Pace bowlers with shortest run ups

[zaremba]

Winston Benjamin used to bowl the odd ball off what I remember being a few yards and got it through at a surprising pace.

Shahid Afridi?

 

[Red]

..

 

[Dan]

Best I could find that shows his run-up. Barely past the umpire (from about 30 seconds in)

 

[Prince EWS]

Scott Coyte [/thread]

Yep, this. He's insane. Would have to be one of the best indoor cricketers in the world for this reason.

 

[Prince EWS]

*snip*

Best I could find that shows his run-up. Barely past the umpire (from about 30 seconds in)

For those unfamiliar with Coyte, he generates close to 140 clicks off those couple of steps.

Marlon Samuels probably worth a semi-serious mention too if we ignore the fact that he's a chucker. His quicker ball was seriously medium-fast.

 

[the big bambino]

When Harmison 1st toured Australia he had trouble with his rhythm and direction that persisted throughout the summer. In an effort to overcome the problems with his run up he reduced it, at least once, to a few steps from which he bowled at speeds in the low 140s.

 

[smash84]

extra short run up for the kid

Imran Khan v Sachin Tendulkar - Clash of the Titans - YouTube

 

[BoyBrumby]

Craig White was 90mph+ off about half a dozen ambled steps.

 

[karan316]

Wasn't expecting so many examples, some are genuinely quick out of the mentioned names. Scott Coyte was a big surprise, I wonder how the batsmen who face him for the first time would be surprised by his pace. I came up with the thread because I myself tried to bowl from 4-5 paces(coz I have had issues with my longer run up), I could bowl with a better accuracy and was able to bowl my bouncer really well. The best thing was that my pace remained the same. So I just wanted to study a bit more about other bowlers who have successfully bowled with a shorter run up.

 

[BeeGee]

In 1977 Mick Malone bowled all day from one end at the Oval bar a couple of overs before lunch. His run up got shorter and shorter after tea.

That right - and his flannels got redder.

Ewen Chatfield bowled all day in a Test match in India when most of the team came down with dysentery. And his flannels got browner.

 

[hendrix]

Mitchell Johnson's run-up isn't particularly short, but he hardly puts any actual pace into it. It's more like a waddle.

 

[the big bambino]

I was reading about the 46/47 ashes and by a series of links eventually to a 1937 newspaper article by Arthur Mailey about fast bowler Ginty Lush. Mailey was discussing Lush's chances for test selection after some recent good form. As an aside he spoke about Bill Copson, the Derbyshire seamer, of whom he wrote that he came off a short run and bowled with surprising speed that often defeated the batsmen.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Fleming later in his career.

 

[zaremba]

Sylvers didn't have a long run up but from what I've read I'd suggest the shortest was probably Eddie Gilbert who just shuffled in for a few paces before knocking Bradman's bat out of his hand

4 yards, according to the CW Cricket Book of the Decade .

 

[OverratedSanity]

Shahid Afridi

 

[Red]

Jason Gillespie shortened his run up considerably.

 

[adub]

Best I could find that shows his run-up. Barely past the umpire (from about 30 seconds in)

I captained him in his first year of seniors when he was 14. Played mostly as a keeper but bowled leggies when I had the gloves on. Had a longer run up bowling those.

 

[Singh Is King]

S. Akhtar Rawalpindi Express

 

[Goughy]

Craig White was 90mph+ off about half a dozen ambled steps.

Agreed. There was always debate about who was quicker on a good day- White or Gough? I am not sure I know the answer but I know that one had to put a lot more effort in than the other in their runup.

 

[nexxus]

Allan Donald shortened his by a huge margin. Looking at it now, not so short but less than half the original.

Went from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YsINAAXuX0

To