Best & Smooth Bowling Actions

[Richard]

I do not see Holding's action as that smooth and I am aware this is a deficiency on my part.

Holding's beauty was more about run-up than actual delivery. I cannot believe anyone has ever glided to the crease so apparently easily, especially not someone carrying no shortage of size like big Mikey.

 

[kingkallis]

It's a pity that Waqar didn't get any vote before I gave him one. I can't decide between Waqar and Donald when it comes to bowling action. I gave it to Waqar because he hasn't got one. Waqar in his best form was a great sight, bloody attacking... http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri-4H5GO0os

Waqar's yorker to Lara in that video is bloody awesome!

 

[Matt52]

Hes not on the list but I ve always thought James Franklin had the most fluid action around these days. For spinners, Ive always liked Vettori's smooth action.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JtggHgA4-lI

 

[subshakerz]

Surprised at the number of votes for McGrath. Sure, his action was smooth and effortless, but nothing particularly graceful or exciting besides that. Actually, it seemed very mechanical and boring.

 

[Richard]

Hes not on the list but I ve always thought James Franklin had the most fluid action around these days. For spinners, Ive always liked Vettori's smooth action.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JtggHgA4-lI

MSP's action > Vettori's IMO.

Not sure about Franklin. He's a bit too flurry-ish and slightly jerky with his arms. It's an excellent swing-bowler's action, undoubtedly, but not what I'd call fluid poetry-in-motion.

 

[Richard]

Waqar's yorker to Lara in that video is bloody awesome!

Yeah, one of the most sensational single deliveries I've ever seen. It'd not be any lesser a delivery if it was bowled at James Anderson rather than Lara but the fact it was Lara makes it much more special, obviously.

 

[kingkallis]

Yeah, one of the most sensational single deliveries I've ever seen. It'd not be any lesser a delivery if it was bowled at James Anderson rather than Lara but the fact it was Lara makes it much more special, obviously.

Yup Richard, I remember Waqar's some toe crushing yorkers against the Kiwi openers back in 1992-93 but here its Lara and thats why its more special!

 

[bagapath]

because richard hadlee and kapil dev are not on the list i am going for allan donald.

 

[JimmyGS]

Hehe, that's pretty awesome. I always figured Indian film stars had their heights exaggerated by camera work. A lot of the big names in Indian cinema like Salman Khan, Aamir Khan are all quite short...

It's exactly the same in American cinema. Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, even 50 Cent are all midgets.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Angus Fraser had a good action getting the most from a man of his build.

Yeah, I thought of Gus after the usual suspects. Not exactly graceful, but well-grooved and easily repeated.

Surprised no one has mentioned Pollock yet either. Arguably the purest action of the last decade for me.

 

[Top_Cat]

Funny, i never said so for fear of luring the pakistan-fanatic, but i never quite could get over Akhtar's arm-bending during his action. Murali looks a bit suspect, but i'm more than happy to trust the science. Akhtar just looks like he's taking a shy at the stumps from midwicket after a 100m sprint.

Optical illusion. The guy hyper-extends at the elbow more than any other athlete I've ever seen. It's why he's going to be a very sore old man.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Optical illusion. The guy hyper-extends at the elbow more than any other athlete I've ever seen. It's why he's going to be a very sore old man.

Yes & no. This may've been posted before, but no less a personage than Mickey Holding himself compares Shoaib's hyperextension to another bowler with the same elbows, RP Singh:

YouTube.

 

[Precambrian]

Hehe, that's pretty awesome. I always figured Indian film stars had their heights exaggerated by camera work. A lot of the big names in Indian cinema like Salman Khan, Aamir Khan are all quite short...

Oh yeah. Shah Rukh is 5'8'' Aamir is 5'6'' and Salman 5'7''. Only Hritik is above 6 I guess.

 

[Richard]

Optical illusion. The guy hyper-extends at the elbow more than any other athlete I've ever seen. It's why he's going to be a very sore old man.

Shoaib strikes me as the "dying young" type anyway. Not quite Sid'n'Nancy-esque, but the next division below.

And of course, the odd one of that type lives forever - eg, Alex Higgins, Doug Walters, Willie Watson.

 

[Precambrian]

Funny, i never said so for fear of luring the pakistan-fanatic, but i never quite could get over Akhtar's arm-bending during his action. Murali looks a bit suspect, but i'm more than happy to trust the science. Akhtar just looks like he's taking a shy at the stumps from midwicket after a 100m sprint.

Akthar's chuck looks raw, and Lee's chuck look sophisticated. That's all the difference I find in their actions.

 

[Top_Cat]

Yes & no. This may've been posted before, but no less a personage than Mickey Holding himself compares Shoaib's hyperextension to another bowler with the same elbows, RP Singh:

YouTube.

No offence to you for posting but I'm not particularly interested in Michael Holding's opinion on biomechanics unless there's a Ph.D he holds in the field I'm not aware of. Particularly since, in cricket, the literature on it is pretty young.

 

[BoyBrumby]

No offence to you for posting but I'm not particularly interested in Michael Holding's opinion on biomechanics. Particularly since, in cricket, the literature on it is pretty young.

Fair enough, Holding might not have a PhD, but the point's still well made regardless. Ahktar's action looks far more ragged than another bowler with precisely the same flaw in his elbows. It's at least worthy of discussion.

 

[krkode]

Fair enough, Holding might not have a PhD, but the point's still well made regardless. Ahktar's action looks far more ragged than another bowler with precisely the same flaw in his elbows. It's at least worthy of discussion.

Do we know that it is the same flaw in their elbows? The amount of variation between humans is so vast that it's unlikely that everything about their arms is the same... Which may lead to why their bowling actions look different.

 

[Top_Cat]

Fair enough, Holding might not have a PhD, but the point's still well made regardless. Ahktar's action looks far more ragged than another bowler with precisely the same flaw in his elbows. It's at least worthy of discussion.

Is it precisely the same flaw, though? That's my point.

 

[Richard]

Optical illusions are a dangerous thing. As is the "if it looks worse then it must be worse" line of thought.