Here are some things which really good bowlers have:
a) Express pace. 90mph plus.
b) Bounce. Lots of bounce.
c) Ridiculous levels of accuracy
d) Huge amounts of late swing or exaggerated tendency to move it off the seam.
e) Separate category. Be left handed, over 80mph, and have an in-swinger. e.g. Vaas, Khan, Sidebottom for a time.
The very best pace bowlers, who average close to 25, have at least two of the four. Allow me:
Pollock, McGrath, Garner, Ambrose = b + c (and sometimes a in the West Indians' case).
Lillee, Younis, Akram, Marshall, Steyn = a + d (and usually c).
Hadlee (later period), Asif, Stuart Clark= c + d
Odd rare category of express pace and huge bounce - Harmison (when he could get it vaguely straight), Mohammad Zahid = a + b.
So accuracy is basically a constant. Mohammad Sami is a classic second tier bowler - pace and swing, but no direction. Had Lee been more accurate in the first half of his career, his record would be way better.
England don't have anyone who meets all the criteria. They all pass on b) with the exception of Anderson who passes on d).Tremlett comes closest to passing on c), but not enough yet. Bresnan doesn't pass on any of the criteria, but he's decent on all the counts.
There it is.
a) Express pace. 90mph plus.
b) Bounce. Lots of bounce.
c) Ridiculous levels of accuracy
d) Huge amounts of late swing or exaggerated tendency to move it off the seam.
e) Separate category. Be left handed, over 80mph, and have an in-swinger. e.g. Vaas, Khan, Sidebottom for a time.
The very best pace bowlers, who average close to 25, have at least two of the four. Allow me:
Pollock, McGrath, Garner, Ambrose = b + c (and sometimes a in the West Indians' case).
Lillee, Younis, Akram, Marshall, Steyn = a + d (and usually c).
Hadlee (later period), Asif, Stuart Clark= c + d
Odd rare category of express pace and huge bounce - Harmison (when he could get it vaguely straight), Mohammad Zahid = a + b.
So accuracy is basically a constant. Mohammad Sami is a classic second tier bowler - pace and swing, but no direction. Had Lee been more accurate in the first half of his career, his record would be way better.
England don't have anyone who meets all the criteria. They all pass on b) with the exception of Anderson who passes on d).Tremlett comes closest to passing on c), but not enough yet. Bresnan doesn't pass on any of the criteria, but he's decent on all the counts.
There it is.
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