There is a strong thud as Peter Neville pouches the ball behind the stumps. Roars of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ emit from the spectators at the Lord’s, along with the choicest of one-liner challenges thrown at the batsman. A serene morning one would suppose, but the batsman knows that he has to be aware of a hard knock coming his way despite all the protective gears in place. He has already shown, with no intention, that the pace is intimidating. While all eyes are on the batsmen’s expression and the bowler’s next delivery, Neville is quietly taking the ball loaded with venom of pace in his hand. An imaginary transition runs in the mind and quietly shows the crocked fingers of Jeffrey Dujon, which bore the brunt as an honour to the West Indian pacemen of the ‘80s. He wouldn’t have been here had it not been for Brad Haddin’s injury. For Haddin, the man who has kept wickets to the likes of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait and famously batting against Shoaib Akhtar by standing behind the stumps, what could be a better description of ‘pace bowling’? On Australia’s last tour of England, he went on to tell the Australian Associated Press, “It’s one of the quickest I’ve probably kept to for a little while now”. Mitchell Johnson’s demon-like avatar over the last 20 months has left batsmen shaken and the purists in delight. [The leap of joy!]
Maybe the topic is coming out a little late, a little out of context, but I took my time to be delighted, then curious and then ended up researching on Johnson’s new-found pace, to finally come to a conclusion of some substance. Fast bowlers, over the years, have been at their peak in terms of pace at the start of their career — around early 20s. With age, pace gradually decreases. Johnson provides an interesting exception. His pace is hitting its peak after eight years into international cricket and while he is well heading into mid-30s. Pure muscle strengthening couldn’t have helped him generate the kind of speed that he is doing in current day cricket. There is more method to it; or, as biomechanics would say, there is physics involved in his game.
Johnson was always fast. In fact, he clocked consistently over 145 when Australia toured India in 2008; but that is what the unofficial speedometers had to show. Such speedometers have also shown us Zaheer Khan clocking at 172kmph and Vinay Kumar bowling at 147kmph. So, for once, let’s not rely on technology, but on the witnesses of the brutality and batsmen who faced the virtual Ereshkigal.
Mark Nicholas wrote in ESPNCricinfo after the last Ashes series where Johnson single-handedly tormented the English with a brutal display of pace, “It is a long time since one fast bowler caused such destruction. Think of skill and intimidation perfectly combined to ruin careers. West Indies did it as a group. Michael Holding did it on his own at The Oval in 1976. Lillee and Thomson did this together, but never alone. At least not to such effect. Curtly Ambrose took seven for one in Perth in 1992-93 and did something equally appalling to England a year later in Trinidad. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis had their moments. Allan Donald was a sight in full flow, but never had quite such figures so often. You see where we are going here. Johnson’s blitzkriegs are up there with anything ever produced. Fred “Demon” Spofforth started it all; the terrifying Johnson is continuing his legacy.” [Dream Team: Australia’s Ashes XI of 21st century]
But the question arises again: Where did he bring about a sudden noticeable change in pace which helped him graduate from a fast bowler to an intimidator? In helping Johnson re-position his wrists while delivering the bowl, did Lillee unintentionally help him adhere to the principles of biomechanics in fast bowling? Various bowling coaches have tried the method, which is endorsed by none other than Frank ‘Typhoon’ Tyson, to generate optimum pace. But the simplicity of theory is often complicated in practice and often unnatural.
Even as the theory itself is not fully conclusive, we could study each of the movements based on Johnson’s bowling style, which has become less round arm.
Step 1: Delivery stride
Biomechanicsofswingbowling.weebly.com points out, “Elliott and Foster (1989) stated that the non-bowling arm should be almost vertical and placed such that the bowler can look over the outside of the arm at the batsman before front foot strike for a side-on technique and inside the front arm for a front-on technique.” Although the study has been declined by Ferdinand’s (2005), it still serves well for Johnson.
Step 2: Post-delivery stride
Johnson’s run-up has also become a lot straighter and less incisive which, along with the post-delivery stride which Tyson (1976) and Hurrion (2004) suggest should be towards the around the off-stump and later off the which, as per the rules, helps him generate optimum pace.
His right-foot at the time of delivery is straight with the left one angling at nearly at 90 degrees allows him the position to load the ball and pass on the kinetic energy. This works more on Newton’s third law of motion. His left-arm wrist is also straighter at the time of delivery.
Cricket as a sport continues to mesmerise us. With every change comes a mystery that keeps us hooked on and wanting to unravel. Just when the world believed the breed of bowlers to challenge batsmen have become extinct, the change comes in form of a section called the ‘mystery’ spinners and scientifically developed fast-bowlers to challenge the batsmen yet again.
Even as the theory is debatable and has its own share of critics, it proves true in case of Johnson. How else can you explain the sudden spurt in his pace?
Cricket is not the only sport where biomechanics is having a long trial run. Last year, biomechanics attributed even Usain Bolt’s pace to biomechanics. And in all probability, they might not be wrong, for rarely would you come across cases of sprinters with such long limbs generating the kind of pace that he does.
However, former West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding made no bones about his disagreement in bringing a scientific approach to bowling when he told ESPNCricnfo in 2011, “The teachers who turn into coaches, coming in with their scientific approach to fast bowling, are causing the decline of fast bowling. They are literally changing a fast bowler’s action, from using the body to using shoulders. You cannot bowl fast for long with your shoulder. I am not against the biomechanics, but bowlers are being over-coached and the coaches are coaching the wrong way.”
For someone who has seen a large number of natural fast bowlers, the involvement of science only makes cricket a more unnatural sport. But technically, bowling was never a natural human movement. It all boils down to whether the involvement of science in cricket makes it a less beautiful art. Or, like in the case of Mitchell Johnson, provide cricket connoisseurs with a lavish treat of the game?
(Aayush Puthran is currently a reporter with India.com. He has previously worked as a cricket journalist with CricketCountry and as an Associate Producer with Sony Six. Mercurially jovial, pseudo pompous, perpetually curious and occasionally confused, he is always up for a light-hearted chat over a few cups of filter kaapi!)
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