Men with speed: a class apart

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA – MARCH 17: Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan who has announced his retirement from international cricket during a nets session at the R Premadasa International Stadium on March 17, 2011 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

A batsman stands perplexed as the ball shatters the idyllic equilibrium of the stumps, his willow rendered mute witness to the prowess of the speeding ball. A player stands helpless on a tennis court, shrugging his shoulders, his racket silent against an unplayable ace and the prowess of the speeding ball. A person sitting in the galleries at the Olympics is left gasping for breath as he desperately tries to come to terms with the feat that had just been pulled off: the 100m race, over in the blink of an eye.

A goalkeeper totally transfixed as he understands that his mental faculties can with full certainty ascertain the position of a player in the three dimensional space at a given time. But what has just happened will have him believe that the same player was present at two different positions at the same instance in time. Yes, time seems to stand still when such sporting masterpieces are conjured by the master sportsman in a moment of sheer inspiration. These moments ought to be frozen in time to comprehend the enormity of these feats. The awesome speed that defines these marvels deserves a special mention when it comes to the jewels which decorate sport, them being craft, grace, flair and the like.

While we are on the subject, let me bring forth the practitioners of this phenomenon called ‘speed’. In our most beloved ‘Gentleman’s game’, this phenomenon is generally associated with pacemen. We’ve had early practitioners in the form of the alypso West Indian pacemen who generated such fiery pace that opposition batsmen were terror struck. The prowess of the speeding ball totally bullied the willow.

When I think of my generation of cricketing stars whom I grew up adoring, the names of Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee as the ones who embodied the phenomenon pop up in my mind. They were the quintessential fast bowlers of our generation. While one was the bad boy of cricket, the other was lovable with his boyish charm. While one had a suspect action subject to many controversies, the other won many hearts with his beautiful style and spotlessly clean action.

Nevertheless, both produced scorchers that left the batsman in complete awe with such regular consistency. Every face-off of theirs with the batting legends turned out to be an intense contest which brought the spectators in the galleries on their toes and the viewers on the screen within sniffing distance of the television. Who can forget the absolute cracker of a contest that ensued between Akhtar and Sachin at the 2003 World Cup? Though the willow triumphed, it was a worthy contest which was the stuff of legends. Picture a young Manoj Tiwary facing his first ball in international cricket. In comes lethal Lee hurling a comet of a ball, a scorching yorker that shatters the woodwork beyond recognition.

‘Welcome to international cricket, young man’, quips the man on the mic. The otherwise mere statistic of Akhtar delivering a scorcher at 161 kmph comes to life in the light of the fact that he made us take note of the erstwhile ubiquitous speedometer. Both of them held their own in a time when the willow started to dominate the game in it’s quest for supremacy. That they carved a niche for themselves in the ‘Gentleman’s game’ which attaches a greater value to crafty bowlers like Glenn Mcgrath and Shaun Pollock is truly commendable.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 30: Andy Roddick of the USA serves

Andy Roddick, the big-serving American is usually credited with the fastest serve in the game to my knowledge. He had a brief affair with fame and greatness when he topped the ATP charts. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sustain his run, courtesy the onslaught of the legendary Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. His shots are no match to the wide array of brilliant ones in possession of the legends. But then he has made that one facet of the game his own: the serve. That the wannabe tennis players want to emulate his serves, thanks to the breakneck speed which he generates is definitely good news for him.

Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez is winning many accolades in footballing circles. He plies his trade on the pitch with great speed, which has helped him come good for the Manchester United, one of the greatest football clubs in the world, amidst a galaxy of great players. He has now become an integral part of the clubs’ scheme of things. Speed matters in football, and he is making it count. When it comes to skill, he is not even close to the best that we have got, but he is yet another exemplary instance of practitioners of the phenomenon who have stood out from the rest. Arsenal‘s Theo Walcott also comes to mind when ‘speed’ and ‘football’ are mentioned in the same breath.

Then, there are sports which are all about speed such as the track events at any athletics meet. Usain ‘lightning’ Bolt is a name that has become synonymous with the phenomenon of speed. We are so obsessed with speed that we would definitely back Bolt in his quest for bettering his own hitherto earth-shattering record. How we wish that he does whatever it takes, stretch all the sinews of his body to their limits and pushes the boundaries of human reach further. The stiff competition he faces from the likes of Blake, Gay and Gatlin will definitely further this cause.

Why am I talking about this sport, where speed is bound to come trumps over other aspects? Because this is an instance of sport where ‘speed’ has found utterance and given it’s rightful place. This case, however, illustrates our unflinching love for the phenomenon deep within, the insatiable craving for more of this as we can never have enough of it.

Speed is that phenomenon which sends a chill down our spine. The adrenaline rush that speed-laced feats trigger sends us onto a higher plane of bliss. The indulgence in this raw pace might be put down as a guilty pleasure by a purist, who swears by the refined techniques of the game which confer a sense of artistry. But speed, however raw, is not a mean aspect of the game. Unfortunately, we’re so busy gloryfying the beautiful and elegant facets of the game that we often ignore the simple, which have earned their place in the game in their own right, for it caters to certain sport-related sentiments. Speed is a phenomenon worth celebration, if not glorification. Here comes a time when one of our loved speedsters, Brett ‘Lethal’ Lee, is bidding adieu to the international game. It calls for giving him a befitting send off, for he was a champion in his own right.

Well played, Lee. Bon voyage.