I need EXPRESS (pace) back in my life, again!

[Jonty]

Hi guys, I haven’t posted here in a while.. maybe it’s because I have a love/hate relationship with cricket. One reason my interest in cricket diminished over time is because there simply aren’t any express fast bowlers in this era. The consistent pace, the fire, the adrenaline, the drama, stumps flying, toe crushers, not being able to see the ball when you’re at the ground.. ahh I miss those feelings.

In my opinion express speed is clocking over 150 regularly. I miss the days of Akhtar and Lee clocking over 155 regularly and touching 160 on the odd occasion. Nowadays bowlers are hitting late 140s with a surprise 150 here and there.

As Sport becomes more and more professional, athletes becoming stronger, fitter, faster, what exactly happened to express pace? Were we just lucky to have been able to witness that speed demon era?

Yes many of you will say pace isn’t everything. But this post is for those of us that get a kick out of speed, raw pace, stumps flying everywhere, batting lineups getting decimated, batsmen fearing for their lives.

Ahh I miss those days. Thoughts?

 

[KingKhanWC]

Im the same , miss seeing express pace esp being bought up with the likes of Waqar, Was and Akhtar.

I think the days of 150mph avg speed are long gone.

Fast bowlers simply dont bowl enough to strengthen their muscles to keep up this type of speed over a period of time. They dont play much country cricket, a lot of T20(4 overs) and worry injury will shorten their career. Even Jofra Archer has pulled his pace back.

Only Pakistani future bowlers can save this art in cricket, they will continue to bowl fast because its in their DNA and culture.

 

[Rana]

Nortje is a new hope. A bit like Luke Skywalker realising his potential as a Jedi

 

[Ahson8]

Lockie Ferguson is pretty fast

 

[azimiqbal]

More then express am missing reverse swing in one day internationals

 

[Jonty]

Ferguson.. He’s pretty hyped here in NZ. But in my opinion he doesn’t enter the EXPRESS category. Bond was very close

 

[Jonty]

Im the same , miss seeing express pace esp being bought up with the likes of Waqar, Was and Akhtar.

I think the days of 150mph avg speed are long gone.

Fast bowlers simply dont bowl enough to strengthen their muscles to keep up this type of speed over a period of time. They dont play much country cricket, a lot of T20(4 overs) and worry injury will shorten their career. Even Jofra Archer has pulled his pace back.

Only Pakistani future bowlers can save this art in cricket, they will continue to bowl fast because its in their DNA and culture.

Well, you’d hope so! I do watch akhtars YouTube channel, and love him or loathe him, he talks straight and true, and a lot of sense when it comes to technique and fitness with fast bowling.

 

[ElRaja]

whod want to put there body through the rigour of bowling 95+ consistently when u can earn way more money playing in sub international quality leagues bowling high 80s.

mid 2000s with lee, akhtar and tait were good times. i dont think well see 3 consistent 95+ bowlers in international cricket anytime soon.

 

[Kashmirilion]

Me too honestly the best sight in cricket by a country mile is a fast bowler speeding in bowling 155kph plus thunderbolts. Express pace is dead. I really do hope we see a revival another freak of nature.

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

Hi guys, I haven’t posted here in a while.. maybe it’s because I have a love/hate relationship with cricket. One reason my interest in cricket diminished over time is because there simply aren’t any express fast bowlers in this era. The consistent pace, the fire, the adrenaline, the drama, stumps flying, toe crushers, not being able to see the ball when you’re at the ground.. ahh I miss those feelings.

In my opinion express speed is clocking over 150 regularly. I miss the days of Akhtar and Lee clocking over 155 regularly and touching 160 on the odd occasion. Nowadays bowlers are hitting late 140s with a surprise 150 here and there.

As Sport becomes more and more professional, athletes becoming stronger, fitter, faster, what exactly happened to express pace? Were we just lucky to have been able to witness that speed demon era?

Yes many of you will say pace isn’t everything. But this post is for those of us that get a kick out of speed, raw pace, stumps flying everywhere, batting lineups getting decimated, batsmen fearing for their lives.

Ahh I miss those days. Thoughts?

Lee & Akhter were anomolies rather than the norm in those days like Warne & Murali. They don't come along in every decade. But the average speed of bowlers have increased considerably in this era.

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

More then express am missing reverse swing in one day internationals

I'm missing cute casual ball tampering.

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

Im the same , miss seeing express pace esp being bought up with the likes of Waqar, Was and Akhtar.

I think the days of 150mph avg speed are long gone.

Fast bowlers simply dont bowl enough to strengthen their muscles to keep up this type of speed over a period of time. They dont play much country cricket, a lot of T20(4 overs) and worry injury will shorten their career. Even Jofra Archer has pulled his pace back.

Only Pakistani future bowlers can save this art in cricket, they will continue to bowl fast because its in their DNA and culture.

Apart from Shoaib & Lee & Tait in their absolute peak, hardly anyone in the history of the game bowled at an average speed of 150+kmph. I saw the speed contest video of the oldies of 70's & none touched 150 kmph mark for a single delivery even with bowling massive no balls & full tosses.

 

[rhony]

Name of the game is endurance and survival. Bowlers realized they can be equally efficient at 145. They want to play more without imjuries and make more. They realized that flat pitches and new batting skills mean the faster you bowl the faster it goes to the boundary.

 

[Saj]

Bowlers want to preserve themselves for T20 leagues as that's where the money is.

Why run in all day bowling 150kph, break your back and then not be fit for the T20 leagues.

Instead, preserve yourself, bowl within yourself and still make the dollars around the world.

 

[Jonty]

Bowlers want to preserve themselves for T20 leagues as that's where the money is.

Why run in all day bowling 150kph, break your back and then not be fit for the T20 leagues.

Instead, preserve yourself, bowl within yourself and still make the dollars around the world.

I can understand this somewhat. But a bowler like Akhtar or lee would’ve prospered far more only bowling four overs a match. Of course, it does come down to the overall workload of test/odi/t20 cricket.

 

[ElRaja]

I can understand this somewhat. But a bowler like Akhtar or lee would’ve prospered far more only bowling four overs a match. Of course, it does come down to the overall workload of test/odi/t20 cricket.

but they would have been as successful bowling 5 mph average slower given leagues are generally lower quality than international, the risk of misdirected deliveries and deflections and edges going for boundaries makes bowling express far more of a gamble in t20s.

the effects of express pace bowling are more pronounced in odis and tests rather than t20s, where a mid innings pacy yorker or bouncer out of nowhere breaking a partnership can change a game.

 

[Robert]

Just too much cricket played for bowlers to sustain extreme pace.

I feel the golden days are gone as T20 messes up batting techniques. Now batters cannot for the most part bat in alien conditions. The draw is all but gone from tests and I miss it - the last wicket rearguard action with an hour left which could be so thrilling.

 

[Saj]

Even those who start off with great pace, tend to slow down after a few years in the game. That's to increase their longevity in the game and to sustain playing in all 3 formats and the T20 leagues.

 

[mastimasti]

There was great pace on show in the PSL, I remember guys like Shaheen, Hasnain, Rauf and co hitting 150 a lot. And in this ODI series there's been plenty of 145+ bowling...and among the world bowlers, Mark Wood will never let you down for pace. Heck in the last game he played, suffering from whatever illness it was, barely able to field he still bowled around 90mph.

The days of AKhtar, Lee and even Tait bowling around 95mph is a different story though...we may not see the likes again.