Sweet Bowlers
Freddie Trueman died on Saturday at 75.
The English fast bowler of Yorkshire stock had stirred a great deal of emotion during the unpleasant tour of 1954. Trueman was known for his big mouth and hot temper: Fiery Fred, Tempestuous Trueman they called him. He carried such blame for the hostility on that tour, that Frank Worrell devoted an entire chapter in his book, Cricket Punch to his defence.
To the English, he was seen as the fastest and most hostile bowler. That tour of the Caribbean was his first, and the objective was to flay the strong West Indian batting. Yet, at the end of it he was dropped, "punishment" said Worrell. Worrell described him as a bowler who "quietened down" and developed into "a more deadly bowler, a much more competent fielder and a much improved batsman." During the tour, Worrell and his team found Trueman, "hostile on the field of play, but friendly off it."
Trueman was the first man to reach 300 Test wickets, and went down in history as one of the best fast bowlers. It was even remarked that his eventual tally of 307 would have been much higher had he not been out of play so many times because of disciplinary breaches.
Trueman, bar the bad talk he was infamous for, carried the traits that characterized the great West Indian bowlers who subsequently emerged. The dread aroused in world-class batsmen by the prospect of facing West Indian quicks was not an insignificant aspect of their success. Fear can paralyse the mind, and it was a psychological weapon used to great advantage by these fearsome bowlers, hunting in quartets in that era.
West Indies cricket built something formidable on the strength of its fast bowling. That legacy did not carry, and even as I write with India all gone for 200, thanks to good bowling, especially by Jerome Taylor who must be thrilled with his first five-wicket booty, our contemporary bowlers hardly strike fear.
What happened to the fast bowling culture?
Many argue that the major factor has been dead pitches that do not nurture fast bowling. Pitches worldwide have been accused of flattening out to the extent that they are all bat-friendly and the rationale is that they are designed to ensure games last for five days (and thus earn gate revenue).
Another argument is that cricket no longer seems to draw tall, strapping men into the pack. I wouldn't go so far as to say that West Indian males have grown smaller in stature, as perhaps they are attracted to other sports like basketball. But, there is a big difference between a fast bowler delivering a ball from way up over god's head and one releasing by the umpire's shoulder. Not only that, imagine a Hall or a Garner or an Ambrose or a Roberts hurtling towards you, and juxtapose it to the likes of an Edwards, Best or Lawson. The fear factor would be appreciably softer.
Pace, these latter three have, but control is erratic. Taylor has begun to earn rewards for combining good lines and lengths with his ability to swing the ball. Collymore is the thinking bowler with great control and the ability to get the ball to seam away. Collins seems not to be thinking enough about his game and remains too inconsistent.
These are the main six of the current crop, and all have been vulnerable to injuries that have either affected their actions, or removed them for long periods.
* This column is republished with permission from the NATION newspaper in Barbados where it first appeared.