Best quotes on fast bowling from the players in the line of fire

“Batting may be cricket’s heartbeat, but fast bowling is its pulse” A matter that is explored in Speed Thrills, a new book released this week. Written by ex-Australian pacer Rodney Hogg and features 17 fastest bowlers alive. Encompassing various aspects of pace bowling, the book promises to be a gripping read. The book contains many interesting examples and quotes to keep the readers glued to it.Facing quality fast bowling is not everyone’s cup of tea and even the greatest of batsmen find it difficult to react in that fraction of a second when the ball whistles past them. The primal insticts take over, scoring becomes a distant dream. As the author was quoted saying to Heraldsun.Reading between the lines it’s clear that all batsmen judge themselves against fast bowling — and how they deal with the natural fear it generates — and all fast bowlers prey on the anxiety their speed induces.We present the quotes by players who were in the firing range of the great fast bowlers and have seen hell being unleashed.

#1 Stephen Fleming on Brett Lee

“There was a day in Napier when I was edgy, twitchy if you like, facing Brett Lee. I will make it plainer, I was shi**ing myself. I remember thinking, if he is on target and I get it wrong then I could be in serious trouble.”

#2 Greg Chappel on the West Indian pace bowling quartet

“At that speed you are at the limit of your decision-making”

#3 Jacques Kallis on Mitchell Johnson

“You can prepare for the storm by latching the windows and sandbagging the doors, but when the rain comes, it’s still a surprise. And at his pace it can be deadly — and I do mean that literally.”

#4 Hugh Morris on Allan Donald:

“I ducked and it hit me half on the bottom of the helmet and half on the bottom of the skull and I was knocked out. I got hit a few times but that was scariest moment. I reflected on that after hearing the dreadful news about Phillip Hughes and thought, ‘there but for the grace of God’.”

#5 Graham Yallop on Michael Holding

“I only tried to hook him once. It was in Adelaide and, given the short boundaries, it was my only chance of hitting him over the fence. I got half through the shot before top edging the ball over the keeper and one bounce over what is a really long boundary. After that I said never again.”

#6 Shane Warne on Wasim Akram

“He prompted me to hold my bat high in the backlift after he broke my toe. I didn’t get hit on the head much but he got me twice. I remember batting with Paul Reiffel trying to take an easy single against Wasim after he had hit me and there was no way Pistol would move.”

#7 John Maclean on keeping to Jeff Thomson

“When Jeff Thomson got it right it was ridiculous where I was standing to take him. Forget those speed guns, he was faster than 160kmh. I stood more than half way to the boundary sometimes. Nobody could have ever bowled quicker than Thommo.”