Wasim Akram - genuine fast or fast -medium?

[Harsh Thakor]

No doubt,arguably Wasim Akram was the most complete paceman of all and probably the best of all left-arm bowlers .He was the ultimate pace bowling artist and magician.However I ask myself did he bowl for the major part of his carer at a genuine quick speed of between 90-95m.p.h or did he basically bowl at around 86-88m.p.h.At his quickest from 1990-92 I am sure Wasim came close to even 95 m.p.h but did he reserve that only for his short spells or he consistently bowled around 90-92.Imran Khan at his quickest reached 95 m.p.h.but in the early and late 1980's often came down to around 89.m.p.h.Arguably Curtly Ambrose often was not explosive quick and often fast -medium.Paceman like Jeff Thomson,Michael Holding,Waqar Younus,Shoaib Akhtar or Patrick Paterson were express-pace while Dennis Lillee,Andy Roberts,Imran Khan,Alan Donald or Fred Trueman were considered genuinely fast.With his average bowling speed would Wasim Akram or even Curtly Ambrose join the fast 'medium' club or genuine 'fast' club ? Another question would be whether Wasim was more lethal at genuine fast or fast -medium,posessing his incredible variations.Personally to me like Dennis Lillee or Malcolm Marshall.Wasim could have been more lethal at reduced pace .However I still think the Akram in Australia in1989-90 or in England in 1992 was at top speed. Quoting C_C. or International Captain from cricketweb in an outstanding post below posted in November 2004.Personally I diasgree with him on his categorization of Wasim but still think it is a super analysis. Well i dont think the term medium pace/express pace/fast-medium/medium-fast/fast/slow-medium are all that well supported by speed readings. For i've seen some people associate slow-medium with 60mph deliveries while some do it for anything below 75mph. My understanding would be this : express : 95+mph consistently ( Holding, Akhtar, Waqar, Thommo,Lee, Patrick Patterson, etc.) fast : capable of 95mph+ bowling but usually in the 90-95mph group ( Donald, Ambrose in his 20s, Lillee, Imran, Roberts, Croft, Bishop, Hall, Trueman, etc.) fast-medium : capable of 90+mph stuff but mostly in the high 80s zone ( Flintoff, Wasim, Walsh,Srinath,Gillespie,Garner,Sobers,Willis etc.) Medium-fast : capable of high 80s or sometimes in the low 90s stuff but mostly in the mid-low 80s zone ( McGrath, Kapil,Vaas,Botham, Hadlee, Pollock, Sarfaraz,etc.) Medium - incapable of high 80s/low 90s - usually hits mid-low 80s when going 'flat out' and operating in the low 70s category ( Pathan today, Kallis, Fleming, Amarnath, etc) Slow-medium : almost never exceeds 80mph, usually operates in the high 60s/low 70s range at best (Cronje, Ganguly,etc). Ofcourse, this is a rough understanding - not all bowlers fit their categories ideally - Wasim could churn out 95mph stuff and trouble the quickest of batsmen(such as Ritchie Richardson) when he chose to but most of the time he was content bowling in the high 80s. McGrath can crank out 90mph stuff but mostly chooses to stick ot the mid-low 80s zone. But i feel that in my rough approximation of the speed definitions, the bowlers i put in their categories 'fit' that category better than any other. My inclinations usually are to lump express and fast into one category and medium-medium-fast-slow medium into another while more or less keeping fast medium seperate. Why i dunno, call it a natural inclination. Maybe i see the world of cricket in 4 gears ( fast, fast-medium, medium and slow/spin).Ofcourse, i dont believe much in speed being a factor that makes a bowler good - speed can be a weakness to some batsmen but nowhere close to movement in my opinion so i tend to use the generic term 'pacers' more than anything else - i basically view the word 'pacer' to be 'anyone who isnt a spinner'.

[rkt.india]

However I ask myself did he bowl for the major part of his carer at a genuine quick speed of between 90-95m.p.h or did he basically bowl at around 86-88m.p.h.At his quickest from 1990-92 I am sure Wasim came close to even 95 m.p.h but did he reserve that only for his short spells or he consistently bowled around 90-92.

There were no speed guns on those days. So, how can you be so sure? IN 1979 fast bowling competition, Imran's quickest was 139.

[rkt.india]

Quoting C_C. or International Captain from cricketweb in an outstanding post below posted in November 2004.Personally I diasgree with him on his categorization of Wasim but still think it is a super analysis. Well i dont think the term medium pace/express pace/fast-medium/medium-fast/fast/slow-medium are all that well supported by speed readings. For i've seen some people associate slow-medium with 60mph deliveries while some do it for anything below 75mph. My understanding would be this : express : 95+mph consistently ( Holding, Akhtar, Waqar, Thommo,Lee, Patrick Patterson, etc.) fast : capable of 95mph+ bowling but usually in the 90-95mph group ( Donald, Ambrose in his 20s, Lillee, Imran, Roberts, Croft, Bishop, Hall, Trueman, etc.) fast-medium : capable of 90+mph stuff but mostly in the high 80s zone ( Flintoff, Wasim, Walsh,Srinath,Gillespie,Garner,Sobers,Willis etc.) Medium-fast : capable of high 80s or sometimes in the low 90s stuff but mostly in the mid-low 80s zone ( McGrath, Kapil,Vaas,Botham, Hadlee, Pollock, Sarfaraz,etc.) Medium - incapable of high 80s/low 90s - usually hits mid-low 80s when going 'flat out' and operating in the low 70s category ( Pathan today, Kallis, Fleming, Amarnath, etc) Slow-medium : almost never exceeds 80mph, usually operates in the high 60s/low 70s range at best (Cronje, Ganguly,etc). '.

So, Pollocak, vaas, Botham, Kapil, Fleming, McGrath hit 90 mph. Most of these speeds given are so utterly ridiculous. Ambrose 95 mph, really! This shows to what extent people can over-hype.

[CG]

So' date=' Pollocak, vaas, Botham, Kapil, Fleming, McGrath hit 90 mph. Most of these speeds given are so utterly ridiculous. Ambrose 95 mph, really! This shows to what extent people can over-hype.[/quote'] Yes mythical figures and mcgrath was labelled fast.those days if you took wickets you were fast.

[Gollum]

fast medium

[Marut]

No doubt,arguably Wasim Akram was the most complete paceman of all and probably the best of all left-arm bowlers .He was the ultimate pace bowling artist and magician.However I ask myself did he bowl for the major part of his carer at a genuine quick speed of between 90-95m.p.h or did he basically bowl at around 86-88m.p.h.At his quickest from 1990-92 I am sure Wasim came close to even 95 m.p.h but did he reserve that only for his short spells or he consistently bowled around 90-92.Imran Khan at his quickest reached 95 m.p.h.but in the early and late 1980's often came down to around 89.m.p.h.Arguably Curtly Ambrose often was not explosive quick and often fast -medium.Paceman like Jeff Thomson,Michael Holding,Waqar Younus,Shoaib Akhtar or Patrick Paterson were express-pace while Dennis Lillee,Andy Roberts,Imran Khan,Alan Donald or Fred Trueman were considered genuinely fast.With his average bowling speed would Wasim Akram or even Curtly Ambrose join the fast 'medium' club or genuine 'fast' club ? Another question would be whether Wasim was more lethal at genuine fast or fast -medium,posessing his incredible variations.Personally to me like Dennis Lillee or Malcolm Marshall.Wasim could have been more lethal at reduced pace .However I still think the Akram in Australia in1989-90 or in England in 1992 was at top speed. Quoting C_C. or International Captain from cricketweb in an outstanding post below posted in November 2004.Personally I diasgree with him on his categorization of Wasim but still think it is a super analysis. Well i dont think the term medium pace/express pace/fast-medium/medium-fast/fast/slow-medium are all that well supported by speed readings. For i've seen some people associate slow-medium with 60mph deliveries while some do it for anything below 75mph. My understanding would be this : express : 95+mph consistently ( Holding, Akhtar, Waqar, Thommo,Lee, Patrick Patterson, etc.) fast : capable of 95mph+ bowling but usually in the 90-95mph group ( Donald, Ambrose in his 20s, Lillee, Imran, Roberts, Croft, Bishop, Hall, Trueman, etc.) fast-medium : capable of 90+mph stuff but mostly in the high 80s zone ( Flintoff, Wasim, Walsh,Srinath,Gillespie,Garner,Sobers,Willis etc.) Medium-fast : capable of high 80s or sometimes in the low 90s stuff but mostly in the mid-low 80s zone ( McGrath, Kapil,Vaas,Botham, Hadlee, Pollock, Sarfaraz,etc.) Medium - incapable of high 80s/low 90s - usually hits mid-low 80s when going 'flat out' and operating in the low 70s category ( Pathan today, Kallis, Fleming, Amarnath, etc) Slow-medium : almost never exceeds 80mph, usually operates in the high 60s/low 70s range at best (Cronje, Ganguly,etc). Ofcourse, this is a rough understanding - not all bowlers fit their categories ideally - Wasim could churn out 95mph stuff and trouble the quickest of batsmen(such as Ritchie Richardson) when he chose to but most of the time he was content bowling in the high 80s. McGrath can crank out 90mph stuff but mostly chooses to stick ot the mid-low 80s zone. But i feel that in my rough approximation of the speed definitions, the bowlers i put in their categories 'fit' that category better than any other. My inclinations usually are to lump express and fast into one category and medium-medium-fast-slow medium into another while more or less keeping fast medium seperate. Why i dunno, call it a natural inclination. Maybe i see the world of cricket in 4 gears ( fast, fast-medium, medium and slow/spin).Ofcourse, i dont believe much in speed being a factor that makes a bowler good - speed can be a weakness to some batsmen but nowhere close to movement in my opinion so i tend to use the generic term 'pacers' more than anything else - i basically view the word 'pacer' to be 'anyone who isnt a spinner'.

The speeds are considerably exaggerated here. The fast bowling competition in 1979 brought out the following facts: Eight balls were bowled by each bowler in that competition. The speeds were Thomson fastest 147.9kph average 142 Holding fastest 141.3kph average 135.3 Imran fastest 139.7 average 138.3 Croft fastest 139.2 average 134.7 Roberts fastest 138.6 average 135.3 This was a competition where the bowler can go at full throttle without worrying that he would be smashed by the batsman. Yet the average speeds don't indicate anything like 90mph, much less 95mph. Imagine how tougher it would be to these maintain average speeds in a test match where you have to bowl much longer spells.

[Gollum]

The speeds are considerably exaggerated here. The fast bowling competition in 1979 brought out the following facts: Eight balls were bowled by each bowler in that competition. The speeds were Thomson fastest 147.9kph average 142 Holding fastest 141.3kph average 135.3 Imran fastest 139.7 average 138.3 Croft fastest 139.2 average 134.7 Roberts fastest 138.6 average 135.3 This was a competition where the bowler can go at full throttle without worrying that he would be smashed by the batsman. Yet the average speeds don't indicate anything like 90mph, much less 95mph. Imagine how tougher it would be to these maintain average speeds in a test match where you have to bowl much longer spells.

Human nature to over rate the past and under rate the present.

[swatpulla]

I have been watching Wasim since 1999, and he never was a 140+ bowler all that while. He was more of Junaid Khan's pace from what I remember. A steady 135-138 bowler who would keep bowling in 140s every now and then.

[Marut]

Human nature to over rate the past and under rate the present.

Batsmen played without helmets back then. Even 125kph bowlers must have looked dangerous when you are playing without enough protection. If old bowlers had really bowled 95mph against batsmen without good protection, there would be quite a few deaths in cricket. Which we know isn't true.

[vayuu1]

Wasim to me was a late 80's to early 90 bowler, however during his young day before injury he deffo was a early to mid 90 mph bowler, same with waqar.

[Marut]

I have been watching Wasim since 1999' date=' and he never was a 140+ bowler all that while. He was more of Junaid Khan's pace from what I remember. A steady 135-138 bowler who would keep bowling in 140s every now and then.[/quote'] He was faster during the early 90s and late 80s.

[MechEng]

Pace is overrated, you need to have the intelligence/ability to set up a batsman in tests. In this video Wasim is as quick as Zaheer Khan (130-135 km/hr), and look how awesome his bowling is. Pure skill. d7zuen1_yic

[swatpulla]

He was faster during the early 90s and late 80s.

Yeah, had to be the case. First 10 years are usually the fastest for any bowler.

[kosingh]

Yeah' date=' had to be the case. First 10 years are usually the fastest for any bowler.[/quote'] Unless you are an Indian bowler. Then first 3 months are the fastest.

[swatpulla]

Pace is overrated, you need to have the intelligence/ability to set up a batsman in tests. In this video Wasim is as quick as Zaheer Khan (130-135 km/hr), and look how awesome his bowling is. Pure skill. d7zuen1_yic

Reminds me so much of a young Irfan Pathan. Similar pace, similar lengths, simialr tactics.

[swatpulla]

Unless you are an Indian bowler. Then first 3 months are the fastest.

Haha.. or first 2 weeks maybe. :giggle: However, Umesh and Aaron have broken that trend. Crappy bowlers, but pace is up there.

[Trichromatic]

He looked more like Steyn type of bowler - bowling mostly in 130s and 140s when needed

[MechEng]

Reminds me so much of a young Irfan Pathan. Similar pace' date=' similar lengths, simialr tactics.[/quote'] Pathan was much quicker, this is post diabetes Akram. Pace is down but the skill is still top class.

[HippoSucks]

The speeds are considerably exaggerated here. The fast bowling competition in 1979 brought out the following facts: Eight balls were bowled by each bowler in that competition. The speeds were Thomson fastest 147.9kph average 142 Holding fastest 141.3kph average 135.3 Imran fastest 139.7 average 138.3 Croft fastest 139.2 average 134.7 Roberts fastest 138.6 average 135.3 This was a competition where the bowler can go at full throttle without worrying that he would be smashed by the batsman. Yet the average speeds don't indicate anything like 90mph, much less 95mph. Imagine how tougher it would be to these maintain average speeds in a test match where you have to bowl much longer spells.

Here is another report from 1975 http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283875.html Thomson dropped in speed after his shoulder dislocation injury in 1976. The 1979 competition doesn't show his speed around his peak. Similar issues with a few other bowlers which resulted in lower speed being shown in the 1979 competition.

[Marut]

Here is another report from 1975 http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283875.html Thomson dropped in speed after his shoulder dislocation injury in 1976. The 1979 competition doesn't show his speed around his peak. Similar issues with a few other bowlers which resulted in lower speed being shown in the 1979 competition.

Probably true for Thommo and Lillee - both were past their peaks. But other bowlers like Imran, Holding etc were at or near their peaks during this time. There is reason to believe that peak speed ratings may be true, because it is a one time thing. But average speeds exaggerations are easy to identify. For example, claims of old bowlers hitting 95mph consistently are probably bogus.