Billy Stanlake - new big Aussie fast bowler

[rkt.india]

 

Quote

 

Standing at more than 2m tall, 21-year-old Billy Stanlake is Australia’s tallest fast bowler on the scene

 

STAND aside Bruce Reid, this man’s got you covered — for height at least.

And like Reid, who exploded onto the Test arena 30 years ago against India and captured 10 wickets in his opening two Tests, the wiry Queensland quick Billy Stanlake is also all arms and legs.

Standing at 204cm tall, Stanlake already has one centimetre on Reid — Australia’s tallest Test fast bowler — and given he’s just 21 years old, who’s to say he’s stopped there?

Regardless, Stanlake’ figure is impossible to miss on the cricket field. Just ask former Australia batsman Brad Hodge, who looked like a child standing next to a man when the two were pictured together for the Strikers during Monday night’s Big Bash match against the Thunder.

Capable of bowling in excess of the 140kph, Stanlake was tidy on his debut in the Big Bash going for just 18 runs in his three overs and former England captain Andrew Flintoff said he would develop further.

“I think there is plenty more in there as well,” Flintoff said.

“As he gets to know his action, gets to know his bowling, I think he’ll get quicker.”

Stanlake’s first-class career has started promisingly also, having taken eight scalps in his first two Sheffield Shield matches.

In light of the big quick’s arrival, we’ve put together a list of Australia’s tallest cricketers and just how they fared.

Towering Queensland quick Billy Stanlake showed glimpses of his promise, touching 150kph and claiming three wickets for the Adelaide Strikers

It was only his 11th career appearance in domestic cricket but Billy Stanlake showed why he's been touted as one of the country's brightest pace prospects in the final game of 2016.

Stanlake sealed the match for the Adelaide Strikers in front of a 45,000-strong home crowd, taking the final two Sydney Sixers wickets off consecutive balls to kick off New Year's festivities early in their KFC Big Bash League clash.

But it was the dismissal of former Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin that gave the sharpest glimpse into the kind of devastating fast bowler the towering Queenslander could become.

Officially listed at 204 cm, Stanlake uncoiled from his precise side-on wind-up and sent down a well-directed 144kph bouncer at Haddin, who was hurried into his hook shot despite being so deep in his crease that he trod on his stumps.

"I didn't realise (Haddin was out), I was looking at the ball," the 22-year-old, who finished with 3-17 from 3.2 overs, told bigbash.com.au of his prized scalp.

"I thought he might have whacked it for four. I didn't realise until he started walking off.

"A bit of a different wicket for me but I'll take it. I couldn't see it at all,"

 

"Bit of a lucky wicket I guess."

 

The wicket of Haddin came in the midst of a chaotic Sixers collapse that saw them lose 7-30 in a spell of just over eight overs.

And while Stanlake may have seen the vital breakthrough as a slice of good fortune, his hostility with the ball played a key part in helping the Strikers defend 152, a target he conceded was about "20 or 30 short" of a par score.

Having gone wicketless in his first match of BBL|06 and first senior domestic game in close to 12 months, Stanlake found good rhythm and troubled the Sixers batsmen with a short-pitched barrage.

Nudging the speed gun ever-closer to the magical 150kph mark, he conceded just two boundaries – both from miscued pull shots – as the men in magenta capitulated with the bat.

"It was a great win in the end," he said. "We were probably a few runs short but we spoke about being desperate in the field and having more energy (than in the Strikers' previous match, a 48-run loss to the Scorchers).

"I felt a bit better tonight than the other night. Kept things simple and did my job for the team.

"I don't really see the speedometer but I'm always trying to bowl quick.

 

"That's my role in the team so I'm always trying to bowl as fast as I can."

While he appears to have many of the attributes of an international-calibre speedster, injuries are a fact of life for a young, two-metre tall tearaway and Stanlake is accordingly being carefully monitored by Cricket Australia. 

He missed the Strikers' tournament-opener against the Heat due to travel and workload issues, and both Strikers captain Brad Hodge and coach Jason Gillespie have conceded Stanlake won't be available for every match of the BBL.

But Hodge admitted he's tempted to push the boundaries to keep the speedster in the Strikers XI as they push for an elusive title.

"Fast bowlers (like him), they're good weapons to have," Hodge said at the WACA last week.

"He's under Cricket Australia workloads restriction (but) we might have to pick him.

"He's allowed to play five or six games in the competition, so we're just trying to work out which ones he's allowed to (play).

"We might have to look at that … He's a handful when he gets it right, 150(kph). I wouldn't like to face him."

 

http://www.cricket.com.au/news/billy-stanlake-tall-fast-bowler-adelaide-strikers-australia-three-wickets-brad-haddin-stumps-bbl06/2017-01-01

 

 

Edited January 1, 2017 by rkt.india

[rkt.india]

http://www.hotstar.com/sports/cricket/big-bash-201617/m181439/match-clips/stanlakes-317-seals-strikerss-win/2001803217

[gattaca]

Tall and fast will get injured most of the time. Let's see how he fares.

[Mosher]

That's one scary fast bowler. The bouncer to Haddin was brutal.

[Sajid_Rana]

Aussie Muhammad Irfan.

[vayuu1]

Him, along with Starc, Hazelwood, Cummins, Pattinson will be one hell of attack and the scary thing is all can ball quick.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Tapatalk

[Malcolm Merlyn]

Unleash him....Also take care of him.

[MK55]

Saw him the other day. Was easily bowling 145 plus. Short deliveries were well directed with exaggerated bounce.

Commentators were saying he already had a few stress fractures. Should get fitter now.

[WC2011INDIA]

meh

Edited January 1, 2017 by WC2011INDIA

[Vilander]

6' 8" bowls an occasional 150 = Finn.

[Vilander]

6' 8" bowls an occasional 150 = Finn.

[rkt.india]

2 hours ago, Vilander said:

6' 8" bowls an occasional 150 = Finn.

Finn doesn't do that even occasionally these days and is more in Ishant's pace category.

[MechEng]

Australian Tremlett.

[rkt.india]

15 minutes ago, MechEng said:

Australian Tremlett.

Tremlett wasn't that quick.

[wanted_desi]

He looked really good when i watched him on TV, does have really good bouncer aiming for the neck.