u were really lucky sir ☺☺☺that was really an absolute amazing era 😍😍though I am born in 2000 but still I consider that era as the best one. the fast bowlers at that time. our generation saw lee and akhtar and bond but no one like Thompson
With my brothers, I played for the same junior club and grade club as Thommo (in Bankstown) in the 60's and believe me he was very very quick. When Thommo as a schoolboy, maybe 18 years old, was trying out for a combined high schools representative team; I recall an ex Sheffield Shield batsman there as a selector (I think) being asked if Wes Hall (world's fastest bowler at time time and whom he had played against) was quicker than Thommo he said " no way". So from that it was possible he was the quickest bowler in the world even while he was still at school!
Lillee sprints in like a maniac. I've never seen someone run in so fast, but he's perfectly balanced and in control. It must have been hard to keep calm when facing that.
the ball after the first warning to tommo from the umpires has to be one of the quickest deliveries ive seen, it hit marsh's hands before the batsmen saw it.. he must have bowled at 170mp that man in his prime. and they had no helmets...crazy stuff, brave batsmen those days
If you want true perspective on how fast Thommo really was, Clive Lloyd himself said he was the fastest he had ever seen...not the greatest or the most accurate, but simply the fastest! This coming from the man with the greatest arsenal of quickies ever assembled.
@@deanpd3402 Spot on Dean but for one thing... Speed gun? Nah it wasn't Dean , they were still using a high speed camera using film, back boards and visible timing (clocks in vision) The competition you are on about (1979) you can hear it (films speed kicking in) as the bowler hits the crease. This video is on RUclips as is the more in depth interview with the scientists/professors that did the study. They used this method before this date, 1975 is often mentioned. There was a study done by the University W.A. that 'clocked' Thommo & Lillee far faster than these results above. Initially the study at Uni. was over D. Lillee and his return from serious injury. But then the technique ( high speed camera's ) was used to check speed in an actual Test match at the WACA, against The Windies. One scientists involved said that in his opinion he had no doubt Thomson with his action would have bowled at great speed regularly and also had no doubt in his mind he hit the hundred mile an hour regularly. Out of interest the others mentioned … the Windies bowlers in this Test Match also were clocked faster than in the time trial. But it is all relative as they were all measured under the same conditions on the day.
@@deanpd3402 Something you may find funny concerning this... or maybe not... depends how much of a Sir R. Hadlee fan you are. I met him at a book signing/hot pot night at my old cricket club. We also had a New Zealand overseas pro' playing for us at that time. He was allowed in to the 'night' for free, given a ticket if he wanted it... he very quickly declined, saying he'd rather stay in the bar and have a drink !! We were taken aback a little. Anyway... I was totally underwhelmed ! Bought the book but he would not sign it to me -- no personal message etc. It was pre-signed if I remember correctly... again stood there a little bemused... he didn't care in the slightest and gave no explanation! His agent was shooing people along... our 'Pro' was right ! Me being me... I wasn't going to but after forking out money for the night and book I was going to have a little fun... I brought up the mention of a fastest bowler competition ( I already had two of Jeff Thommo's books ha ha ha ) He REALLY didn't want to talk about it... our club officials were none too pleased at my question... Anyway he went on to talk about himself …. the theme of the night...No, I understand he should give his story BUT to the level he remembered EVERY TEST WICKET 1st 17th...63rd on a wet pitch with wind at 30 degrees to the angle of approach??? I really mean it was boring facts and figures all night !.... It then came to Q&A.. I asked... he face was granite and stormy.... he begrudgingly skirted over the day... I had to ask about the side-bet that they all had... Thommo won everything ha ha ha . Thing is Sir R. Hadlee was never known as a speed demon...why get crotchety about that? Well... because he DIDN'T win it ! By the way Thommo signed one of my books when I met him at Lancashire C.C. while I was there... didn't have the second at that time. Got Dennis to sign it too... he scoffed ( laughing at Thommo )when I asked, but when I mentioned HE was in it... HE couldn't sign it fast enough...Dennis was a great laugh . Thommo was taken aback and asked what he'd said? I said that he loved Dennis...he didn't say that at all... that got an evil look from him...but he smiled and signed it to me...spot on pair !!!
@@garryleerob I reckon Hadlee was the best bowler ever considering that he had no other good bowlers in his team. He had to take out all the good batsmen himself with no help.
I saw Thommo against the Windies in '75, a year before his shoulder damage at Adelaide in the collision with Alan Turner, and in a Sheffield Shield match in '84. Never saw the ball once either.
The final delivery from Thommo to Keith Fletcher is incredible. Marsh takes it still rising like a missile above his head. You can see the incredulous look on Fletchers face. He'd never faced anything like this before. Rod Marsh had never kept to anything like this before. There was just shock all around. Michael Holding was asked who he thought was the quickest bowler he'd ever seen or if he felt he was. Holding quite unequivocally always says Thommo. Holding said in 1975/6 in Australia he felt that Thommo could have hit him when bowling at anytime he chose. For that two year period from 1974 to 1976 before Thommo collided with Alan Turner when going for a catch and damaging his shoulder Jeff Thomson was easily the fastest bowler cricket had seen. Certainly according to the people who'd faced him........ask Clive Lloyd!!!
Thommo '74 to '76 was the most exciting sighte ever in cricket. Lillee and Thommo were the most exciting opening ball partnership ever. I was a child. my late dad, Lord rest him, loved cricket and Lillee and Thommo were my intro to the game. how do you follow that? Thommo was the greatest ever speed demon. Lillee probably the greatest fast bowler.
Yep. We had moved to Brisbane a couple of years prior and Dad took me to the Gabba for the entire test. I was hook line and sinker for test cricket there after. Thommo was an absolute blur.
Thommo is the most feared bowler ever, blisteringly fast, but you never knew where the ball was gunna go! The Lillee Thompson duo was the greatest bowling team ever!
My first visit to a Test match at the ground was 1975 Aust v West Indies at The Gabba, from the greyhound track. Lillee, Thommo, Roberts and Holding. Impossible to see most deliveries.
In over 50 years of watching cricket, I am absolutely certain that Thomson was- between October 1974 and December 1976- the fastest bowler there could ever have been. There are many examples on this video but the very last ball at 8.08 gives you an idea of his pace. He also destroyed the West Indies in 1975-76 and was causig even greater havoc the following year against Pakistan when, having taken two quick wickets, Zaheer was late on a pull off him. The ball spiralled to mid on where Alan Turner and Thomson collided badly dislocating Thomson's shoulder. He was never the same again. Oh yes, for 4 more years, he was still as fast as say, Michael Holding, but that extra super extreme pace was gone. By 1983, he was a mere shadow of his former uniquely extreme self. But I assure you, for that raw, spectacular two year period, he was the most thrilling sight in cricket.
Beazlee00, agree 100% .Read my post re Don Bradman saying he had never seen anyone bowl as fast as Thomson at Brisbane in 1974/75, with the possible exception of Frank "Typhoon " Tyson,for a short period.Listening to a Lunch talk in a test match several years ago,by Mike Denness, about that tour, it was revelatory to hear Denness say that on the plane to New Zealand from Aussi after the 4-1 mauling by them ,the overwhelming feeling of ALL the team was the relief that no one had been killed,out in the middle.It was a genuine fear running through the English team.`Nuff said.
Yes, good post .Sir Don Bradman said,after seeing Thomson at Brisbane,that he had never seen any bowler as fast as Thomson,with the possible exception of Frank "Typhoon" Tyson,for a short period.Rod Marsh said that Thommo must have been touching 110 m.p.h. at times and Marsh should know as he kept wicket at the other end for several years.I went to an after dinner speech by David Lloyd in the 80`s and he spoke at length about that tour.He concurred with Bradman about Thomson but he revealed that he thought Dennis Lillee was the better bowler as he could do more with the ball but agreed that Lillee at Sydney in the 74/75 tour,was just as fast as Thommo..I think the potential violence and terror promised by these two did go someway to revitalizing cricket at the time,, and brought the crowds back with the almost gladiatorial spectacle of the batsman versus bowler with the inherent danger of blood being spilled. As for the sledging involved,....... mmmm,not too sure about that.
A very accurate assessment of the great man. And, the fact remains, during that short 76-77 summer, before his shoulder was smashed in the Turner collision, no one was his equal as the premier fast bowler in the world - not even the great DK - his pace on flat tracks like the Adelaide Oval was searing and he also developed great control. Further to the argument of who was the fastest and most lethal of all time - if the West Indies of the 70s and 80s were the best team of all time and their captain, Clive Lloyd, their best batsman in Viv Richards and their fastest bowler, being Michael Holding, unanimously agreed that Thommo was the fastest of them all - then there is no argument to be had.
Its wonderful to see this footage of Thompson and Lillee in their prime I was just that little bit too young to have seen this at the time but started following in earnest in 1977.But right up there in terms of a bowling tandem....never forgotten.
These batsman to me are heroes facing this without protection is insane. When I started watching cricket in around 1981/82 wearing a helmet was by choice if the bowlers were under 85 mph on a easy paced pitch helmets were removed or never worn. Different game today.
While most observers acknowledge he was probably the fastest ever, they don't for the most part rank him among the great fast bowlers. His career tally of 200 test wickets over 11 years certainly doesn't compare well with the figures of Liilee, Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh, McGrath, Akram and others. But it should be remembered that he amassed his first 78 wickets in just 15 months (and three Test series) between late 1974 and early 1976, before his horrific shoulder injury. If he had carried on at even half that rate over the rest of his career, his total would have easily been up there with the best. Also while he did not have the same ability to swing the ball or move it off the pitch as the likes of Lillee or Marshall - or possess the metronomic accuracy of a McGrath or Ambrose - he could get the ball to lift head-high off a good length with a consistency no one has ever matched. In an era before helmets and all the other modern-day protective gear, this was a uniquely terrifying proposition. To my mind, he consequently deserves a place in history among the greats.
One has to concur with the fellow comments regarding these highlights of 1st Test versus MCC (as they were still known then) in 1974/5. Indeed Thommo is easily lthe quickest in the modern era. I recall seeing Thommo playing his last game for NSW on ABC in early 1974. Back then they would show last session of play of current Sheffield Shield game at SCG. He had the keeper (Brain Taber in his last game) standing back 30 yards and he scared the daylights out of everybody,Greg Chappell included .Even after his busted shoulder the West Indians showed him the utmost respect. What a fabulous era alongside the great DKL when no opponent was safe
Apparently Greg Chappell said to QLD management after that season: do whatever you have to do to get Thommo up to Brisbane, because I don't want to have to face him again.
It was only the MCC when they were playing against non-international sides (eg, v NSW or Trinidad or Cape Provence). If they were playing a national side or the West Indies, it was "England"
I was there on that opening day at the Gabba. I remember standing side on to the wicket under the old scoreboard and finding it impossible to see the ball between leaving Thommo's hand and arriving at the other end. The batsmen were genuinely in mortal danger in the days before headgear, and by their body language they knew it. Terrifying.
Wow- watch the last ball to Keith Fletcher- that just might be the fastest delivery ever captured on video. I have seen all the fastest bowlers since 1965- and this guy Thomson -for two years- was the fastest of the lot.
I mean, Bradman scored at a run a minute even hitting 300 in a day (100 before lunch, 100 between lunch and tea, and 100 after tea). Viv Richards wasn't exactly a slouch either. My father saw Bradman's Aussies score 721 in a single day against his county side Essex. So please don't post nonsense like this ;)
Exactly. All the modern guys were striving for a top speed with the radar, so they could gain noteriety. Thommo was just bowling more casually back then. His effort ball is 10kph above the wanna bes' !
Agree. He was bowling bullets. What I found interesting was Richie Benaud saying Tyson was the fastest he ever saw. And he definitely saw them all. But I am personally inclined to believe nobody has ever bowled faster than Thommo at his peak.
@Bj D Because Thommo was extremely flexible. Most bowlers are front on now with their back foot facing down the pitch (McGrath) Traditional style with back foot landing at 90° to create side on bowling.(McDermott) Thommo landed with his back foot actually facing backward. Impossible to do unless you're quite freaky. Still photos of his bowling action ,show it to be perfect. When coaching Qld in his forties,he could arrive at training and without a warm up, sit and put both ankles behind his neck.There will never be another Thommo.
Love the ball at 6:24. Thommo said that was his favourite delivery - the in-swinger at the lefthander. He said he loved lefthanders because with his angle and slingshot arm action the leftie would never expect the ball to swing back so far but it did. That's exactly how he caught David Lloyd in the Kahoonahs. A bit of in-swing and the right seam position and the ball at that pace would come back before they could react.
Bloody HELL, Thomson was fast. Lillee was the more complete bowler but for pace Thommo was the man. Imagine facing those two with no body armour or helmet!
Thompson bowled quicker than 100 mph prior to his injury. He was timed with radar bowling 160.58 km/hr but he did bowl quicker than that because they used techniques to time the ball when it arrived at the batsman rather than when released from the bowler's hand as they do today. Based on today's techniques, he is "estimated" to be about 20 km/hr quicker and up to around 180km/hr as according to Rod Marsh and Clive Lloyd. It would be interesting seeing him today bowling at his prime.
I watched Thompson bowl against Qld in the Sheffield Shield at the SCG the year before he moved north to play for them. He wasn't fast...he was FUCKING FRIGHTENING!!!!.....I used to sit in the old Bradman Stand looking straight over the bowlers arm. I remember one bouncer that Thompson bowled that was still rising when it passed over the keeper and it landed one bounce before the fence. I have never seen any other bowler do that before or after.......I can fully understand why after that match, Greg Chappell demanded that the Qld Cricket Assoc. do everything thing they could to get him to Qld!!!!
we can argue all day about relative speed, but the truth is that this series and the one that followed, when West Indies went down to Australia, changed the next 20 years of Test cricket. Lillee and Thomson's sheer intimidation and speed had Clive Lloyd rethink things, and when he came to England in 1976, it was the start of 20 years of dominance built on incessant pace and intimidation: Roberts, Holding, Holder, Croft, Garner, Marshall, Walsh, Ambrose, Bishop etc etc ...
This is an old furphy. You can rethink all you like but you can’t conjure up quicks like Holding, Marshall and Garner out of thin air. Of course you’d play them if you had them available and your spinners and mediums were mediocre.
Love Thompsons pace and unusual action,real vicious lifting deliveries.Imagine facing him with no helmet?thd batsmen must have been shitting themselves!He must be the quickest ever,surely?The ball slams into the keepers gloves ,unbelievable!
As somebody who saw both live, Thompson was a human slingshot and I believe the fastest bowler we have ever seen. As for Lillee, he was the classic fast bowler and express too with both control and aggression, and beautiful in motion. I don't think we shall see a pair like them again as they were a perfect match.
I've seen footage of his bouncers being taken above the head by a Ames while jumping. Having said that Larwood was not as fast as Thommo. Frank Tyson on the other hand might well have been. Similar action too.
Awesome fast bowling from these lads. Shame the games moved on so much vis a vis quick bowling. The coaches these days would probably discourage you from tearing in like this and tell you to focus on hitting a spot instead.
Nope, it was NOT a controlled experiment in the nets, it was LIVE cricket. It was in the Perth test against the West Indies in 1975. Maybe it was more accurate than radar because they (the team from the University of Western Australia) used high speed Photo-Sonics cine cameras. You're right in that they worked out the speed by calculating the distance the ball travelled over the first few frames after release. They had 2 cameras so they also measured the speed at the batsman's end.
It is well attested that Thommo bouncers hit or half-volleyed the sidescreen behind the batsman second bounce on a number of occasions. I don't know of any other bowler who managed to do that....
It's less than 3 seconds from the time the ball hits the deck at about 5:47 to the time it hits the ad board at about 5:50. Gives you an idea of how fast Thommo was.
I didn't quite got the real feeling of those deliveries man. The telecast was so poor that even if they were the fastest bowlers it couldn't be seen clearly in these videos
I can't imagine there was ever a bowler as quick as Thommo when he had his tail up. His action was all about rhythm, and when it was out of sync he wasn't anywhere near as quick. At his fastest, it wouldn't suprise me if he regularly topped 160kph. Surely the technology can't be far away when we can actually find out just how quick he was. The over he bowled at poor Dennis Amiss at about 3.00 was terrifying, and even Rod Marsh, about 30 metres behind the stumps seemed to be shitting himself!
this man Thomson is frightenly quick, hats off to these brave batsman for even coming out to bat ,and without proper protection,never seen anyone even in modern day cricket bowl that fast, you can almost feel how hard the ball hits marshes gloves
Jeff Thomson was the most fearsome bowler in the world until he got hurt and when he got hurt a second time was still a terrific bowler but all the fire was gone
This is from a Pom who has always respected Lille but loves Thommo. In the first couple of mins Lillee looks faster to me, but when his gander is up, then it certainly seems to inspire Thomson (there is no P in his name). There are many interviews & chats he's done in his post-cricket career, & he always comes across as one of the most affable of folks you could wish to spend time with. In other words, the complete opposite of what he was as a player!!!
If you compare eras, the main thing you will notice is the quality of the footage. Not sure how quick Lee, etc would look if viewed in grainy footage from these camera angles. At 5.50 gives you some idea - Thompson bowls 4 byes and you can see how quickly it gets to the boundary - it only bounces twice before crashing high up on the fence.
Dennis Lillee IMO is still the best fast bowler ever. Not the fastest, but the best. When you handed him the ball, you knew he was gonna do something special. Had a bad back and came back to be the best, broke down with knee injuries and came back time and time again. Growing up, every kid in my school wanted to be him.
I agree - I went to the test match in Perth in 75/76 (when Roy Fredericks made 169) and it seemed to me then that Marsh was standing halfway back to the bloody fence! I think Thomson may have touched anywhere from 165-170.
Man I swear Thommo is almost breaking the sound barrier, at least he is bowling at a speed unmatched by any bowler ever here. I remember watching every day of that series as a youngster and he is as fast here as I remember, this was before they started measuring bowling speed and it's a fact that Thommo was a lot quicker than later timed results show, it looks here as if some deliveries are travelling over 105 mph, what ever the speed was it's beyond doubt that PRIME Thommo was UNPLAYABLE.
I was at Adelaide Oval in that series....first day was washed out because of rain, but England was thrashed in 4 days... Thommo did his shoulder playing tennis on the rest day and wasn't as consistently as lethal after that. Lillee took 8 wickets for the match and was super quick in that game. Thommo, bowling into the wind and quicker though..........scary!!!
@ANIRUDH SURESH Thomson was time 160.6 kmph during 1975 at his peak He's in the fastest ever category alongside Lee, Akthar and Tait but still not 165 kmph
@ANIRUDH SURESH True but he was timed in his peak years(he was 25-27 when timed) and against strong teams to keep his adrenaline high brother Thomson is lighting quick but saying that he's 165 kmph+ without proof doesn't cut it 🤷🏻♂️ Had Thomson been timed 160.6 kmph when he wasn't at his peak and 30+ years of age I'd definitely consider your point 💯
@ANIRUDH SURESH Thomson could have been quicker too but he also could have been slower 🤷🏻♂️. That's anyone's guess. Since he was timed over entire series during his peak years and against top opposition it's safe to say he *most likely* wasn't quicker. He could be but most like he wasn't 🤷🏻♂️
Marsh nodding his head at the 2 minute mark sums it all up. Thommo and Andy Roberts emerged in the same year providing a shock to the entire system. Many batsmen genuinely feared for their personal safety and led to umpires making bizarre warnings regarding 'intimidatory bowling' (SMH).
Nothing to do with these guys but in terms of intimidation and lack of protection you should check out Brian Close taking on Hall and Griffiths in 1963 ( I think)
Watch this at 3:45 when the umpire offers the batsmen to go off for bad light. Watch Marsh and see how long it takes him walk up to the stumps. Gives a rough idea how far back he had to stand when keeping to Thompson.
It was a golden era of cricket because it had many fast bowlers instead of spinners and now we have rare no of fast bowlers and large no of spinners and medium fast bowler. That ..... is......so.......sad
That's what T-20 did. Quicks just end up in the stands further and faster. It's harder to hit a spinner bowling 80 km-hr into the 10th row, same with a medium trundling in at 11-120km-hr. Anyone steaming in off a 30m run up to bowl at 150+ needs to be able to put it right on the money, or be put into the stands by either a slogs weep, scoop/ramp, or just an straight drive. Batsmen don't play for "pure strokes" & being elegant anymore, people want 6's so they hit big. Quick bowlers just make that easier.
That is scary facing that pace with no helmets.. I know helmets unbelievably didnt come in until the late 70's; but facing this they should have grabbed a bike helmet, a horse riding helmet .. anything!!
theres no doubt and lets just face it Thommo was a freak with his sling shot style and was way faster than anything...someone had to be freakishly fastest ever and that bloke is Thommo...simple.DD
watch Denness's reaction at 6.46))))))) he is genuinely scared, not worried, or apprehensive, he is GENUINELY scared!!!!!!! He has clearly never experienced pace like that ever before in his entire career))))))))))))))
+capt picard Yes - I think actually that Denness is genuinely in pain from the blow to the arm, but he's trying to put on a brave face. Looks like Redpath asks him, "Did that hurt, mate?"
@69Ocker bollocks...you only have to compare the deliveries that bounce to the ones that dont to see that the shorter balls are generally measured as slower than the fuller ones. They are measured over the full distance. The deliveries that were measured by lillee and thompson were done under controlled conditions..not during a match.
@AIMANALI It's perhaps appropriate to mention here that Lillee was bowling with the wind behind him as he was the senior man. Thommo was bowling against the stiff breeze and yet Rod Marsh felt that his deliveries thudded into his gloves with greater force. Just a bit of perspective. While I think Lillee was genuinely quick in this period, he wasn't a bowler of express pace like Thommo was.
No, Lillee often bowled at express pace, both before his back injury and after. As for the earlier period, see him destroy the world 11 in Perth. Watch him in 1972 in England. As for after his back injury, I was at the SCG on one day in January 1975 in the series depicted here. That day Lillee was frighteningly fast, just as quick as Thomson. John Edrich would confirm that. A lot of the time, however, Lillee bowled within himself, focusing on control and movement. He was the ultimate fast bowler.
It was not just that Thomson was FAST (he was) but it was also that his "slingy" action made it very difficult for the batsman to pick up the ball. Speed guns cannot measure that.
If that Jeff Thomson was playing now he would make mincemeat of every batsman on the planet. I clearly remember his collision with Alan Turner which gave Thommo the injury that permanently slowed Thommo down to speeds which incidentally were STILL faster than all the other terrifying speed demons of the 70's but nevertheless slower than THOMMO 1974 to 1976. Wish we had one just like that now, if so we would be the RULERS of Tests ... STILL.
Dennis Amiss took some flack for his showing against Lillie And Thompson especially 74/75 but he was out there representing his country, doing his absolute best against some seriously fast almost lethal bowling. They said Amiss didn't like the short stuff like this....my goodness, who does, but his test and one day record stacks up among the best and he played against the best. Amiss at least showed what he could do in the MCG test and it's just a shame he never registered a test ton against The Aussies.
The criticism of Amiss was very unfair, he was not out of his depth like Luckhurst, Denness and Fletcher. If you look at him in action against the Thomson thunderbolts from 1.40 onwards he does not back away, he holds the line and sways out of the way or drops his bat - good technique. Both Thomson and Marsh regarded him as a pretty good batsman, indeed Marsh thought that he was unlucky to get two perfect late outswingers in each innings in the Adelaide test. Also it is interesting to notice how green the pitches in this series look compared to the ones Snow had to bowl on four years previously.
This video of Jeff Thomson is the quickest I have seen him bowl compared to all the other videos I have seen of his bowling so far on youtube. Perhaps this period of 1974-75 was when he was at his quickest. The fast n bouncy Gabba pitch didnt help the batters either
Anyone who wants to appreciate just how pedestrian 'fast' bowlers are today should look at this footage. It's a shame they can't put a speed gun on TV footage, because I swear, Thommo must have been bowling at around 180kph at his best and before his shoulder injury. Michael Holding, one of the fast bowling greats himself, felt the same way. The one time he was tested was on a dead practice wicket in Adelaide of all places, when the speed wasn't measured out of the hand, as it is today, but after the bounce, which obviously took a lot of speed off the deliveries. Yet he was still nudging close to 165kph on that basis. As a former keeper myself, you also get a clue at his speed by how Marsh is taking some of the balls coming through. Marsh wasn't the most technically gifted keeper, but he was pretty good to pace bowling, yet time and again you'd see Marsh almost wrong-footed or reacting at the last second because of the speed the ball was coming to him. Also, some of Thommo's bouncers were delivered at such pace that they'd clear Marsh and just about hit the sight screen on the full! The last point not often mentioned is that the most frightening part of Thommo's bowling was that something, whether it was the sheer pace of the ball or some kind of back spin he put on it with his slinging delivery - no one's sure - but he used to make the ball rocket up towards a batsmen's chest or head from virtually a good length - THAT was frightening! Plus don't forget that this was the era before helmets were introduced. So next time you see all those wonderfully high averages in the 50's from otherwise ordinary batsmen ponder how much those numbers are inflated by the security afforded them by today's helmets, and the increasingly dead wickets being foisted on Tests in order to ensure the games don't end early and lose money. Better to have a five day run-feast then see bowlers run riot over 3 days.
+timbo wilderbeeste Lies. Only four bowlers have ever been clocked at 160 kph and apart from Thomson they've all played in the twenty first century. I don't know where you heard that Holding was clocked at 165. The fastest he was ever measured at was 153 kph. Also, you can't measure speed at a single point ie. 'out of the hand' or 'after the pitch'. It necessarily requires two points of measurement in order to work out velocity, and these have always been at either end of the wicket. Obviously Thomson was an incredibly quick bowler, but it's patently ridiculous to suggest that he was regularly bowling around 20kph faster than the fastest ball ever recorded. Such a towering physical feat would be the equivalent of a sprinter running the 100m a full second quicker than Usain Bolt's fastest recorded time. Also, I'm sick of hearing that 'batsmen have it so good now'. If you ask me, there was a ludicrous unbalance in favour of bowlers back in the seventies, when bats were tiny, pitches were minefields and batsmen had barely anything by way of protection. Rather than give the batsmen too much of an advantage, I'd say the modern game has redressed the balance. To turn your example on its head, if Thommo or Holding were bowling on the flat wickets of today, against protected batsmen with modern bats and the full array of innovative contemporary shots, their stats would be nowhere near as impressive. It's for this reason that I believe Dale Steyn to be the greatest fast bowler in test history. Despite bowling in an era which is so much more suited to batting than in times gone by, his stats more than stack up to the greats of the 70s/80s. In fact his strike rate, which many consider to be the killer number for a bowler, is lower than any of them. Remarkable considering how much more international cricket he has played, and how many more wickets he has taken.
+berbatov3890 Dale Steyn only bowls(ed) in the lower 90`s mph.Genuine fast bowlers can only sustain top speed for a short period in a match,and only for about a 2 year span.Read what Rod Marsh and Ian Chappell had to say about Thomson.Perhaps you are a pro cricketer or an expert for you to disparage what many PRO cricketers and commentators say about Thomson.I agree with what Timbo says and even now with all the head gear and restrictions on bouncers if anyone was bowling at Thommo`s speed ,or Andy Roberts speed( whom i saw at Old Trafford in his pomp) they would still be intimidated.Andy Roberts frightened me ,and i was sat in the stands!!!!
It is impossible to compare batsmen now with batsmen in the past, the pitches change as do the balls, the laws and all sorts of things, but I really agree that helmets have made a huge difference. The batsmen can now more often be on the front foot mentally and be thinking about scoring runs and not have life and limb so much of a consideration.
@Imrankniazi Yeah I see what you mean. Actually I have thought of it that way myself. Plus a quality line and length/movement ball SEEMS just as quick as a quicker one (think Akram at his best). Also remember not even Akhtar had the same effect in Austrailia as thommo did in Australia. So I am sure thommo was as quick as any. Also tell me have you seen any footage of those one bounce and into the sight screen delivery from thommo - cause I have not. though the one to Underwood was inhuman
I can feel the aggression just watching a you tube video nearly 50 years later
An absolute joy to watch - the dynamic duo
Would love to see Lenny Pascoe as well. Very intimidating
Was a great time to be growing up, watching these two blokes was amazing. thanks for sharing.
u were really lucky sir ☺☺☺that was really an absolute amazing era 😍😍though I am born in 2000 but still I consider that era as the best one. the fast bowlers at that time. our generation saw lee and akhtar and bond but no one like Thompson
then we got warney, we really are the lucky country 👍
That ball at 2:05 was absolutely frightening. Unbelievable pace. Look at Rod Marsh's reaction when he takes it
Couldn't see it after it left the hand.
without helmets😮That was a terrible era for batsmen😂
The deliveries by Thomson at 2.05 and especially 8.03 are the fastest deliveries I have seen on video. Absolutely terrifying.
The one at 3.26 was ridiculous as well
They seem to have weight as well as pace.
Fastest bowler all time
Just look how fast the delivery is at 8.08- unbelievable. Marsh took it above his head standing 25 yards back and it was rising !
With my brothers, I played for the same junior club and grade club as Thommo (in Bankstown) in the 60's and believe me he was very very quick. When Thommo as a schoolboy, maybe 18 years old, was trying out for a combined high schools representative team; I recall an ex Sheffield Shield batsman there as a selector (I think) being asked if Wes Hall (world's fastest bowler at time time and whom he had played against) was quicker than Thommo he said " no way". So from that it was possible he was the quickest bowler in the world even while he was still at school!
Lillee sprints in like a maniac. I've never seen someone run in so fast, but he's perfectly balanced and in control. It must have been hard to keep calm when facing that.
He ran in faster in 1971/72 then the stress fracture and slowed down a little but still menacing.
It was harder facing Thommo, not contest.
@@ybros6926 Lillee was the better bowler, although he wasn't as fast. Their records prove that.
Yeah, I know you didn't see Shoaib and Waqar. Must be a limited viewer.
Ever heard of Waqar Younis or Shoaib Akhtar
the ball after the first warning to tommo from the umpires has to be one of the quickest deliveries ive seen, it hit marsh's hands before the batsmen saw it.. he must have bowled at 170mp that man in his prime. and they had no helmets...crazy stuff, brave batsmen those days
It's the fastest delivery I've never seen ;)
If you want true perspective on how fast Thommo really was, Clive Lloyd himself said he was the fastest he had ever seen...not the greatest or the most accurate, but simply the fastest! This coming from the man with the greatest arsenal of quickies ever assembled.
The first time they ever used a speed gun, Thommo won the speed ...and the accuracy test.
@@deanpd3402 Spot on Dean but for one thing... Speed gun? Nah it wasn't Dean , they were still using a high speed camera using film, back boards and visible timing (clocks in vision) The competition you are on about (1979) you can hear it (films speed kicking in) as the bowler hits the crease. This video is on RUclips as is the more in depth interview with the scientists/professors that did the study. They used this method before this date, 1975 is often mentioned. There was a study done by the University W.A. that 'clocked' Thommo & Lillee far faster than these results above. Initially the study at Uni. was over D. Lillee and his return from serious injury. But then the technique ( high speed camera's ) was used to check speed in an actual Test match at the WACA, against The Windies. One scientists involved said that in his opinion he had no doubt Thomson with his action would have bowled at great speed regularly and also had no doubt in his mind he hit the hundred mile an hour regularly. Out of interest the others mentioned … the Windies bowlers in this Test Match also were clocked faster than in the time trial. But it is all relative as they were all measured under the same conditions on the day.
@@deanpd3402 Something you may find funny concerning this... or maybe not... depends how much of a Sir R. Hadlee fan you are. I met him at a book signing/hot pot night at my old cricket club. We also had a New Zealand overseas pro' playing for us at that time. He was allowed in to the 'night' for free, given a ticket if he wanted it... he very quickly declined, saying he'd rather stay in the bar and have a drink !! We were taken aback a little. Anyway... I was totally underwhelmed ! Bought the book but he would not sign it to me -- no personal message etc. It was pre-signed if I remember correctly... again stood there a little bemused... he didn't care in the slightest and gave no explanation! His agent was shooing people along... our 'Pro' was right ! Me being me... I wasn't going to but after forking out money for the night and book I was going to have a little fun... I brought up the mention of a fastest bowler competition ( I already had two of Jeff Thommo's books ha ha ha ) He REALLY didn't want to talk about it... our club officials were none too pleased at my question... Anyway he went on to talk about himself …. the theme of the night...No, I understand he should give his story BUT to the level he remembered EVERY TEST WICKET 1st 17th...63rd on a wet pitch with wind at 30 degrees to the angle of approach??? I really mean it was boring facts and figures all night !.... It then came to Q&A.. I asked... he face was granite and stormy.... he begrudgingly skirted over the day... I had to ask about the side-bet that they all had... Thommo won everything ha ha ha . Thing is Sir R. Hadlee was never known as a speed demon...why get crotchety about that? Well... because he DIDN'T win it ! By the way Thommo signed one of my books when I met him at Lancashire C.C. while I was there... didn't have the second at that time. Got Dennis to sign it too... he scoffed ( laughing at Thommo )when I asked, but when I mentioned HE was in it... HE couldn't sign it fast enough...Dennis was a great laugh . Thommo was taken aback and asked what he'd said? I said that he loved Dennis...he didn't say that at all... that got an evil look from him...but he smiled and signed it to me...spot on pair !!!
@@garryleerob I reckon Hadlee was the best bowler ever considering that he had no other good bowlers in his team. He had to take out all the good batsmen himself with no help.
@@garryleerob From what I heard, if you wanted to clock Thommo at his fastest, do it when Tony Greig was on strike.
Saw Thompson at SCG in '83, last big time top pace performance. What we couldn't see was the ball. 5/50. Magic.
I saw Thommo against the Windies in '75, a year before his shoulder damage at Adelaide in the collision with Alan Turner, and in a Sheffield Shield match in '84. Never saw the ball once either.
The final delivery from Thommo to Keith Fletcher is incredible. Marsh takes it still rising like a missile above his head. You can see the incredulous look on Fletchers face. He'd never faced anything like this before. Rod Marsh had never kept to anything like this before. There was just shock all around.
Michael Holding was asked who he thought was the quickest bowler he'd ever seen or if he felt he was. Holding quite unequivocally always says Thommo. Holding said in 1975/6 in Australia he felt that Thommo could have hit him when bowling at anytime he chose.
For that two year period from 1974 to 1976 before Thommo collided with Alan Turner when going for a catch and damaging his shoulder Jeff Thomson was easily the fastest bowler cricket had seen. Certainly according to the people who'd faced him........ask Clive Lloyd!!!
Yes and at 2:05 - both were ridiculous.
No problem today wearing helmets, chest protectors etc.
Thommo '74 to '76 was the most exciting sighte ever in cricket. Lillee and Thommo were the most exciting opening ball partnership ever. I was a child. my late dad, Lord rest him, loved cricket and Lillee and Thommo were my intro to the game. how do you follow that? Thommo was the greatest ever speed demon. Lillee probably the greatest fast bowler.
Yep. We had moved to Brisbane a couple of years prior and Dad took me to the Gabba for the entire test. I was hook line and sinker for test cricket there after. Thommo was an absolute blur.
Remarkable how fast Thommo was when you consider he lopes up to the crease and is into his delivery action after about 10-12 paces.
Thommo is the most feared bowler ever, blisteringly fast, but you never knew where the ball was gunna go! The Lillee Thompson duo was the greatest bowling team ever!
My first visit to a Test match at the ground was 1975 Aust v West Indies at The Gabba, from the greyhound track. Lillee, Thommo, Roberts and Holding. Impossible to see most deliveries.
One of the main reasons the west Indies went to a 4 man, all out pace attack. This is great fast blowing
In over 50 years of watching cricket, I am absolutely certain that Thomson was- between October 1974 and December 1976- the fastest bowler there could ever have been. There are many examples on this video but the very last ball at 8.08 gives you an idea of his pace. He also destroyed the West Indies in 1975-76 and was causig even greater havoc the following year against Pakistan when, having taken two quick wickets, Zaheer was late on a pull off him. The ball spiralled to mid on where Alan Turner and Thomson collided badly dislocating Thomson's shoulder. He was never the same again. Oh yes, for 4 more years, he was still as fast as say, Michael Holding, but that extra super extreme pace was gone. By 1983, he was a mere shadow of his former uniquely extreme self. But I assure you, for that raw, spectacular two year period, he was the most thrilling sight in cricket.
Beazlee00, agree 100% .Read my post re Don Bradman saying he had never seen anyone bowl as fast as Thomson at Brisbane in 1974/75, with the possible exception of Frank "Typhoon " Tyson,for a short period.Listening to a Lunch talk in a test match several years ago,by Mike Denness, about that tour, it was revelatory to hear Denness say that on the plane to New Zealand from Aussi after the 4-1 mauling by them ,the overwhelming feeling of ALL the team was the relief that no one had been killed,out in the middle.It was a genuine fear running through the English team.`Nuff said.
The ball bowled at 2:10 is the fastest ball I've ever seen...ridiculous speed...only other bowler up at that speed was maybe Akhtar but just to fast.
Yes, good post .Sir Don Bradman said,after seeing Thomson at Brisbane,that he had never seen any bowler as fast as Thomson,with the possible exception of Frank "Typhoon" Tyson,for a short period.Rod Marsh said that Thommo must have been touching 110 m.p.h. at times and Marsh should know as he kept wicket at the other end for several years.I went to an after dinner speech by David Lloyd in the 80`s and he spoke at length about that tour.He concurred with Bradman about Thomson but he revealed that he thought Dennis Lillee was the better bowler as he could do more with the ball but agreed that Lillee at Sydney in the 74/75 tour,was just as fast as Thommo..I think the potential violence and terror promised by these two did go someway to revitalizing cricket at the time,, and brought the crowds back with the almost gladiatorial spectacle of the batsman versus bowler with the inherent danger of blood being spilled. As for the sledging involved,....... mmmm,not too sure about that.
Beazle00 agreed. Excellent piece.
A very accurate assessment of the great man. And, the fact remains, during that short 76-77 summer, before his shoulder was smashed in the Turner collision, no one was his equal as the premier fast bowler in the world - not even the great DK - his pace on flat tracks like the Adelaide Oval was searing and he also developed great control. Further to the argument of who was the fastest and most lethal of all time - if the West Indies of the 70s and 80s were the best team of all time and their captain, Clive Lloyd, their best batsman in Viv Richards and their fastest bowler, being Michael Holding, unanimously agreed that Thommo was the fastest of them all - then there is no argument to be had.
Its wonderful to see this footage of Thompson and Lillee in their prime I was just that little bit too young to have seen this at the time but started following in earnest in 1977.But right up there in terms of a bowling tandem....never forgotten.
Lillee had THE most perfect action.
THE greatest fast bowler in my lifetime.pity he did so much damage to the career of my hero
I’m not a Kiwi but, having seen both, I reckon Richard Hadlee’s acrion was as good as Lillee’s. Not as fast but just as good.
These batsman to me are heroes facing this without protection is insane. When I started watching cricket in around 1981/82 wearing a helmet was by choice if the bowlers were under 85 mph on a easy paced pitch helmets were removed or never worn. Different game today.
Funny thing is Thommo often bowled AGAINST the wind! Those deliveries at the start of the video were against the wind.
Thomson was a genius in this series - lethal pace and bounce and accurate when he wanted to be. Shame he wrecked his shoulder so early in his career.
While most observers acknowledge he was probably the fastest ever, they don't for the most part rank him among the great fast bowlers. His career tally of 200 test wickets over 11 years certainly doesn't compare well with the figures of Liilee, Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh, McGrath, Akram and others. But it should be remembered that he amassed his first 78 wickets in just 15 months (and three Test series) between late 1974 and early 1976, before his horrific shoulder injury. If he had carried on at even half that rate over the rest of his career, his total would have easily been up there with the best. Also while he did not have the same ability to swing the ball or move it off the pitch as the likes of Lillee or Marshall - or possess the metronomic accuracy of a McGrath or Ambrose - he could get the ball to lift head-high off a good length with a consistency no one has ever matched. In an era before helmets and all the other modern-day protective gear, this was a uniquely terrifying proposition. To my mind, he consequently deserves a place in history among the greats.
One has to concur with the fellow comments regarding these highlights of 1st Test versus MCC (as they were still known then) in 1974/5. Indeed Thommo is easily lthe quickest in the modern era. I recall seeing Thommo playing his last game for NSW on ABC in early 1974. Back then they would show last session of play of current Sheffield Shield game at SCG. He had the keeper (Brain Taber in his last game) standing back 30 yards and he scared the daylights out of everybody,Greg Chappell included .Even after his busted shoulder the West Indians showed him the utmost respect. What a fabulous era alongside the great DKL when no opponent was safe
Apparently Greg Chappell said to QLD management after that season: do whatever you have to do to get Thommo up to Brisbane, because I don't want to have to face him again.
It was only the MCC when they were playing against non-international sides (eg, v NSW or Trinidad or Cape Provence). If they were playing a national side or the West Indies, it was "England"
I was there on that opening day at the Gabba. I remember standing side on to the wicket under the old scoreboard and finding it impossible to see the ball between leaving Thommo's hand and arriving at the other end. The batsmen were genuinely in mortal danger in the days before headgear, and by their body language they knew it. Terrifying.
genuine pace vanishes side on once it hits over 90 plus you dont see a thing at the ground from the side ..they are scary fast
I forget which day I was there but it was when Thommo got Greig with the sandshoe crusher - awesome as a kid to see that.
I was there too with my Dad. Will never forget it.
Former Aussie pace greats Lillee & Thomson at their peak in their younger days. That was genuine pace with real chin music.
Really Superb Bowling at that time...
One of the Best Bowlers of all time.
That ball from Thommo at 3.25 looked like a FUCKING LIGHTNING BOLT.
***** I agree. Would have been interesting to get a speed gun behind those deliveries back in that time.
Wow- watch the last ball to Keith Fletcher- that just might be the fastest delivery ever captured on video. I have seen all the fastest bowlers since 1965- and this guy Thomson -for two years- was the fastest of the lot.
Wow so much better to watch than meaningless torrent of runs we have these days
Ridiculous comment
I mean, Bradman scored at a run a minute even hitting 300 in a day (100 before lunch, 100 between lunch and tea, and 100 after tea). Viv Richards wasn't exactly a slouch either. My father saw Bradman's Aussies score 721 in a single day against his county side Essex. So please don't post nonsense like this ;)
@@RH-xf4vf - I refer to slam bang t20 not past greats.
I`ve seen them all since the sixties and Thommo is easily the fastest.
I think Shoaib Akhtar might be close. But Thommo could bowl 95mph+ all day long
Exactly. All the modern guys were striving for a top speed with the radar, so they could gain noteriety. Thommo was just bowling more casually back then. His effort ball is 10kph above the wanna bes' !
Agree. He was bowling bullets. What I found interesting was Richie Benaud saying Tyson was the fastest he ever saw. And he definitely saw them all. But I am personally inclined to believe nobody has ever bowled faster than Thommo at his peak.
@Bj D Because Thommo was extremely flexible. Most bowlers are front on now with their back foot facing down the pitch (McGrath) Traditional style with back foot landing at 90° to create side on bowling.(McDermott) Thommo landed with his back foot actually facing backward. Impossible to do unless you're quite freaky. Still photos of his bowling action ,show it to be perfect. When coaching Qld in his forties,he could arrive at training and without a warm up, sit and put both ankles behind his neck.There will never be another Thommo.
@@duvelization Actually I can remember Ritchie saying Thommo was the fastest bowler of all time
The deliveries at 2.07 AND 8.09 hit the keepers gloves harder than just about any others I've seen.
Love the ball at 6:24. Thommo said that was his favourite delivery - the in-swinger at the lefthander. He said he loved lefthanders because with his angle and slingshot arm action the leftie would never expect the ball to swing back so far but it did. That's exactly how he caught David Lloyd in the Kahoonahs. A bit of in-swing and the right seam position and the ball at that pace would come back before they could react.
Forget about the delivery. The ball ricoheted through the cordon and raced away for 4. Watch!
??
Vengeance Entertainment Studios
The ball I'm talking about (at 6:24) clean bowled the left-hander. No 4 runs there my friend!
I'm talking about 6:24 too. Watch. He demolishes the stumps and the ball rockets away through the slips still.
Oh ok. i see what you mean. I thought you meant it went for 4 byes.
Bloody HELL, Thomson was fast. Lillee was the more complete bowler but for pace Thommo was the man. Imagine facing those two with no body armour or helmet!
NGS406 hahahaha joke
Who was that poor English batsman who had his nuts re-arranged by Thomo?
Lillee was fast before his back injury. Bumble was the batsman I think.
Thompson bowled quicker than 100 mph prior to his injury. He was timed with radar bowling 160.58 km/hr but he did bowl quicker than that because they used techniques to time the ball when it arrived at the batsman rather than when released from the bowler's hand as they do today. Based on today's techniques, he is "estimated" to be about 20 km/hr quicker and up to around 180km/hr as according to Rod Marsh and Clive Lloyd. It would be interesting seeing him today bowling at his prime.
Wrong.
That was out of the hand like in the 1979 fast bowling competition
RIP Rod Marsh you legend!
Always thought Luckhurst walked before it got to Marsh. With Thommo on what was a dodgy pitch, I would not have walked onto the ground.
Yeh agree. He was glad to get back to the sheds…
The two deliveries by Thomson at 2.05 and 8.06 are the fastest deliveries I have ever seen on video.
Notice cameras at only one end then, how good is the coverage now? Most of those guys never played for England again.
I watched Thompson bowl against Qld in the Sheffield Shield at the SCG the year before he moved north to play for them. He wasn't fast...he was FUCKING FRIGHTENING!!!!.....I used to sit in the old Bradman Stand looking straight over the bowlers arm. I remember one bouncer that Thompson bowled that was still rising when it passed over the keeper and it landed one bounce before the fence. I have never seen any other bowler do that before or after.......I can fully understand why after that match, Greg Chappell demanded that the Qld Cricket Assoc. do everything thing they could to get him to Qld!!!!
golden era of cricket
we can argue all day about relative speed, but the truth is that this series and the one that followed, when West Indies went down to Australia, changed the next 20 years of Test cricket. Lillee and Thomson's sheer intimidation and speed had Clive Lloyd rethink things, and when he came to England in 1976, it was the start of 20 years of dominance built on incessant pace and intimidation: Roberts, Holding, Holder, Croft, Garner, Marshall, Walsh, Ambrose, Bishop etc etc ...
This is an old furphy. You can rethink all you like but you can’t conjure up quicks like Holding, Marshall and Garner out of thin air. Of course you’d play them if you had them available and your spinners and mediums were mediocre.
Love Thompsons pace and unusual action,real vicious lifting deliveries.Imagine facing him with no helmet?thd batsmen must have been shitting themselves!He must be the quickest ever,surely?The ball slams into the keepers gloves ,unbelievable!
As somebody who saw both live, Thompson was a human slingshot and I believe the fastest bowler we have ever seen. As for Lillee, he was the classic fast bowler and express too with both control and aggression, and beautiful in motion. I don't think we shall see a pair like them again as they were a perfect match.
I've seen footage of his bouncers being taken above the head by a Ames while jumping.
Having said that Larwood was not as fast as Thommo. Frank Tyson on the other hand might well have been. Similar action too.
Thommo said " I just wandered up to the stumps and whooshka"
Stop the commentators analysis
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. If Thomson doesn’t get you, Lillee must.
That ball at 7.00 an absolute beauty , flew past denness
were any of those guys you mentioned consistently above 150 km / h for a spell , very few bowlers have been .
Awesome fast bowling from these lads. Shame the games moved on so much vis a vis quick bowling. The coaches these days would probably discourage you from tearing in like this and tell you to focus on hitting a spot instead.
Nope, it was NOT a controlled experiment in the nets, it was LIVE cricket. It was in the Perth test against the West Indies in 1975. Maybe it was more accurate than radar because they (the team from the University of Western Australia) used high speed Photo-Sonics cine cameras. You're right in that they worked out the speed by calculating the distance the ball travelled over the first few frames after release. They had 2 cameras so they also measured the speed at the batsman's end.
It is well attested that Thommo bouncers hit or half-volleyed the sidescreen behind the batsman second bounce on a number of occasions. I don't know of any other bowler who managed to do that....
The ball at 3.26, you can see the batsman thinking to himself, "fucking hell I didn't even see that!!!!!"
Lillee and Thompson did to England what John Snow did to Australia in 1970-71. Scared the shit out of them.
0:37. Luckhurst couldn't get away from the crease quick enough.
"Sod this for a game of soldiers. I'm going for a snout and a cuppah in the pavilion."
Look at the speed of the delivery at 8.06 - WOW !!!!!!!
It's less than 3 seconds from the time the ball hits the deck at about 5:47 to the time it hits the ad board at about 5:50. Gives you an idea of how fast Thommo was.
There's a clearer video of this elsewhere on YT. It shows the ball only bounced twice before hitting the ad board, despite being really wide.
That delivery from Thommo at 2 : 16 is almost too fast to see.Amiss had a torrid time on that tour ,as did a few others.
I didn't quite got the real feeling of those deliveries man. The telecast was so poor that even if they were the fastest bowlers it couldn't be seen clearly in these videos
I can't imagine there was ever a bowler as quick as Thommo when he had his tail up. His action was all about rhythm, and when it was out of sync he wasn't anywhere near as quick. At his fastest, it wouldn't suprise me if he regularly topped 160kph. Surely the technology can't be far away when we can actually find out just how quick he was. The over he bowled at poor Dennis Amiss at about 3.00 was terrifying, and even Rod Marsh, about 30 metres behind the stumps seemed to be shitting himself!
this man Thomson is frightenly quick, hats off to these brave batsman for even coming out to bat ,and without proper protection,never seen anyone even in modern day cricket bowl that fast, you can almost feel how hard the ball hits marshes gloves
Jeff Thomson was the most fearsome bowler in the world until he got hurt and when he got hurt a second time was still a terrific bowler but all the fire was gone
A feast to eyes. This IS true cricket at its classic best. This short clip is worth watching a "stupid" 20/20 match of nowadays.
This is from a Pom who has always respected Lille but loves Thommo.
In the first couple of mins Lillee looks faster to me, but when his gander is up, then it certainly seems to inspire Thomson (there is no P in his name).
There are many interviews & chats he's done in his post-cricket career, & he always comes across as one of the most affable of folks you could wish to spend time with.
In other words, the complete opposite of what he was as a player!!!
If you compare eras, the main thing you will notice is the quality of the footage. Not sure how quick Lee, etc would look if viewed in grainy footage from these camera angles. At 5.50 gives you some idea - Thompson bowls 4 byes and you can see how quickly it gets to the boundary - it only bounces twice before crashing high up on the fence.
Dennis Lillee IMO is still the best fast bowler ever. Not the fastest, but the best. When you handed him the ball, you knew he was gonna do something special. Had a bad back and came back to be the best, broke down with knee injuries and came back time and time again. Growing up, every kid in my school wanted to be him.
I agree - I went to the test match in Perth in 75/76 (when Roy Fredericks made 169) and it seemed to me then that Marsh was standing halfway back to the bloody fence! I think Thomson may have touched anywhere from 165-170.
Well Bradman said Larwood was the fastest that he'd seen, and he played and watched a lot of cricket. So it's not that absurd a suggestion.
I remember seeing Lillee and Thompson on tour to England. An incredible opening attack.
Man I swear Thommo is almost breaking the sound barrier, at least he is bowling at a speed unmatched by any bowler ever here. I remember watching every day of that series as a youngster and he is as fast here as I remember, this was before they started measuring bowling speed and it's a fact that Thommo was a lot quicker than later timed results show, it looks here as if some deliveries are travelling over 105 mph, what ever the speed was it's beyond doubt that PRIME Thommo was UNPLAYABLE.
What a joy to be Ian Chapell to have these 2 bowlers!!
I would like to see video with Dennis and Thomson bowling to Alvin Kallicharran in 1978/79 tour
I was at Adelaide Oval in that series....first day was washed out because of rain, but England was thrashed in 4 days... Thommo did his shoulder playing tennis on the rest day and wasn't as consistently as lethal after that. Lillee took 8 wickets for the match and was super quick in that game. Thommo, bowling into the wind and quicker though..........scary!!!
Hats off to the English for even facing Thommo... some of these deliveries are at least 165 plus in my book.
gpet 72 YouR Book's Rigged
No way, 155 max
@ANIRUDH SURESH
Thomson was time 160.6 kmph during 1975 at his peak
He's in the fastest ever category alongside Lee, Akthar and Tait but still not 165 kmph
@ANIRUDH SURESH
True but he was timed in his peak years(he was 25-27 when timed) and against strong teams to keep his adrenaline high brother
Thomson is lighting quick but saying that he's 165 kmph+ without proof doesn't cut it 🤷🏻♂️
Had Thomson been timed 160.6 kmph when he wasn't at his peak and 30+ years of age I'd definitely consider your point 💯
@ANIRUDH SURESH
Thomson could have been quicker too but he also could have been slower 🤷🏻♂️.
That's anyone's guess. Since he was timed over entire series during his peak years and against top opposition it's safe to say he *most likely* wasn't quicker. He could be but most like he wasn't 🤷🏻♂️
The last delivery of the video to Keith Fletcher is ridiculous. That is rapid. We will not see the like again. Thommo
i love cricket its awesome i am a medium pase boler
Marsh nodding his head at the 2 minute mark sums it all up. Thommo and Andy Roberts emerged in the same year providing a shock to the entire system. Many batsmen genuinely feared for their personal safety and led to umpires making bizarre warnings regarding 'intimidatory bowling' (SMH).
That last delivery on the video to Keith Fletcher is quicker than anything you will see in the modern game.
Nothing to do with these guys but in terms of intimidation and lack of protection you should check out Brian Close taking on Hall and Griffiths in 1963 ( I think)
Watch this at 3:45 when the umpire offers the batsmen to go off for bad light. Watch Marsh and see how long it takes him walk up to the stumps. Gives a rough idea how far back he had to stand when keeping to Thompson.
It was a golden era of cricket because it had many fast bowlers instead of spinners and now we have rare no of fast bowlers and large no of spinners and medium fast bowler. That ..... is......so.......sad
That's what T-20 did. Quicks just end up in the stands further and faster. It's harder to hit a spinner bowling 80 km-hr into the 10th row, same with a medium trundling in at 11-120km-hr. Anyone steaming in off a 30m run up to bowl at 150+ needs to be able to put it right on the money, or be put into the stands by either a slogs weep, scoop/ramp, or just an straight drive. Batsmen don't play for "pure strokes" & being elegant anymore, people want 6's so they hit big. Quick bowlers just make that easier.
@Beazle00, what about the one to Amiss at 3:26?
That is scary facing that pace with no helmets.. I know helmets unbelievably didnt come in until the late 70's; but facing this they should have grabbed a bike helmet, a horse riding helmet .. anything!!
@7:06 one of the fastest deliveries I've seen
theres no doubt and lets just face it Thommo was a freak with his sling shot style and was way faster than anything...someone had to be freakishly fastest ever and that bloke is Thommo...simple.DD
That action came from being a competitive javelin thrower
watch Denness's reaction at 6.46))))))) he is genuinely scared, not worried, or apprehensive, he is GENUINELY scared!!!!!!! He has clearly never experienced pace like that ever before in his entire career))))))))))))))
+capt picard Yes - I think actually that Denness is genuinely in pain from the blow to the arm, but he's trying to put on a brave face. Looks like Redpath asks him, "Did that hurt, mate?"
@3:25 that is absurdly quick
Rod marsh said as fast as you think Thommo was he was faster . He was a javelin thrower that's why he has the perfect action .
@69Ocker bollocks...you only have to compare the deliveries that bounce to the ones that dont to see that the shorter balls are generally measured as slower than the fuller ones. They are measured over the full distance. The deliveries that were measured by lillee and thompson were done under controlled conditions..not during a match.
@AIMANALI It's perhaps appropriate to mention here that Lillee was bowling with the wind behind him as he was the senior man. Thommo was bowling against the stiff breeze and yet Rod Marsh felt that his deliveries thudded into his gloves with greater force.
Just a bit of perspective. While I think Lillee was genuinely quick in this period, he wasn't a bowler of express pace like Thommo was.
No, Lillee often bowled at express pace, both before his back injury and after. As for the earlier period, see him destroy the world 11 in Perth. Watch him in 1972 in England. As for after his back injury, I was at the SCG on one day in January 1975 in the series depicted here. That day Lillee was frighteningly fast, just as quick as Thomson. John Edrich would confirm that. A lot of the time, however, Lillee bowled within himself, focusing on control and movement. He was the ultimate fast bowler.
The thing about Thommo was the incredible lift he got from a good length. With that and his speed, he was absolutely terrifying.
It was not just that Thomson was FAST (he was) but it was also that his "slingy" action made it very difficult for the batsman to pick up the ball. Speed guns cannot measure that.
160+ km/h tested
If that Jeff Thomson was playing now he would make mincemeat of every batsman on the planet. I clearly remember his collision with Alan Turner which gave Thommo the injury that permanently slowed Thommo down to speeds which incidentally were STILL faster than all the other terrifying speed demons of the 70's but nevertheless slower than THOMMO 1974 to 1976. Wish we had one just like that now, if so we would be the RULERS of Tests ... STILL.
@maliks333
I agree totally mate. This is fast bowling but not super express.
The start of modern cricket - fast exciting and in Australia at least the first time in colour - marvellous memories
Dennis Amiss took some flack for his showing against Lillie And Thompson especially 74/75 but he was out there representing his country, doing his absolute best against some seriously fast almost lethal bowling. They said Amiss didn't like the short stuff like this....my goodness, who does, but his test and one day record stacks up among the best and he played against the best. Amiss at least showed what he could do in the MCG test and it's just a shame he never registered a test ton against The Aussies.
The criticism of Amiss was very unfair, he was not out of his depth like Luckhurst, Denness and Fletcher. If you look at him in action against the Thomson thunderbolts from 1.40 onwards he does not back away, he holds the line and sways out of the way or drops his bat - good technique. Both Thomson and Marsh regarded him as a pretty good batsman, indeed Marsh thought that he was unlucky to get two perfect late outswingers in each innings in the Adelaide test. Also it is interesting to notice how green the pitches in this series look compared to the ones Snow had to bowl on four years previously.
enjoy the great bowlers of yesterdays.
That ball at 8.02- the fastest ball I have seen on video.
This video of Jeff Thomson is the quickest I have seen him bowl compared to all the other videos I have seen of his bowling so far on youtube. Perhaps this period of 1974-75 was when he was at his quickest. The fast n bouncy Gabba pitch didnt help the batters either
Anyone who wants to appreciate just how pedestrian 'fast' bowlers are today should look at this footage. It's a shame they can't put a speed gun on TV footage, because I swear, Thommo must have been bowling at around 180kph at his best and before his shoulder injury. Michael Holding, one of the fast bowling greats himself, felt the same way. The one time he was tested was on a dead practice wicket in Adelaide of all places, when the speed wasn't measured out of the hand, as it is today, but after the bounce, which obviously took a lot of speed off the deliveries. Yet he was still nudging close to 165kph on that basis.
As a former keeper myself, you also get a clue at his speed by how Marsh is taking some of the balls coming through. Marsh wasn't the most technically gifted keeper, but he was pretty good to pace bowling, yet time and again you'd see Marsh almost wrong-footed or reacting at the last second because of the speed the ball was coming to him. Also, some of Thommo's bouncers were delivered at such pace that they'd clear Marsh and just about hit the sight screen on the full!
The last point not often mentioned is that the most frightening part of Thommo's bowling was that something, whether it was the sheer pace of the ball or some kind of back spin he put on it with his slinging delivery - no one's sure - but he used to make the ball rocket up towards a batsmen's chest or head from virtually a good length - THAT was frightening!
Plus don't forget that this was the era before helmets were introduced. So next time you see all those wonderfully high averages in the 50's from otherwise ordinary batsmen ponder how much those numbers are inflated by the security afforded them by today's helmets, and the increasingly dead wickets being foisted on Tests in order to ensure the games don't end early and lose money. Better to have a five day run-feast then see bowlers run riot over 3 days.
+timbo wilderbeeste Lies. Only four bowlers have ever been clocked at 160 kph and apart from Thomson they've all played in the twenty first century. I don't know where you heard that Holding was clocked at 165. The fastest he was ever measured at was 153 kph. Also, you can't measure speed at a single point ie. 'out of the hand' or 'after the pitch'. It necessarily requires two points of measurement in order to work out velocity, and these have always been at either end of the wicket.
Obviously Thomson was an incredibly quick bowler, but it's patently ridiculous to suggest that he was regularly bowling around 20kph faster than the fastest ball ever recorded. Such a towering physical feat would be the equivalent of a sprinter running the 100m a full second quicker than Usain Bolt's fastest recorded time.
Also, I'm sick of hearing that 'batsmen have it so good now'. If you ask me, there was a ludicrous unbalance in favour of bowlers back in the seventies, when bats were tiny, pitches were minefields and batsmen had barely anything by way of protection. Rather than give the batsmen too much of an advantage, I'd say the modern game has redressed the balance. To turn your example on its head, if Thommo or Holding were bowling on the flat wickets of today, against protected batsmen with modern bats and the full array of innovative contemporary shots, their stats would be nowhere near as impressive. It's for this reason that I believe Dale Steyn to be the greatest fast bowler in test history. Despite bowling in an era which is so much more suited to batting than in times gone by, his stats more than stack up to the greats of the 70s/80s. In fact his strike rate, which many consider to be the killer number for a bowler, is lower than any of them. Remarkable considering how much more international cricket he has played, and how many more wickets he has taken.
+berbatov3890 Dale Steyn only bowls(ed) in the lower 90`s mph.Genuine fast bowlers can only sustain top speed for a short period in a match,and only for about a 2 year span.Read what Rod Marsh and Ian Chappell had to say about Thomson.Perhaps you are a pro cricketer or an expert for you to disparage what many PRO cricketers and commentators say about Thomson.I agree with what Timbo says and even now with all the head gear and restrictions on bouncers if anyone was bowling at Thommo`s speed ,or Andy Roberts speed( whom i saw at Old Trafford in his pomp) they would still be intimidated.Andy Roberts frightened me ,and i was sat in the stands!!!!
Bullshit thommo was the fastest by a mile
It is impossible to compare batsmen now with batsmen in the past, the pitches change as do the balls, the laws and all sorts of things, but I really agree that helmets have made a huge difference. The batsmen can now more often be on the front foot mentally and be thinking about scoring runs and not have life and limb so much of a consideration.
1:52 Dude not wearing a helmet. Lot of respect for the guy.
@Imrankniazi Yeah I see what you mean. Actually I have thought of it that way myself. Plus a quality line and length/movement ball SEEMS just as quick as a quicker one (think Akram at his best). Also remember not even Akhtar had the same effect in Austrailia as thommo did in Australia. So I am sure thommo was as quick as any. Also tell me have you seen any footage of those one bounce and into the sight screen delivery from thommo - cause I have not. though the one to Underwood was inhuman