When it comes to cricket, what to say about the madness of cricket lovers. Many people believe that cricket is just a game of Batsmen. However, cricket is such a contest, which is played in teams, and bowlers are the backbone of a cricket game, who show their talent by delivering the ball in various formats, which are the key weapons of bowlers’ arsenal, and don’t cede the game till the last ball of the inning. In fact this game has produced many terrific bowlers in the world of cricket and some of them were claimed to be just like magicians.
AB De Villiers- all cricket fans are very familiar with this name, because getting this player bold was becoming so difficult for bowlers. However, hunting this player was a right hand task for Muhammad Asif, as both have faced each other in an ODI match, between Ashes 11 and World 11, in which Asif bowled the first ball of his first over and De Villier left the ball in off side, to let it go to the wicket keeper. However, the ball deviated and got swung with an angle of 90 degree, and hit the stumps of De villier. Still, AB De Villier considers Asif as a dangerous bowler.
Meanwhile Sachin was also considered as another name of fear. When Sachin was 17, he challenged Wasim Akram. However, many years later, Sachin had to face Asif and every time he put him in a lurch. A similar incident was seen in a Test match between Pakistan and Australia, when Michel Clark was in full form-supporting his team. However, he too became victim of Asif’s in-swing. Clark was stuck at one place, as he was in dilemma what had happened. Still he considered Asif as no ordinary bowler. Asif was literally named as the “Magician of Cricket grounds”, who forced a couple of top order batsmen to duck on their knees. There is hardly any legendary cricketer, who has managed to escape Asif, who had stumbled the top order batsman badly.
Not only Asif, Mitchel Johnson of the Australian team was famous for his excellent length and sharp bouncers, by which most of the batsmen failed to remain standing in front of him during the innings. Some cricket experts revealed that Johnson put his feet on the stadium, when cricketers felt that fast bowlers are not now making it to International Cricket. In 2013 Ashes, Johnson was at peak in his cricketing career, when he played his magic coin throughout the series and became a star. However, nowadays, his name is not seen anywhere in top order bowlers, but if we talk about some scariest bowlers, the list is incomplete without Johnson.
Besides Johnson, Brett Lee was also a “Hurricane”, and blew away the best Batsmen, who has recorded of throwing the ball at the speed of 160Km/h with his outshining “Reverse Swing”. Brett Lee was seen as a symbol of fear on the ground and the world knows this bowler with the name of white gun, who just came like a cyclone and stormed the batting line.
Earlier cricket fans used to say that there will be no quality fast bowlers in 21st century and “Rawalpindi Express” came into cricket. However, Shoaib’s cricketing career was full of controversy. He became a cricket sensation, when he consistently dismissed legendary batsmen in a couple of matches and made many top order batsmen retire hurt in his entire career. Akhter had a lot of fun showing off his fast bowling, who delivered some deliveries at a speed of 161.3Km/h, which has surprised the cricket world. In his last cricketing days, his deliveries were hooded.
Now we see almost every bowler has his attacking way of bowling and moving arms and working hard on body line mechanism. However, Indian cricket team Jasprit Bumra is a person whose bowling attack has put dozens of batsmen on defensive. Jasprit Bumra is called with “Yorker King”, and “Boom” and “Bumra” become the same, when he took five wickets in a Test series with South Africa. Initially Waqar Younus was remembered for delivering the best Yorkers, however, Bumra has taken a lead, with his clever deliveries and yorkers. Bumra grasped instant limelight in Indian Premier League and also in international ODIs. Meanwhile Pakistan’s legendary pacer Wasim Akram called Bumra “most effective Yorker man”. Burma’s unorthodox action didn’t put any option before the batsmen, whether to defend the delivery or duck. Burma’s anomalous slinging action touched the hearts of cricket lovers. However, Bumra gives all his credit to his cricket ideals like Wasim Akram, Johnson and Brett Lee.
Ashish Nehra, the Indian Cricket team’s lanky pacer has the ability to swing the ball in both ways like Umer Gull. Both the bowlers have such great expertise and bowling action with fine wrist position which helps both of them to enable the ball to land on the seam. Nehra slanted the ball across the batsman at the same place. Some top order batsmen, who have played attacking cricket, have always thought, how to avoid these bowlers like Brett Lee, Asif, Johnson, Shoaib and Bumra. As they bowled the batsman forgot how to play cricket, as their swings hit the stumps and turned the stumps rotational.
Tailpiece
It is being said that fours and sixes bring crowds to the stadium. However, there are some bowlers, whose deliveries couldn’t get recognized by the top order batsman on the crease. Not only do they get stuck defending the ball, but afraid to play it with some action. The furious attack by such bowlers in all formats with their high speed deliveries have forced the batsmen to change and upgrade their batting skills.