-
Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.
Are medium-pacers useful in modern test cricket?
- Thread starter Uppercut
- Start date
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Accurate bowlers are of course far easier to stand up to than less accurate ones. Then there's the matter of height I mentioned a few posts back.
I bowl in the early to mid 60s and plenty of wicketkeepers struggle to stand up to the stumps to me sometimes due to my relative inaccuracy. Also, on our home ground which has more bounce than most squares anywhere no-one can stand up to me because the ball kicks up so high off the surface. TBF, I don't often need them to on said square as I can usually bounce batsmen enough to stop them walking down the pitch at me.
I bowl in the early to mid 60s and plenty of wicketkeepers struggle to stand up to the stumps to me sometimes due to my relative inaccuracy. Also, on our home ground which has more bounce than most squares anywhere no-one can stand up to me because the ball kicks up so high off the surface. TBF, I don't often need them to on said square as I can usually bounce batsmen enough to stop them walking down the pitch at me.
Manee
Cricketer Of The Year
Yes, but from what I have heard, it is much more important than us non wicket keepers would care to estimate.
BoyBrumby
Englishman
When Punter gave himself a trundle at Trent Bridge in 2005 he was actually over 80mph on occasion, which my calculator tells me is roughly 129kmh. Picked up Vaughan IIRC. If his bac had allowed him to bowl more I reckon he could've been a useful part-time option. Swung it a little too.
As for genuine medium pacers, I remember when Bicknell was wheeled out versus SA in 2003 he was as slow on the speed gun as any specialist test bowler I've seen, operating almost exclusively below 75mph. However he was a tall bowler with a high action who could compensate for his lack of pace with bounce and seam movement.
Top_Cat
Request Your Custom Title Now!
Punter is a very good bowler, actually. Genuine wicket-taker because he's surprisingly slippery, pretty accurate and, as you said, swings the ball. Was surprising when he didn't do more bowling whilst he was batting at 6 for Aus.
zaremba
Cricketer Of The Year
England has been blessed over the years with some dibbly-dobbly trundlers of distinction. Gooch, Mark Butcher, Trescothick, Bell, Collingwood. Funnily enough Collingwood is just about the worst of these but mysteriously gets the "all-rounder" title which the others don't.
I liked watching Gooch bowl. Butcher too. Both got lots of swing and I wondered (a bit) why they didn't bowl more.
I liked watching Gooch bowl. Butcher too. Both got lots of swing and I wondered (a bit) why they didn't bowl more.
Neil Pickup
Cricket Web Moderator
And even more to do with how much you can trust them not to send the next one four feet outside leg stump...
BoyBrumby
Englishman
Bell too, as it goes. Not as big a swinger of the ball, but bowls wicket-to-wicket and used to be hard to get away. You'd think another string to his bow would be a boon to him just now, but he seems to have more or less given it away. Cricket Archive tells me the 5 overs he sent down in the tour game versus WI "A" were the first bowling he's done since a solitary over on our ill-fated 06/07 Ashes tour.
Anyone know why he turns his arm over so infrequently?
zaremba
Cricketer Of The Year
No. I spoke to a knowledgeable Warwickshire fan about this and apparently Bell doesn't know why he doesn't bowl more for England either.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Fastest I've ever seen him manage bowling seam is 72mph. Regularly bowls under 70. Amazing that he can offer any threat at that pace, but he can and has.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Not convinced that Trescothick > Collingwood as bowlers TBH.
Also, Butcher and Bell are certainly much more dangerous with ball in hand - which in a four\five-day game is of course exactly what you want from a part-time bowler. You expect them to give a few runs away, but if they can filch a wicket with a good delivery out of nowhere, brilliant. However, in the OD game Collingwood > all of them, because his accuracy is considerably superior. Collingwood for most of his career has been someone I'd back to bowl 10\9(\8
) overs in a county one-day game for a decent non-few more often than plenty of supposed front-liners.Gooch was virtually before my time - hardly ever actually saw him bowl properly. Hick was a fingerspinner but I always thought a bit more could've been made of his bowling.
Top_Cat
Request Your Custom Title Now!
andruid
Cricketer Of The Year
Both the words Fast and medium are adjecties unless you are reffering to seers
Jakester1288
International Regular
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
I notice the catch to White in the gully on 14 is omitted... what a surprise.
Last edited:
Goughy
Hall of Fame Member
This is the type of thing cental contacts should be used for.
ie skills development and match practice.
If certain players play for their county then there should be the provision that their 2ndary skills are worked on. Ie KP should be bowling regularly when playing for Hampshire, Bell should have semi-regular spells for Warwicks and Collingwood should be playing a role in CC games rather than just OD. Broad also needs to bat top 4 for Notts to see where his batting takes him.