Were The bolwers in the 70s and 80s really faster than mordern bolwers

[cricket_lover]

Not only did they bowl fast, they did that consistently. Today's bowlers' say its due to variation but they cannot consistently bowl fast for a period. Brett Lee's doing good, especially after his long break from cricket.

The older generation were fast and hostile and highly accurate.

 

[Harrypotter_fan]

This is interesting:

When they timed me around the 161Ks, that was done at the batting end. These guys today are timed at the bowlers' end. Who's standing two metres in front of a bowler facing the ball? Nobody. They're trying to make them look as quick as us. We were timed further down the pitch, where it slows down. If they had timed me out of the hand, it would have been close to 180Ks.

Source: http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/330770.html

 

[SciD]

This is interesting:


Source: http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/330770.html

Jeff Thomson believes he bowled at 200ks. I mean its highly unlikely that anyone can bowl at such high speeds as he makes you believe. With all the best facilities and coaches in place now days you dont see Shoaib, Lee or Tait crossing 160 ks barrier how come Thomson got his pace unless he was on drugs?

 

[Harrypotter_fan]

when did he say he bowled at 200 kmph?

 

[SciD]

No matter how quick they are the bowlers will never be able to bowl faster than a baseball pitcher and the greatest reliably recorded speed at which a baseball has been pitched is 100.9 mph by Lynn Nolan Ryan (California Angels) at Anaheim Stadium in California on August 20, 1974.

when did he say he bowled at 200 kmph?

He has never said it but if you listen to him talking about him bowling he would just go on and on about his pace as if the guys these days are bowling lollypops.

 

[Cricketman]

I don't like that guy. He's so pompous.
"I didn't bowl your outswingers" bah.

 

[jordox]

Bradman said that Larwood (or some other olden day bowler, I forget) was faster than Thommo.

However, that really doesn't prove anything, just saying.

 

[manee]

Bradman said that Larwood (of some other olden day bowler, I forget) was faster than Thommo.

If I recollect, Thompson never bowled pace to Bradman in nets or a match.

 

[jordox]

If I recollect, Thompson never bowled pace to Bradman in nets or a match.

If I recollect, Bradman had eyes.

 

[manee]

If I recollect, Bradman had eyes.

If you faced a bowler on uncovered pitches bowling bodyline then you will naturally think that he is quicker than someone who you have not faced.

 

[Atlas]

Probably a big part of thinking how quick they are had something to do with the fact if you got hit in the head, you probably ended up in hospital whereas today batsmen have helmets.

Good point. Didn't Rodney Hogg kill Ewan Chattfield for a minute or so? (He was revived on the ground.) He wasn't exactly express.

I don't think there's much difference between old and new. You can only run in and roll your arm over so fast. I think there were express bowlers, Andy Roberts, Thommo, etc that were comparable in speed to modern day bowlers.

I don't put much stock in that World's Fastest Bowler thing. Unless you tested Brett Lee and Shoaib with the exact same speed-gun, using the exact same calibration, in the exact same weather conditions, its doesn't really work for comparison purposes.

To think of it another way - we've all seen footage of Lillee and Holding, great actions both - would anyone here honestly say they weren't fast enough that they would face them without a helmet?

edit : just noticed angryangy already made my point about speed-guns.

 

[aussie1st]

This is interesting:


Source: http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/330770.html

If what he says is right and they did time his ball at the batters end then he would be at least 170km/h from the hand.

 

[Animator!]

They actually timed Thompson once from old Bodyline footage, they used some technoology to try and pin point the the time it came out of his to the time he it/went past the batsman which would give them a reaction time which would then give them a pace and he was very, very close to a 100 mph iirc.

 

[manee]

I remember hearing about a VHS tape study which had Thompson at an average release time of about 150kph (11 frames). However, it had Tyson and Trueman at a top possible speed of 159.25kph (10 frames).

 

[A_Whitey]

They actually timed Thompson once from old Bodyline footage, they used some technoology to try and pin point the the time it came out of his to the time he it/went past the batsman which would give them a reaction time which would then give them a pace and he was very, very close to a 100 mph iirc.

That was when he was in decline too, if you had measured him during the 75 Ashes (iirc) when he was at his peak it would have comfortably exceeded 100mph.