Fastest Deliveries

[andruid]

I remember in the Trent Bridge Test of the 2005 Ashes Bret Lee bowling over after over of deliveries all in excess of 90mph, and if I remember rightly he removed Flintoff's off stump with a 95 mph yorker from heavan...

 

[Isolator]

Nah, it was a length ball... then Lee did this incredibly cheesy "my heart will live on"-style celebration.

 

[Richard]

Ind33dy. Good ball, and pretty sharp, but what beat Flintoff was the in-movement, not the length.

 

[aussie]

Very odd list, missing a few names i feel.

During Bond's spell of 5/25 vs Australia in 2002 i'm very sure he was up around 157 kph. I also remember seeing Mohammad Sami (dont know if the knock went wrong that day) during the memorable ODI series vs IND in 04 bowling a deliveried clocked @ 100.6 mph to Ganguly very recently Tait was up to 100 mph & i distincly remember Harmison getting up to 96 mph vs WI in an ODI @ Southampton in 04.

 

[Richard]

i distincly remember Harmison getting up to 96 mph vs WI in an ODI @ Southampton in 04.

Harmison's only game at The Rose Bowl in 2004 was against Sri Lanka, not West Indies. He bowled extremely fast that year against both them (West Indies) at Headingley and New Zealand at The Riverside, however. I myself recall him clocking 96mph in the latter.

I don't recall him bowling especially fast at The Rose Bowl against Sri Lanka, though, although he did take 6-21-2. But no-one needed to bowl fast on such a seam-friendly surface.

 

[Manee]

Very odd list, missing a few names i feel.

During Bond's spell of 5/25 vs Australia in 2002 i'm very sure he was up around 157 kph. I also remember seeing Mohammad Sami (dont know if the knock went wrong that day) during the memorable ODI series vs IND in 04 bowling a deliveried clocked @ 100.6 mph to Ganguly very recently Tait was up to 100 mph & i distincly remember Harmison getting up to 96 mph vs WI in an ODI @ Southampton in 04.

Seen the Sami ball on youtube, it was an anomalous reading.

 

[Manee]

Ind33dy. Good ball, and pretty sharp, but what beat Flintoff was the in-movement

And the sheer pace.

 

[social]

There's a video on youtube about the development of technology relating to bowling speeds

Jeff Thomson was recorded ONCE in his entire career during a match and recorded 161.45 ks.

He also easily won the world's fastest bowler competition against Holding, Imran, Lillee Roberts etc etc etc (albeit only at about 149 ks) despite not having played a competitive match in 9 months and being fat as a fool due to his ban

I think it's fair to say that he was the quickest of the modern era by some distance

 

[Migara]

Not listed, and probably the most interesting, is one by Craig White.

He is repeatedly recognised to have bowled a 97 mph delivery (the fastest by an Englishman) but all I can find is the same claim rather than hard evidence.

Here is a cricinfo link to Lee bowling at 160.8 which is considerably quicker than anything attributed to him on that list.

In fact, from what I can see, it is a very ordinary and misleading list as it looks like the speeds were only taken from a short (maybe 2 yr) period

In WC 2003, Lee knocked Atapattu's off stump with a 160.9k delivery.

 

[Migara]

I cannot see all those thunderbolts sent by Malinga as wel. Got up to 154-155 range in New Zealand and in VB series, he was the second fastest behing Brett Lee, going up to 154, and going pass Ishant Sharma very easily.

 

[gettingbetter]

Migara, another poster said that the list hasn't been updated for 6 years or so, and if I recall correctly, Malinga reached no more than 148 during the series.

 

[Richard]

There's a video on youtube about the development of technology relating to bowling speeds

Jeff Thomson was recorded ONCE in his entire career during a match and recorded 161.45 ks.

He also easily won the world's fastest bowler competition against Holding, Imran, Lillee Roberts etc etc etc (albeit only at about 149 ks) despite not having played a competitive match in 9 months and being fat as a fool due to his ban

I think it's fair to say that he was the quickest of the modern era by some distance

No, it's not. Thomson was not recorded by reliable methods, ever, in his career. We do not know how he compares to the Shoaib Akhtars etc. etc.

We do not truly know how fast anyone was until 1998. We can only guess.

 

[Manee]

Current paces are what are known as 'pre bounce' speeds rather than release speeds - they are calculated a split second after delivery rather than at delivery. It is possible that the speeds of Holding and Roberts at 150kph and Thommo at 160kph were their release speeds.

 

[social]

Current paces are what are known as 'pre bounce' speeds rather than release speeds - they are calculated a split second after delivery rather than at delivery. It is possible that the speeds of Holding and Roberts at 150kph and Thommo at 160kph were their release speeds.

Today's speeds are calculated at a point a foot or two from release.

"World's fastest bowler" comp in '79 was average speed over pitch distance, i.e. very different

 

[social]

No, it's not. Thomson was not recorded by reliable methods, ever, in his career. We do not know how he compares to the Shoaib Akhtars etc. etc.

We do not truly know how fast anyone was until 1998. We can only guess.

Richard or university professor.

Hmmm, who do I believe?

 

[Manee]

"World's fastest bowler" comp in '79 was average speed over pitch distance, i.e. very different

I am aware of that, I am referring to the speeds which had Roberts and Holding at 150kph and Thommo at 160kph which the "World's fastest bowler" most certainly didn't.

 

[Richard]

Richard or university professor.

Hmmm, who do I believe?

So then, who is said professor now then?

 

[andruid]

Richard or university professor.

Hmmm, who do I believe?

If Richard said 1+1=2 and the University professor said otherwise...

 

[Migara]

Migara, another poster said that the list hasn't been updated for 6 years or so, and if I recall correctly, Malinga reached no more than 148 during the series.

In that close match against India, he bowled his last two overs consistently ove 150k (except for the slower balls and one bouncer that he aimed at Uthappa IIRCO.Any way I just realized it has not been updated as Shane Bond does not appear there.

 

[Fusion]

Richard or university professor.

Hmmm, who do I believe?

He has a point. From what I understand, there was no reliable way to measure speeds back then. Thomson may have been the fastest, I'm not arguing that. But there is no certain proof that he was.