Has science and technology reduced the novelty factor of fast bowling?

[MechEng]

I break it down in two:

 

Science: In earlier era either you had the genes to bowl fast or you did not. There was no strength training or sophisticated diet plan. 

 

Technology: With the invention of bowling machines, most players have a brief idea of what it is like to face a 90 mph bowler before actually facing one.

I can imagine in early 1980s, Dilip Vengsarkar and Azharuddin tonking slow medium bowlers and spinners in Ranji games and when picked to tour either West Indies or Pakistan they get a sudden shock there. The pitches are much more livelier and the speed of the ball coming at you feels like 5 times of what you faced in Ranji games.

 

Pre tech era made fast bowling a unique wonder or something more superhuman. But now it is not hard to find an Associate cricket team bowler clocking 85-87 mph.

 

So it does seem fast bowling today is not a wonder it used to be before. 

[fineleg]

It is true for many things. Even spin bowling, batting techniques disected etc and other fields too. So, not specific to fast bowling, just evolution of things/technology advances.

[Vilander]

51 minutes ago, MechEng said:

tour either West Indies or Pakistan they get a sudden shock there. The pitches are much more livelier and the speed of the ball coming at you feels like 5 times of what you faced in Ranji games

Pakistan did not have lively wickets.

[MechEng]

Just now, Vilander said:

Pakistan did not have lively wickets.

They did prepare greentops when we toured there in 82 where Imran Khan ran through our batting. Otherwise yes pitches are flat.

[Vilander]

4 minutes ago, MechEng said:

They did prepare greentops when we toured there in 82 where Imran Khan ran through our batting. Otherwise yes pitches are flat.

They used bottle caps and poor umpires yeah but had flat wickets. Thats what i remember.

[express bowling]

Improved technology and easily available information have killed the romanticism in every area.

 

Earlier, every pacer from the WI used to bowl every ball at 160 kph + ... and used to run in from the boundary line ... and the keeper used to stand near the boundary at the other end  ... and smoke and fire used to come out of their noses when they ran in ... and all were 8 feet tall.

 

The bloody TV cameras spoiled everything  !

[MechEng]

46 minutes ago, fineleg said:

It is true for many things. Even spin bowling, batting techniques disected etc and other fields too. So, not specific to fast bowling, just evolution of things/technology advances.

I would also hold tech to be responsible for decline of Mendis the bowler. Slow motion cameras ended his mystery within one year. If he was bowling in 80s and 90s, he would have been among the most feared bowlers.

[maniac]

17 minutes ago, express bowling said:

Improved technology and easily available information have killed the romanticism in every area.

 

Earlier, every pacer from the WI used to bowl every ball at 160 kph + ... and used to run in from the boundary line ... and the keeper used to stand near the boundary at the other end  ... and smoke and fire used to come out of their noses when they ran in ... and all were 8 feet tall.

 

The bloody TV cameras spoiled everything  !

You have to factor in the pitches as well, in the early 90's I don't remember it was either in SA or WI but I remember the pitch was like glass where you could almost see your reflection in it.

 

Perth, SA pitches and WI have all slowed down. in fact WI pitches from fast bowler's paradise have become SC dustbowls. Aus pitches have become flat pattas including Perth.

 

On the other hand Surprisingly it has become relatively fast bowling friendly in India and SL these days where you get a pitch that is friendly for swing and seam.

[MechEng]

21 minutes ago, express bowling said:

Improved technology and easily available information have killed the romanticism in every area.

 

Earlier, every pacer from the WI used to bowl every ball at 160 kph + ... and used to run in from the boundary line ... and the keeper used to stand near the boundary at the other end  ... and smoke and fire used to come out of their noses when they ran in ... and all were 8 feet tall.

 

The bloody TV cameras spoiled everything  !

But you have to admit that the thrill of playing fast bowling is slowly going away. I was watching Mohammed sami's debut in NZ and he was only bowling in 138-140 kph range but Nathan Astle was reacting as if he's facing bullets. Today that speed is so common.

[rkt.india]

7 hours ago, MechEng said:

I break it down in two:

 

Science: In earlier era either you had the genes to bowl fast or you did not. There was no strength training or sophisticated diet plan. 

 

Technology: With the invention of bowling machines, most players have a brief idea of what it is like to face a 90 mph bowler before actually facing one.

I can imagine in early 1980s, Dilip Vengsarkar and Azharuddin tonking slow medium bowlers and spinners in Ranji games and when picked to tour either West Indies or Pakistan they get a sudden shock there. The pitches are much more livelier and the speed of the ball coming at you feels like 5 times of what you faced in Ranji games.

 

Pre tech era made fast bowling a unique wonder or something more superhuman. But now it is not hard to find an Associate cricket team bowler clocking 85-87 mph.

 

So it does seem fast bowling today is not a wonder it used to be before. 

None of Pakistani bowlers of early 80s were really fast. 

[rkt.india]

6 hours ago, maniac said:

You have to factor in the pitches as well, in the early 90's I don't remember it was either in SA or WI but I remember the pitch was like glass where you could almost see your reflection in it.

 

Perth, SA pitches and WI have all slowed down. in fact WI pitches from fast bowler's paradise have become SC dustbowls. Aus pitches have become flat pattas including Perth.

 

On the other hand Surprisingly it has become relatively fast bowling friendly in India and SL these days where you get a pitch that is friendly for swing and seam.

That's a huge misconception that WI had fast pitches. They had two pitches for fast biwlers sabina park and Barbados and they still do. WI pitches aren't much different than Indian pitches. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by rkt.india

[Khota]

You are an ME. You should be all for technology. Technology gives you lots of advantages that need to be availed. You dont want to go back to old days of cricket where they would go to coal mines and get the strongest man to bowl fast in England. Time to move on.

[maniac]

2 hours ago, rkt.india said:

That's a huge misconception that WI had fast pitches. They had two pitches for fast biwlers sabina park and Barbados and they still do. WI pitches aren't much different than Indian pitches. 

Yes Sabina park and Barbados. They were spicy pitches though. However Durban,Perth,Joburg, Sabina Park have all become slower wickets.

[Rightarmfast]

The only constant in life is change!

 

While it might look like the advent in technology has reduced the novelty of bowlers, from another perspective, the advent in 3rd umpiring, improved cameras and the option to go appeal against the umpires also balances it out to some extent. 

And in any field of life, things move on. People improve. The bowlers subsequently have also improved and understand the game better. A Md Shami of today, would still be a bloody good bowler in the 70's. And that is because no matter how much the game changes, no matter how much technology changes, the basics still remain the same. The human reflex still remains the same. 

So, I think fast bowling is still as exciting, is still as dangerous as it was a 100 yrs ago.

 

[Khota]

I love the modern day technology. Multiple cameras on the field, keeping cheats from lifting seam of the ball.

[Nikhil_cric]

A lot of pitches are very consistent in terms of pace and bounce nowadays. Look at English odi pitches for example. No fast bowler would survive on those.