Cricket: Tait breaks the 100mph bowling barrier, Need for speed in Cricket
Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait underlined his potential and the incredible ability of bowling at a searing pace. He rattled up pace of 100 miles per hour during the fifth and final One-Day International against England at the home of cricket. On his way to figures of 4/48 that gave his team a comfortable 42 run win which narrowed their defeat to 2-3 in the five match series.
During his second over, Tait generated incredibly fast speeds of 97-99 miles per hour before recording a 100 mile delivery , which makes him part of an exclusive club of four pacers who have recorded speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.
The club includes three Australians Jeff Thompson, Brett Lee and Tait besides http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar.
Tait was in his elements from the outset at the home of cricket. Unleashing his fury at the opening batsmen with a barrage of hostile deliveries that caught he batsmen hopping, he was finally rewarded when he sent England skipper Andrew Strauss’s off-stump cart wheeling with another thunder bolt that tore through the defences of the left-hander.
Two balls later it was the turn of the make-shift number three Michael Yardy to face the music as he left a sharp in-swinger that clipped the top of off stump.
Tait returned with the scalp of Paul Collingwood who threatened to take the match away from the Aussies with a gritty 95 run knock. Tait, once again succeeded in hitting the timber.
Tait’s outstanding bowling performance has seen the Australian media call for his inclusion in the test squad. Especially for the Ashes series that is set to take place down under at the end of this year.
The injury plagued pacer has had a tough run in international cricket. His progress at the highest stage has been halted by injuries, forcing him to shun first class and test cricket in a bid to prolong his limited overs career. He has featured in 50 first-class, including three test matches, yet had to cut his stints in the longer formats of the game short after a spate of injuries.The pace man puts a lot of load on his shoulders and back due to his unusual sling action which was the reason for the injuries he sustained. However he is back to his blistering best and if the performance against England is anything to go by, the 26 year old is set to send shivers down the spine of many international batting line-ups in the coming days.
Tait’s 100 mile per hour feat has once again emphasized the need for speed in international cricket. After the gradual fading away of Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar, who succeeded in carrying the brunt of fast bowling, the days of the West Indian fast bowlers were well and truly over.
Meanwhile the competition for the fastest ever bowler has been rekindled after Tait’s stunning spell at Lords.
At present he is the second fastest on the list behind Shoaib Akhtar, he would have to better his speeds at Lords a shad more if he is to get past the Rawalpindi Express. Akhtar delivered a 161.3 kilometres per hour thunderbolt to English batsman Nick http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757.
It also remains to be seen if he has it in him to return to the longer formats and unleash the kind of speed that he has recently.
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