Ten Fast Bowlers to Watch Out For This Season

Anon PaynJun 12, 2008

We had a feast during the IPL, with probably the greatest group of fast bowling talent ever to be seen in one competition. From Steyn’s red hot fast bowling to Tanvir’s amazing bowling action, the terrors of modern day cricket were hogging all the headlines, and more! Here’s a look at a few who may make it big at the international stage this season!

Sohail Tanvir

Well, lets begin with the most apparent! With more than 20 wickets, at a rate of more than 2 wickets per game, during the inaugural IPL, Tanvir was by far the best bowler on display, and was a very big reason for Rajasthan being so successful! Now on duty with Pakistan’s national side, he would be hoping to take his team to successes in the on going tri series in Bangladesh, as well as the big one coming up, The Asia Cup!
Gul

The next man on the list is another Paki, Umar Gul. The tall, strong fast bowler made a name for himself on his debut when he took 5 Indian wickets. Since then, though, he has been in and out of the side, mainly due to his fitness problems. He emerged as the bowling main stay of the Kolkata Knight Riders and partnered Ishant Sharma brilliantly. If he takes his consistency on to the international arena, he could form a lethal force along with Tanvir!
Goni

Manpreet Singh Goni was never heard of in Indian cricket before the IPL. And the man has made sure everyone hears enough of him now. Under Dhoni’s leadership, the lad from Punjab was certainly the find of the tournament for India. Now included in the Indian fifteen member squad as a replacement for the injured Sreesanth, one wonders if he can make a dream debut for India too!
VRV Singh

Singh has been in and out of the Indian squad in the last couple of years. He doesn’t seem to be the man for the big occasion, often displaying pretty below par bowling when in Indian colours. He changed all of that while playing for the Punjab King’s XI though. The experience he had of playing at the Mohali ground, the home ground of the Punjab Ranji Trophy Team, helped him deliver his most promising effort yet. Don’t be surprised if he’s used in Pakistan later this month.
Maharoof

Sri Lankan Farveez Maharoof, it seems, has been taking quite a few lessons from his Daredevils’ team-mate, McGrath! How else would you explain the amazing line, length and temperament shown by the Lankan all-rounder! I remember, once when the West Indies toured Sri Lanka, in an ODI game, Maharoof captured 4 wickets in ten overs, at an economy of less than 1! While the potential has always been there, Maharoof has finally come of age, in the shorter format of the game at least. He will be very important to Captain Jayawardene’s plans in the Asia Cup, if the islanders aim to retain their crown as Asia’s Best.
Dinda

Not much attention has been paid to the West Bengal pacer, Ashok Dinda. He impressed the world’s number one batsmen in the nets, Ponting himself, prior to the IPL. He shone through in quite a few games, even over shadowing the new Star, Ishant, on quite a few occasions. Looking at the hectic season ahead, he may be called on for a stint with the national side.
Anderson

While the Englishman was no where near the IPL, he was busy cementing a name and reputation in the Test arena. His latest feat of claiming a six wicket haul against New Zealand is a testament to the yards this bowler has covered since bursting onto the season during the ’03 World Cup! No more the flamboyant show boat, Anderson has matured, and reminds me of the transformation that Brett Lee has been though not long ago. He has a brilliant action, and is more than a handful in English conditions. If he cuts down on those lollies that he bowls to batsmen every now and again, sights such as yorking Tendulkar, in probably his last Test appearance on English soil, won’t be that rare!
Bravo

Dwayne Bravo, to me, is the man West Indies will look at in the future as the Renaissance Man! He has all the makings of a excellent fast bowling all-rounder, and can take this West Indian unit to another plane with his performance. Playing for Mumbai Indians would have certainly helped, as not only were the wickets at the Wankhede and Dr. D.Y.Patil stadium helpful to the faster bowlers, he also shared the dressing room with another bowling all-rounder, Shaun Pollock. Pollock himself was mentored by the great West Indian, Malcolm Marshall. If Bravo has learnt anything from the great Protea, he certainly is displaying it against Australia!
Steyn

Dale Steyn created history when he claimed his 100^th Test wicket in lesser matches than the bowling great, Allan Donald. Steyn further built on his reputation in the IPL. Though part of one of the worst teams in the tournament, he did create a few ripples. He still doesn’t bowl well enough to be classed along side Lee, but he is quite young. His main area of concern will be bowling on flatter wickets, with lack of bounce. On slow tracks, his pace makes him a batsman’s delight. He will need to come up with a few variations in his bowling armory, too, if he is to be successful in the sub-continent and Australia.
Nehra

The Final bowler on my list is the forgotten man of Indian cricket. He was, along with Zaheer Khan, considered to be the future of Indian bowling during the 2002-03 season. Indeed his pace and bounce created problems for the best of batsmen. He picked up a six wicket haul against England in the World Cup, ’03, to further enhance his rep. Then the heel injury struck, and then the stress fracture. There was an endless period of recovery. He paid the price. Not only was he dropped from the Indian squad, he didn’t even make it to Delhi’s Ranji team! Now back from the wilderness, Nehra seemed as enthusiastic as ever, as he bent his back for the Mumbai Indians. An Indian berth may be a distant hope at this point, and he would do well to make it to the Delhi team first. If he continues his good performance in the domestic tournaments, though, he may well be in Indian colours sooner rather than later!