"I didn't bowl your little outswingers"

[Top_Cat]

2. You never faced Mohammed Zahid on his pomp. Lara and Aravinda de SIlva (both very good players of extreme pace, check what they've done to Wasim and Waqar in early and mid 90s if you doubt) will testify that Zahid was the quickest by a fair margin out of bowlers they've faced. Yes they've faced Wasim, Waqar, Donald, Akthar and Lee, and have destroyed all of them when on the mood. Zahid was the only one I've seen hurrying Youngish Lara and De Silva. No other bowler on the planet was able to do it except Kumble and Warne against Lara and de Silva (that is a different kettle of fish though) in their youth.

That was surely more due to Zahid's seam-up style of bowling, though, because he was definitely clocked before getting injured and his speeds were quick enough (quickest was mid-150's) and certainly in the Lee/Akhtar bracket, give or take a few k's, but definitely no quicker. So I'd say his hurrying up of players was more a function of seam pop than raw speed although he had plenty of that too.

 

[Richard]

That was surely more due to Zahid's seam-up style of bowling, though, because he was definitely clocked before getting injured

Was he?!?! When was that?

 

[Richard]

It's not unlikely at all, Trueman often bowled left arm spin in charity matches, confirmed here by Bill Frindall in question two paragraph three.

That seems far more likely than it being a reversed photo and his delivery stride would be unlikely to leave his feet in that position if he was bowling fast,

Did he bowl it often in Championship games though?

 

[Son Of Coco]

Well unless he routinely took to bowling left-arm in Championship matches, it has to be an directionally-inversed (?) image. Interesting, I was wondering if it was just an illusion, but there's no doubt at all really that the arm which, in that image, appears as his left, is indeed the bowling-arm.

Unfortunately an inverse image can't be blamed for his hairstyle

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Did he bowl it often in Championship games though?

No idea how often he did it, but the fact that he did it at all could explain the photo. There's no doubting his left-handed ability as he often used to throw the ball in left handed if it happened to come to him on that side.

 

[Days of Grace]

inverse image I think.

 

[Days of Grace]

Marsh IIRC relayed how Lillee, being the senior quick, got to bowl into the wind, while Thommo had to bowl against it.

 

[Richard]

No idea how often he did it, but the fact that he did it at all could explain the photo.

That photo's from a Yorkshire game though. It'd be rather surprising if he did it in major games.

 

[Smudge]

Yea I know Thommo bowled faster than 160 km/h regularly, and the speed guns were completely different back then.

Rod Marsh reckoned he bowled 180, Thommo says 180, I know who I am going to trust.... the keeper who kept to him and the bowler himself. Noone else has a clue except those 2

And how exactly did they measure that?

Thommo: "Is that a speed gun in your pants or are you just happy to keep to me?"

 

[shortpitched713]

And how exactly did they measure that?

Thommo: "Is that a speed gun in your pants or are you just happy to keep to me?"

Thats sort of stimulation is a totally unsafe match practice and Marsh should have been wearing protection anyways.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

That photo's from a Yorkshire game though. It'd be rather surprising if he did it in major games.

It's unlikely he would have used it as a weapon but if the game was meandering to a tame draw he might have done it. Also in those days when there were crowds at County matches they would play an exbition for entertainment value if the proper match finished early. Out of all the hundreds of pictures of Trueman it makes you wonder why they used that whatever the truth.

 

[Goughy]

It's unlikely he would have used it as a weapon but if the game was meandering to a tame draw he might have done it. Also in those days when there were crowds at County matches they would play an exbition for entertainment value if the proper match finished early. Out of all the hundreds of pictures of Trueman it makes you wonder why they used that whatever the truth.

On second look,

He is clearly bowling right arm seam.

Its seam bowling as the the fingers of the 'left' hand (ie bowling hand) are positioned to have come down the seam.

and its clearly right arm bowling with an inverse image as the photo shows the left leg being the back leg. As a right arm seamer, his right leg would be the back leg. This is important due to the drag plate.

The drag plate is on the 'left' boot. Its impossible that he would have a different pair of boots for the one in a million chance of bowling left arm seam. His drag plate would always be on the right foot. Given it is shown on the left in this photo then it is clearly an inverse image.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

The drag plate is on the 'left' boot. Its impossible that he would have a different pair of boots for the one in a million chance of bowling left arm seam. His drag plate would always be on the right foot. Given it is shown on the left in this photo then it is clearly an inverse image.

Well done Sherlock.