me wonder if he was a bit more McGrath - getting a lot of bounce and moving off the seam rather than registering high on the speed gun. But we are left with the descriptions and the footage and must reconcile them.
He debuted against Australia in 1934 and took five wickets in each innings in a losing cause. In what would become a familiar refrain he was also injured part of the way through the series and missed the last three matches. On the tour of the West Indies in 1935 he was injured again and missed two matches as a weak England suffered their first series defeat there and the dry, flat pitches confounded their bowlers. A knee injury prevented him from playing at all in 1935 and this may have been what prompted the change in action. In Australia in 1936/37 he played only two matches and though bowling well could not prevent England's defeat as Allen and the injured Voce lost effectiveness. On the return series in 1938 was leading wicket taker with modest figures on rather flat pitches and had a similar return in very batting friendly conditions in South Africa in 1938/39. And that was it, as war broke out at what should have been his peak and he was destined not to survive it, crashing during a night flying exercise in Oxfordshire in 1942.
Also at 0:52
Go to 14:08 for more shots from the other end.
Slow motion shot, also full speed at 0:09
Several shots are interspersed throughout this one.
A rare for the era rear shot at 0:09. It seems that a good amount of footage, especially at Melbourne but also other venues such as the Oval, was taken from this angle but very little made it in.
www.britishpathe.com
There's a couple in here from 0:32:
www.britishpathe.com
At somewhere between 6'4" and 6'7" (depending on what text you read) Ken Farnes was (as far as I know) the tallest bowler going around England at the time and although perhaps not the quickest his height made him very difficult to handle.
The Essex amateur and schoolteacher was a quiet character off the field but could be very aggressive on it, never forgetting to pitch short if he felt like it (to the dismay of an Essex predecessor, Charles Kortright, then often considered the fastest bowler ever). In a Varsity match in 1933 - a genteel event, newsreels of which show more shots of ladies' hats than cricket - he decided it was time to bring out the leg field that had caused so much controversy in Australia. He could also be more conventionally difficult, darting the ball about off the seam combined with steep lift - Bradman once noted that Farnes was more difficult to play than Larwood.
It's when one comes to watching him, however, that he becomes a bit of an enigma. He was widely respected and at times feared, and left a trail of injuries to back this up, including knocking out Bill Edrich, a renowned player of real pace. Yet his style is far from what we associate with really quick bowlers today. He bowled off a short run of only ten paces, which began as a dash early on in his career but later became even more measured, with a slower launch. His action was quite ungainly and although it changed quite a lot over the years it never lost this quality, seeming to swing his arm out of time with his body. Early on in his career it is somewhat reminiscent of Carl Rackemann, with a very bent front arm and knee and little follow through. Later on he made made his gather more conventional, raising his right hand up above his shoulder and staying chest on for longer, and having a straight front arm and straighter front leg. I'm not the only person here to note that he looks rather unimpressive which makes me wonder if he was a bit more McGrath - getting a lot of bounce and moving off the seam rather than registering high on the speed gun. But we are left with the descriptions and the footage and must reconcile them.
He debuted against Australia in 1934 and took five wickets in each innings in a losing cause. In what would become a familiar refrain he was also injured part of the way through the series and missed the last three matches. On the tour of the West Indies in 1935 he was injured again and missed two matches as a weak England suffered their first series defeat there and the dry, flat pitches confounded their bowlers. A knee injury prevented him from playing at all in 1935 and this may have been what prompted the change in action. In Australia in 1936/37 he played only two matches and though bowling well could not prevent England's defeat as Allen and the injured Voce lost effectiveness. On the return series in 1938 was leading wicket taker with modest figures on rather flat pitches and had a similar return in very batting friendly conditions in South Africa in 1938/39. And that was it, as war broke out at what should have been his peak and he was destined not to survive it, crashing during a night flying exercise in Oxfordshire in 1942.
Also at 0:52
Go to 14:08 for more shots from the other end.
Slow motion shot, also full speed at 0:09
Several shots are interspersed throughout this one.
A rare for the era rear shot at 0:09. It seems that a good amount of footage, especially at Melbourne but also other venues such as the Oval, was taken from this angle but very little made it in.
England Loses Cricket Match In Australia
British Pathe, the world's leading multimedia resource with a history stretching back over a century. The finest and most comprehensive archive of fabulous footage and stunning stills.
www.britishpathe.com
There's a couple in here from 0:32:
Australia Wins Cricket Match At Leeds
British Pathe, the world's leading multimedia resource with a history stretching back over a century. The finest and most comprehensive archive of fabulous footage and stunning stills.
www.britishpathe.com
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Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
We round out 1934 with another one test wonder.
Hans Ebeling was a fast-medium bowler who captained Victoria to two Sheffield Shield titles. Off a smooth, brisk run and abrupt action he bowled sharp inswing and in favourable conditions made the ball move away off the pitch. He was selected for the 1934 tour of England and although fairly successful in the first class matches he played only in the final test after Wall was dropped as Australia preferred to pick only three specialist bowlers and use McCabe as the second pace bowler, splitting the fourth bowler duties with Chipperfield's leg spin.
Hans Ebeling was a fast-medium bowler who captained Victoria to two Sheffield Shield titles. Off a smooth, brisk run and abrupt action he bowled sharp inswing and in favourable conditions made the ball move away off the pitch. He was selected for the 1934 tour of England and although fairly successful in the first class matches he played only in the final test after Wall was dropped as Australia preferred to pick only three specialist bowlers and use McCabe as the second pace bowler, splitting the fourth bowler duties with Chipperfield's leg spin.
Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Annoyingly British Pathe has decide that right now is the moment to upload most of their Reuters collection to YouTube. There are several Gaumont British News reels I want for the next few bowlers, so I might put this on hold for a while until they can be properly embedded here rather than linked. There were, of course, several I'd like to have included already.
Ebeling's main claim to fame was that he came up with the idea of the Centenary Test in 1977. (It's been suggested that if he hadn't been picked for that one Test in 1934, he'd have had less influence and the match would never have happened).
Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Right, let's get this row back on the shoad.
The 1935 England vs South Africa would see SA's first victory in England and showcase a few bowlers with unfortunately short careers.
South Africa's fast bowler for the tour was Bob Crisp, who had just got back front climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro when he received his invitation for the tour. He was very typical of the quicker bowlers of the era. A short, lively dash of twelve paces and a somewhat awkward step into the crease followed by a bow-legged slinging action. Crisp was particularly distinctive aesthetically, beginning with his stiff right arm swung exaggeratedly while the left was held by his side. Upon reaching the crease he thrust both arms rigidly across and back towards the umpire before scissoring them apart dramatically and with a low action swinging the bowling arm came along the plane it was originally thrust into.
His pace was at the top end of fast-medium to fast depending on the observer, often pulling out that bit extra when needed, and he could swing the ball both ways. Nonetheless, his record is unspectacular, averaging 34 in the test series while taking his only five-for at Old Trafford. An even worse series at home followed. With the abandonment of matting the 35/36 series was played on flat turf pitches, and a Bradmanless but still powerful Australia took heavy toll, which combined with the wiles of Grimmett consigned South Africa to a horror defeat. Crisp was dropped and never played tests again, and his first class career was ended by the war. He went on serve with distinction as a tank commander before settling down to a frenetic and variegated life, mainly as an itinerant writer.
(ignore the date in the title, it's substantially wrong)
(and at 57 seconds. Good shot of Bell too in there)
(keeper is up to grab the stumps I think)
The 1935 England vs South Africa would see SA's first victory in England and showcase a few bowlers with unfortunately short careers.
South Africa's fast bowler for the tour was Bob Crisp, who had just got back front climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro when he received his invitation for the tour. He was very typical of the quicker bowlers of the era. A short, lively dash of twelve paces and a somewhat awkward step into the crease followed by a bow-legged slinging action. Crisp was particularly distinctive aesthetically, beginning with his stiff right arm swung exaggeratedly while the left was held by his side. Upon reaching the crease he thrust both arms rigidly across and back towards the umpire before scissoring them apart dramatically and with a low action swinging the bowling arm came along the plane it was originally thrust into.
His pace was at the top end of fast-medium to fast depending on the observer, often pulling out that bit extra when needed, and he could swing the ball both ways. Nonetheless, his record is unspectacular, averaging 34 in the test series while taking his only five-for at Old Trafford. An even worse series at home followed. With the abandonment of matting the 35/36 series was played on flat turf pitches, and a Bradmanless but still powerful Australia took heavy toll, which combined with the wiles of Grimmett consigned South Africa to a horror defeat. Crisp was dropped and never played tests again, and his first class career was ended by the war. He went on serve with distinction as a tank commander before settling down to a frenetic and variegated life, mainly as an itinerant writer.
(ignore the date in the title, it's substantially wrong)
(and at 57 seconds. Good shot of Bell too in there)
(keeper is up to grab the stumps I think)
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Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
South Africa's other new bowler for the tour poses a question: if your forenames are 'Arthur', 'Beaumont', and 'Chudleigh', why the hell would you go by 'Chud' rather than one of the other two?
Chud Langton was a tall fast-medium bowler with a shortish run, smooth action and long drag. He could make the ball swing a bit either way when new and spin the old ball in the time-honoured fashion. He had a good reputation but his international record is poor, averaging over 40 in series dominated by flat wickets and powerful batting opponents.
Chud Langton was a tall fast-medium bowler with a shortish run, smooth action and long drag. He could make the ball swing a bit either way when new and spin the old ball in the time-honoured fashion. He had a good reputation but his international record is poor, averaging over 40 in series dominated by flat wickets and powerful batting opponents.
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the big bambino
International Captain
Langton's reputation is at odds with his stats. Can't think of an Australian or English opponent who didn't rate him. But he did bowl on some of the easiest roads ever curated, though on the rare occasions rain or nature otherwise foiled the preparation of the pitches he was deadly. Rated as medium pace in the day he kind of reminds me as a Trent Copeland type. Died young while serving.
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Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
England's contribution for the series was one-test wonder Holcomb 'Hopper' Read, an amateur fast bowler. Although suffering from want of accuracy at times, Read was considered the fastest bowler in England on his day (remembering Larwood was past his peak).
He bowled off a lively - but still short - run of 12-14 steps. His nickname came from his bounding run and what was a high leap for the time. He bowled a little more chest on than normal at that time and did not have the slinging action common amongst the quicker bowlers as well, though he still had the bent front leg. His follow through was very short, putting in most of the effort in a rather unrhymicl action.
His county career was very short, appearing in one match in 1933 and parts of the two following seasons. At times he and Nichols formed an effective combination, consigning Yorkshire to a very rare home thrashing in 1935, taking 6/11 in the first innings as they were bowled out for 31. In his only test, with England banking on pace to try win the last test and draw the series (they didn't) he bowled very expensively but took six wickets - better than any other England bowler. He toured Australia and New Zealand with an MCC side in 1935/36, and that was it. The accountancy firm he worked for refused to give him anymore time off to play. The potential of county opponents facing him, Nichols and Farnes together would remain unrealised.
This one has a rare straight one at 1:00
This one has most of the same shots as the first.
This sequence ends with a nice slow mo
He bowled off a lively - but still short - run of 12-14 steps. His nickname came from his bounding run and what was a high leap for the time. He bowled a little more chest on than normal at that time and did not have the slinging action common amongst the quicker bowlers as well, though he still had the bent front leg. His follow through was very short, putting in most of the effort in a rather unrhymicl action.
His county career was very short, appearing in one match in 1933 and parts of the two following seasons. At times he and Nichols formed an effective combination, consigning Yorkshire to a very rare home thrashing in 1935, taking 6/11 in the first innings as they were bowled out for 31. In his only test, with England banking on pace to try win the last test and draw the series (they didn't) he bowled very expensively but took six wickets - better than any other England bowler. He toured Australia and New Zealand with an MCC side in 1935/36, and that was it. The accountancy firm he worked for refused to give him anymore time off to play. The potential of county opponents facing him, Nichols and Farnes together would remain unrealised.
This one has a rare straight one at 1:00
This one has most of the same shots as the first.
This sequence ends with a nice slow mo
Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
As an aside I have just been pointed to this film featuring Crisp doing a McDermott:
Having personal experience with this particular mode of non-delivery (on a matting-over-concrete pitch no less) I can reliably inform you that it is something best avoided.
Having personal experience with this particular mode of non-delivery (on a matting-over-concrete pitch no less) I can reliably inform you that it is something best avoided.
Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Now for one slightly out of order.
Cedric Ivan James 'Jim' Smith, often known as 'Big Jim' on account of his imposing stature (6'4" and over 100 kg) was a fast (by some sources, though he looks a notch slower) bowler who played five tests for England, four in the West Indies in 1935 and one against New Zealand in 1937, amongst a successful, though not especially long, career with Middlesex before war intervened. He was rather confounded by the bare WI pitches, although took 5/16 on a spiteful wet pitch in the first test, and with plenty of competition and the vagaries of selection a long test career was not beckoning.
His bowling was based around strength. After a jogging run of only nine paces he landed with the bowed back leg of a classic slinger and raising his hand no higher than his waist in his gather (except earlier in his career) flung the ball down with powerful swing of the arm and little follow through. His main weapon was lift and he swung the ball little.
It wasn't, however, his bowling he was most known for, but his batting. He was a genuine tail ender with an average of 14, but it was his method that attracted people. Feet fixed firmly astride the crease (he was never stumped) he took the strongest imaginable swing, and the results could be spectacular. He once hit the fall over Father Time at Lord's, and scored the fastest ever (non-contrived) first-class fifty, in 11 minutes and possibly as few as twelve balls.
This shot is from his first season with Middlesex in 1934. Notice his action is different to that in the rest of the films.
Three shots from 1937
Two shots from 1938
The two high-speed shots here show the jurisprudence problem around the back foot no-ball rule, where umpires seem to have applied it rather randomly and with varying interpretations.
Two shots (one far and one close) from a match in 1940.
Cedric Ivan James 'Jim' Smith, often known as 'Big Jim' on account of his imposing stature (6'4" and over 100 kg) was a fast (by some sources, though he looks a notch slower) bowler who played five tests for England, four in the West Indies in 1935 and one against New Zealand in 1937, amongst a successful, though not especially long, career with Middlesex before war intervened. He was rather confounded by the bare WI pitches, although took 5/16 on a spiteful wet pitch in the first test, and with plenty of competition and the vagaries of selection a long test career was not beckoning.
His bowling was based around strength. After a jogging run of only nine paces he landed with the bowed back leg of a classic slinger and raising his hand no higher than his waist in his gather (except earlier in his career) flung the ball down with powerful swing of the arm and little follow through. His main weapon was lift and he swung the ball little.
It wasn't, however, his bowling he was most known for, but his batting. He was a genuine tail ender with an average of 14, but it was his method that attracted people. Feet fixed firmly astride the crease (he was never stumped) he took the strongest imaginable swing, and the results could be spectacular. He once hit the fall over Father Time at Lord's, and scored the fastest ever (non-contrived) first-class fifty, in 11 minutes and possibly as few as twelve balls.
This shot is from his first season with Middlesex in 1934. Notice his action is different to that in the rest of the films.
Three shots from 1937
Two shots from 1938
The two high-speed shots here show the jurisprudence problem around the back foot no-ball rule, where umpires seem to have applied it rather randomly and with varying interpretations.
Two shots (one far and one close) from a match in 1940.
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the big bambino
International Captain
Nah, Smith was considered fast medium in his day