Fast bowling
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Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as fast bowlers.
The main aim of fast bowling is to bowl the cricket ball at high speed so as to make it difficult for the batsman to react in time to hit the ball cleanly, thus making the batsman likely to get out. A typical fast delivery has a speed in the range 140-150 km/h (87-95 mph).
It is possible for a bowler to concentrate solely on speed, especially when young, but as fast bowlers mature they pick up new skills and tend to rely more on swing bowling or seam bowling techniques. These are not exclusive categories, and a bowler will variously be described as a fast, swing, or seam bowler depending on context.
Fast bowling differs fundamentally from spin bowling in that the bowler does not use particular finger or wrist motions to impart spin to the ball. A fast bowler generally holds the ball with the seam upright, with the index and second fingers of the bowling hand roughly parallel on either side of the seam. The seam is kept vertical throughout the bowling action, and remains vertical as the ball spins about a horizontal axis on its flight towards the batsman.
This sort of spin means there is no appreciable Magnus effect causing the ball to deviate through the air. A fast bowler can achieve such deviation in flight through the use of swing bowling techniques.
A fast bowler's arsenal of deliveries will often include bouncers, yorkers, and either outswingers or inswingers. Surprise variation balls include leg cutters, off cutters and slower balls.
Fast bowlers are generally given the task of opening the bowling with a new cricket ball. Generally, a new cricket ball better suits the techniques of fast bowling than spin bowling. In some conditions and for some fast bowlers, however, an old ball can be equally effective. In the 1980's, Pakistani fast bowlers were arguably the first to master the art of reverse swing, where an old ball near the end of its life begins to swing very sharply.
In most cricketing countries, fast bowlers are usually considered to be the mainstay of a team's bowling attack, with slower bowlers in support roles. In the subcontinent, especially including India and Sri Lanka, the reverse is often true, with fast bowlers serving mainly to soften the ball up for the spinners. This is mainly due to the pitches used in those countries, but at an international level it is also a reflection of the outstanding skills of their spinners compared to their often-mediocre pace bowlers.
Notable fast bowlers
- Shoaib Akhtar
- Wasim Akram
- Curtly Ambrose
- SF Barnes
- Ian Botham
- Kapil Dev
- Allan Donald
- Joel Garner
- Jason Gillespie
- Richard Hadlee
- Wes Hall
- Steve Harmison
- Michael Holding
- Imran Khan
- Brett Lee
- Dennis Lillee
- Ray Lindwall
- Malcolm Marshall
- Glenn McGrath
- Shaun Pollock
- Andy Roberts
- Fred Spofforth
- Jeff Thomson
- Fred Trueman
- Courtney Walsh
- Bob Willis
- Waqar Younis
- Chaminda Vaas
- Javagal Srinath