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[Twelfth Man]

I agree, knowing where to pitch it always helps! Though if the bowler doesn't know where it's going, neither does the batsman 

[DiscoStu]

I class express pace as someone who bowls it fast enough that if they pitch one and it moves off straight then I am not fast enough to react to the movement.

Sadly that means express bowling is about 65mph for me nowadays :-(

[Buzz]

What are people's thoughts on facing express pace? Who triggers, who stands stock still, who pre-empts, who starts their backlift during the bowlers delivery stride, who has other ways of playing it?

to make things simpler, why don't we ask the question, how do you play bowling that is beating you for pace? (that way it could be 65 or 85!)

Personally I am interstate in all techniques, not just a trigger movement.

[mad_abt_cricket]

Last year in euro cup finals I faced first two overs of this guy on a cement based artificial pitch.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/377434.html

He plays now for the Poland national team and Yorkshire third .. and also won some zee fastest bowler award in India.. He bowls consistently above 140 km/ hr but I found him bit wayward.. The one ball though I  missed and it got hit on my thigh and went black for couple of motnths..

From my experience.. The time becomes so less that instinct takes over.. Staying still certainly helps.

[Manormanic]

When I used to play at that kind of level it depended on the bowler's height - short and quick I'd get back and accross and look to work the ball leg side, tall and quick I'd stay still on leg and give myself the best chance of keeping an eye on the ball all the way down.  On the few occasions last year when we faced someone qquick in the CS (a couple of lads from the High Commissions were rapid pro level bowlers), to be honest, I fudged it...

[Manormanic]

A side thought to that - it also depends on how well the bowler conceals the ball from you.  My nephew, until he got injured last year, bowled at close to 90mph but was mostly playable because he ran in in a straight line and bowled more or less gun barrell straight, whereas I have faced guys who bowl high 70s who give you the hurry up because you don't get to line them up before delivery.

[procricket]

Fasteddie

Redders has never been quick your talking mid 60 mate I have kept to readers and played with him for years.

Quickest bowler in the army was David wade who if your remember got contracted to Gloucestershire was late 70/ early 80 top on his day.

Quickest bowler in the forces is Cessford who is quicker than wade and now taken on by Worcestershire

The truth is not many league bowlers bowl in the 80 because county's would look that natural talent not a given at that speed.

Agree it also how they bowl I hate skiddy shoulder bowlers harder to read for me.

I tend to shorten my back lift but I do that anyway on decent wickets

I know wade speed I kept to him and he used to get mad bounce and after swing I was so far back


 

[Bulldog Cricket]

Quickest I have faced include (and the pace is what they have been officially recorded at but not saying they bowled that quick when I faced them)

Andre Van Troost - 95m mph (read Flintoffs book and see what he says about him)
Mark Turner - 90 mph
Andy Iffel - 85 mph
Andy Caddick - 85 mph
Dave Beal - 85 mph
Ben Gannon - 80 mph
Matt Cleal - 80 mph (only one to hit me on the head and now he is my brother in law !!)

Van Roost was the scariest by a mile, quick, unorthodox action, arms and legs everywhere and nasty !!

The wicket you play on makes a huge difference as well. Most of these bowler I have faced on slow club tracks and coped fairly well but I would not want to face them too much on a county track !!

[procricket]

Didn't van troost once hit the sightscreen on the full off a bouncer keiron

I twice played against jermaime lawson the banned West Indian chucker he was rapid after I top edged a 6.

Funny the 2nd game it was cold so he didn't bother instead had the wily legend that is Peter sleep bowling

[Bulldog Cricket]

not sure about that Dave but i guess its possible at Taunton. He would probably hit it on the full as well as he did not mind bowling the odd beamer as well !! scary.

[Bulldog Cricket]

Steve MSR has faced some quick's in his time as well. Take a look on cricket archive, he played with and against some of the best.

[procricket]

I have seen who the best you have played against keiron

[toenails97]

Fasteddie

Redders has never been quick your talking mid 60 mate I have kept to readers and played with him for years.

Quickest bowler in the army was David wade who if your remember got contracted to Gloucestershire was late 70/ early 80 top on his day.

Quickest bowler in the forces is Cessford who is quicker than wade and now taken on by Worcestershire

The truth is not many league bowlers bowl in the 80 because county's would look that natural talent not a given at that speed.

Agree it also how they bowl I hate skiddy shoulder bowlers harder to read for me.

I tend to shorten my back lift but I do that anyway on decent wickets

I know wade speed I kept to him and he used to get mad bounce and after swing I was so far back

I know graham cessford! Used to play for Chester le street cricket club who were in the national club finals day on sky. They used to pay for his flight over to the north east each week haha! He is rapid though....said he bowled one of the best balls in his life to one of our lads, all 3 stumps where out the ground haha!

[Burdy]

There is quick, then there is scary. The only times ive been bricking it is to Mo Akram, and when i was alot younger john maynard (wish i could remember more of the game apart from the couple of deliveries i did not see)

Was not the first person to say " i will pad up" when our overseas turned up the first time to nets, but it didnt seem that quick as you knew it wasnt going to be short.  Ive posted this clip before of him when he was fit to play.

full and sort of straight

I think that someone who bowls quick is more difficult to face if you and even the bowler is unsure of where it is going. I dont fancy playing any quicks now days, or to be honest, ever!

[Jogetnz]

That's a great ball, the reaction of the non striker sums it up, you can just imagine he's thinking 2's and fours only, leave that end to the rest.