Gary Sobers

During Pakistan's tour to the Caribbean last April-May, the writer asked Sir Garfield Sobers who he thought was the quickest, fastest bowler. "The one I never faced," came the reply and I took an unwarranted pride in this, thinking one of the greatest all-rounders of cricket had meant Shoaib Akhtar. But before I could force an endorsement from him about Shoaib, Sobers himself volunteered a name, George John, a West Indian fast bowler of the early 1920s, before West Indies had been given Test status.

Legend has it that George John, huge, dark and powerful, could bowl as fast as Gregory and Larwood and was nearly 40 years old when he made his unofficial Test debut in the mid-1920s. Five feet 10 inches tall, with chest, shoulders and legs upon him all power and proportion, John ran up 15 yards, with a high arm action and was really fast. According to Sobers, those who had seen him in action and others after him concurred that Statham was as splendid a bowler, Trueman as fine but only one who could claim to be as fast as John was Frank Tyson. But according to those who updated Sobers on this fast bowler, even though George John was hostility itself, he never bowled a bouncer at a batsman. His philosophy was "to defeat the batsmen first of all by pace and then by sheer action."

One must go along with Sobers assessment, for he not only batted against the fastest of his times, but has had a fair look at those who surfaced on the cricket fields after his retirement too. One who has been fortunate to see in action the likes of Lindwall, Miller, Johnston, Lillee, Thomson, Davidson, Reid, McGrath, Fleming, Lee (Australians), Statham, Shackleton, Tyson, Trueman, Willis, Malcolm, Gough, Caddick (English), Hall, Griffith, Roberts, Holding, Walsh, Ambrose, Marshall, Garner, Croft, Patterson, Bishop (West Indians), Allan Donald (South African) and Pakistan's Imran Khan, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, is willing to go along with Sobers assessment, with the reservation that George John bowled on uncovered pitches and matting strips that helped increase the pace. Yet legends have an appreciable degree of authenticity about them and thus one must concede that George John must have been really fast. A pity there is no film footage to see him in action.

But "the past is another country"; so stated Omar Kureshi. The present is what counts and these days we have a number of bowlers who can lay claim to be the fastest in the world. Some of the recent past have said goodbye to cricket while some through age have mellowed down. Yet there are some who can be so counted as being the fastest. And this is made easier these days because of the electronic gadgets that monitor the speed of the ball delivered.

Curtly Ambrose Photo CricInfo

Yet before one pens the name of one who is generally rated as the 'fastest' these days, one goes down memory lane to narrate a conversation between the writer and Ambrose and Walsh. During Pakistan's historic tour to the re-admitted South Africa in 1993, Waqar Younis was being recorded at speeds of 145-148 kph per ball and one took a pride in his being the fastest in the presence of Ambrose, Walsh and Donald. An evening of raising-the-elbows brought about the subject of being the fastest. Ambrose of few words and a lot of wisdom turned towards me and said, "You want to see how fast we are? Come face us in the nets where we bowl fast to ready our batsmen to face other quickies in the matches. In the matches, we concentrate more on line and length and hardly ever bowl at our fastest." And believe it, for the writer saw them bowl with speed at nets not reflected in an actual match.

Courtney Walsh Photo CricInfo

But that was Ambrose's and others philosophy, and even though Brett Lee, the Australian, is considered fast, I feel that currently Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar is the fastest, despite being injury prone. Ever since his baptism in Tests and ODIs, Shoaib has mesmerised the cricket world through the sheer uninhibited excitement that he produces in a match. He has been a little unfortunate in being sidelined by injuries, but whenever he has bowled, it has been with blistering pace and that ability to make the ball rise off a good length. Admitted that he is not as loose-limbed with an abundance of fast-twitch fibres like Walsh and Ambrose, or has that Holding athleticism, yet he has shown a run-up and delivery sequence that marks him out as a real fast bowler.

Shoaib Akhtar may not produce a Lillee-like vocal snarling, yet he is as ferocious as Lillee and more so than others. He may not reflect that Lillee-like sheer dedication and application, but when he bowls, he bowls his heart out. Yet another injury may sideline him for a period of time, yet it doesn't take away his being the fastest, and an intimidator at that. And the last trait would certainly be endorsed by Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, after their capitulation to him in the first ODI at Auckland. The Black Caps are fortunate in that they have been spared his speed by his current injury, yet Fleming's remarks in the media when questioned about Shoaib's alleged "chucking" certainly seem a wail of a worried batsman.

Shoaib Akhtar Photo CricInfo

The charges made against Shoaib Akhtar after the match were unwarranted. Recall, he bowled with speed and venom in the 1999 World Cup in England against the world's best cricketers and was constantly eyed by the umpires and match referees. Not once was he called, and even though subsequently his delivery action was questioned, he was cleared. Shoaib returned to active cricket after recovering from an injury and promptly silenced his detractors through that awesome display at Auckland. But hardly had the ink dried-out praising his performance, than those unwarranted aspersions on his bowling action surfaced. One is surprised, for not a doubt was raised when he bowled his first spell where he went wicketless.

Shoaib has more to offer to the game of cricket than mere speed. Variety is an exciting feature of any bowling attack, and Shoaib certainly provides that in the Pakistan line-up. His presence has helped raise the level of enthusiasm and excitement displayed by Pakistanis in particular and other cricket followers in general. The 'Rawalpindi Express' steams on rails of speed. Let the best batsmen in the world try to tame him through bat and spirit, and let him not be denied that chance through unwarranted charges of chucking. Having seen the best in the world bowl, I am certain that if the same yardstick that is being applied to perhaps stall and stunt his performance is applied to others so far spared this, most would be found to be as guilty as he is, of being censured.

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