There are few sights in cricket as terrifying as a genuinely fast delivery. Speed, swing and intimidation – fast bowling remains one of the purest forms of challenge a batter can face. Every fraction of a second counts, and one late reaction can be the difference between a cracking boundary and a shattered stump.
That’s exactly what Corey Richards realised one afternoon while playing for New South Wales. Excitement coursed through him when he was told he would be promoted up the order to accelerate the scoring rate. His chance came soon enough – after opener Craig Simmons was bowled, Richards walked in at number three. At the crease, he was met by a warning from the other end. “It’s seriously quick,” said Phil Jaques, the Australian Test opener.
Richards shrugged it off at first – how quick could it really be? A few balls later, he found out. A short delivery reared sharply at his head. He tried to sway out of the line but realised, too late, that he was slow to react. Fortunately, the ball swung away at the last moment. A near miss. Yet his luck did not last long. Soon after, he edged one to the slips. His teammates, Matthew Phillips, Brad Haddin and even Jaques himself, did not survive much longer either.
Recalling that brutal spell later, Jaques told the writer,
“That was the fastest spell I’ve ever faced. I’ve played Shoaib Akhtar and Dale Steyn, but this was on another level — a completely different kind of pace.”
The bowler in question? Shaun Tait. That day, Tait bowled five separate spells, delivering ten overs for just 41 runs, taking six wickets — and sending down 14 wides in the process.
| Statistics | Details |
|---|---|
| Bowler | Shaun Tait |
| Overs Bowled | 10 |
| Spells | 5 |
| Runs Conceded | 41 |
| Wickets Taken | 6 |
| Wides | 14 |
It was not conventional seam bowling. It was raw, unfiltered speed — relentless, thunderous pace that left every batter gasping for breath.
That’s why legends such as Viv Richards, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli have all developed their own philosophies to counter such fury. Richards famously said, “The faster they bowl, the quicker I decide.” De Villiers trusted his hand-eye coordination, calling it his greatest weapon against pace. Kohli, on the other hand, has always emphasised physical fitness, believing that the body’s reaction speed determines success against genuine quicks.
In the end, no matter the era or technique, one truth remains — when facing express pace, courage and clarity of thought are as vital as any cricketing skill.