Pace Bowling: Types, Techniques, and Key Insights

Bowling fast often gives quite a few players, people and fans a thrill. The form of bowling is described as pace bowling (or fast bowling) when a bowler delivers the ball at quick and fast speeds. Those types of bowlers are called pacers or fast bowlers. 

The meaning of pace bowling is as the word suggests, which is speed. Pacers or fast bowlers in cricket are one of the two main types of bowlers. Spinners are the other type, usually bowling at lower speeds and trying to turn the ball. 

Pacers bowl off a long run-up. They start slowly before building up speed. As they approach the crease, they take a jump and have a high-arm release with all the momentum behind the ball. Each pace bowler will have his/her technique in the run-up, release and the action. However, the basic methodology remains the same. Their aim is to give batters less time to react irrespective of what they do with the ball.  

It is the pacers who usually bowl with the new ball. Sometimes, especially, when Test matches are being played in the Indian subcontinent, the pitches assist the spinners a lot more. Hence, in such circumstances, spinners might open the bowling. Another place where fast bowlers may not necessarily start is T20 cricket. The shortest format has changed that perception a little. With match-ups and detailed strategies coming into the picture, spinners take the new ball often as well. 

Types of pace bowlers

The main objective of pace bowling is to bowl fast and rattle the batters with high speeds. There are bowlers who can dish the ball out at different speeds. Some can clock in excess of 145 or 150 kmph, some are around the 135-140 kmph mark and there are some who are around the 125-130 kmph mark as well. There are very few instances of bowlers dishing out deliveries in excess of 155 kmph. 

Hence, there are categories for such types of pace bowlers, depending on their speeds. You might’ve seen the categorization when a bowler comes onto bowl. Along with the name, the nature of his/her bowling is usually specified (i.e. right-arm fast or left-arm medium fast). 

• • Fast bowlers: These are bowlers who have the ability to clock over 138-140 kmph consistently. Such bowlers rely on their agility and pace to unsettle the batters.  

• • Fast-medium: Bowlers who are usually around the 130-138 kmph mark are termed as fast-medium pacers. While pace isn’t the greatest but with consistent lines and lengths, they can create a lot of problems for the batters. 

• • Medium-fast: When the pace of the bowlers is between 120 and 130 kmph, they are categorized as medium-fast bowlers. With less speed, they generally generate swing and seam which puts the batters in trouble.  

• • Medium: There are very few medium-pace bowlers in the cricketing fraternity at the moment. Bowlers who can’t go past the 120 kmph mark are classified as medium pacers. 

The meaning of pace bowling is not just about high speeds. It is also about consistency in lines and lengths apart from the pace. The ability to move the ball in the air or off the pitch is an art that bowlers develop which is a very crucial aspect of the game. 

What does swing and seam mean in cricket? 

Swing and seam are two terms associated with pace bowlers. It is associated with the movement the ball generates. If the ball moves in the air more, it is considered ‘swing’. But if the ball deviates after pitching, it is ‘seam’. Some bowlers just swing bowlers while there are some bowlers who are seam bowlers. A few can do both.  

These two aspects are a lot more relevant in Test cricket where the red cherry does a lot more with pitches assisting the bowlers as well. However, in one-days and T20s, there is some swing and seam early on but it vanishes very quickly with batters looking to score all the time and hit boundaries. 

Pace bowling deliveries 

While pace is important, there are quite a few other aspects and types of deliveries that fast bowlers dish out.  

• • Inswing: When a bowler gets the ball to move into the batter (be it left or right) in the air, it is called an inswinger. Pacers generally use the inswinger to attack the stumps or the batters’ pads.  

• • Outswing: If a ball moves away from a batter in the air, it is known as an outswinger. Fast bowlers use the outswinger to extract the edge or attack the batter outside the off-stump. 

• • Seam: While inswing and outswing are more to do when the ball moves in the air, seam movement is something that happens after pitching. It’s usually when the ball hits the seam and deviates after landing on the surface. It could move in either direction and it is considered a little tougher to play than swing bowling. 

• • Bouncer: A bouncer is a short-pitched delivery which rises to the chest, shoulder or head of the batter. The intention of the bowler is to push the batter on the backfoot. Sometimes, bouncers are used as a ploy but more often than not, it is a surprise delivery that pacers use. 

• • Yorker: A ball which is delivered right at the toes of the batter or the popping crease (or the base of the stumps) is categorized as a yorker. It is an attacking and wicket-taking delivery. While yorkers are less frequent in Test cricket, it used often used in the white-ball formats. 

• • Slower ball: While pace bowling is about speed, sometimes a change of pace can prove to be critical for pacers. A slower ball has become an important weapon for fast bowlers as it can deceive batters. Hence, there are multiple kinds of slower balls that bowlers have developed over the years. 

• • Reverse Swing: It is an art that is largely relevant in Test cricket these days. Very rarely do you see reverse swing in a T20 game or a 50-over fixture. When the ball moves in the same direction as the shine (i.e. which is opposite the normal convention), it is termed as reverse swing. It is tough for batters to face reverse swing, especially if the ball is delivered at high speeds.  

Risk of Injuries 

Fast bowlers are a lot more injury-prone than any of other cricketers. It is largely due to the load a pacer has to take. Pace bowling requires a lot of effort from the body as it exerts a lot of pressure on the back, shoulder and legs. There is a longer run-up and running at brisk speeds apart from the entire mechanics of delivering the ball. The entire body is under strain and hence, the risk of getting injured is higher. There have been several pacers who have cut short their careers due to injury. 

Fastest deliveries in the history of international cricket  

Shoaib Akhtar is considered to be arguably the fastest bowler to have ever played the game. He dished out a 161.3 kmph ball in a 2003 World Cup game against England. That is to date the fastest ball that has ever been bowled. Brett Lee and Shaun Tait have also gone past the 160 kmph mark. Mitchell Starc was the last cricketer to touch the 160-mark and the left-arm pacer scaled the feat in 2015 in a Test match against New Zealand in Perth. 

Most wickets by pacers 

• • Test Cricket: The top two leading wicket-takers in Test cricket are spinners. However, three out of the next four in line are pacers. James Anderson has the most Test wickets for any pacer in the history of the game. He has 704 wickets. Meanwhile, his close friend Stuart Broad is at 604 Test scalps while the legendary Glenn McGrath is at 563. Courtney Walsh is the only other fast bowler with more than 500 Test wickets and he has a total of 519 scalps. 

• • ODIs: As far as the 50-over format is concerned, seven of the top 10 wicket-takers are pacers. Wasim Akram sits at the top with 502 wickets. He is one of the only two bowlers to go past the 500-wicket mark in ODI cricket. His countrymate and partner-in-crime Waqar Younis is next with 416 scalps. Chaminda Vaas has 400 wickets. The likes of Shaun Pollock (393), Glenn McGrath (381), Brett Lee (380) and Lasith Malinga (338), all had great careers and were chief wicket-takers, finishing in excess of 330 ODI wickets. 

• • T20Is: It is a mixed bag in the shortest international format. Tim Southee is at the top of the wicket charts in T20Is with 164 wickets. Mustafizur Rahman is at No. 5 on the list but second as far as pacers are concerned – 132 wickets. Ireland’s Mark Adair (127 wickets) is the only other pacer in the top 10.  

• • International Cricket (All 3 formats combined): In international cricket on the whole, James Anderson tops the list once again with 991 wickets. Glenn McGrath (949) and Wasim Akram (916) have gone past the 900-wicket mark despite playing only two formats (Tests and ODIs). Stuart Broad (847), Shaun Pollock (829), Waqar Younis (789) and Tim Southee (776) round off the top 10.