By Zaheer E. Clarke
Published July 13, 2020 in the Western Mirror
Jason Holder has proven you don’t need express speed to be a formidable pace bowler in Test cricket.
Former English batsman and Captain Mike Atherton once remarked, “Quality (pace) bowlers essentially need two of three things: pace, movement and accuracy.”
Typically, when the average cricket fan or enthusiast contemplates pace bowling in cricket, the first inclination as the description suggests is to be captivated with the speed at which the ball leaves the bowlers hand. Similarly, in baseball, the average velocity of the ball, as it travels from the pitcher’s hand to the catcher’s mitt, enthralls baseball fanatics unlike anything else.
Nonetheless, batsmen in cricket and even batters in baseball will inform you that the most comfortable ball to strike for a boundary or a home run is one that is fast and straight. Unreservedly, batsmen and batters will tell you that Glenn McGrath and Mariano Rivera were two of the most feared players in cricket and baseball respectively. Did they instill terror and commanded reverence for the extreme velocity with which they bowled or pitched the ball? No! How they got the ball to move and how accurate and consistent they were with the ball is what bemused and bewildered several batsmen and batters on the field and even in their nightmares.
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