5 great fast bowling careers cut short by injury

Ryan Harris injured himself during the Ashes 2010 at the MCG Ryan Harris, the only bowler to debut after 30 and still go on to pick 100 wickets, finally hung up his boots. There is a time when you say, ‘Enough is enough’ and Harris deserves credit for fighting his fragile knee for so long, always striving to play the next game for Australia.The man who narrowly missed playing in the World Cup was key to Australia’s bowling plans. Over the years, cricket has seen a lot of fast bowling careers ended due to injuries. While talent and hard-work are important for a fast bowler to make it to the XI and succeed, you cannot become a legend unless you have survived the injuries.Every pace bowler has to face injury scare at some point of time. Fast bowling is extremely punishing on the body. Some bodies take it and some don’t. Here are five fast bowlers over the last three decades, who could have gone on to accomplishing a lot more if their injury hadn’t ended their careers.

#5 Simon Jones

Jones was one the important players of England’s 2005 Ashes winning squa

He was one of the architects behind the great English victory in the 2005 Ashes that brought the urn back after 18 long years. Simon Jones had picked up 18 wickets during that series, before missing the fifth test due to an ankle injury.

That was also the story of his career. Two years before that crowning glory, he had almost ended his career when he injured his knee diving into the ground at Gabba.

Having played just 18 test matches, Jones picked up 59 wickets at 28.23. But, one of the quartet that plundered Australia famously in 2005, Jones could never make it again in spite of multiple comebacks as injury kept pushing him back. His 15 wickets on the Caribbean tour in four matches in 2004 remain as his other accomplishment.

#4 Shaun Tait

Shaun Tait bowled the second fastest ball of all time in 2010 against England, one that clocked 161.1 kph. Capable of consistently bowling over 95mph, Tait was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad in 2007 and then later played for them in the 2011 World Cup.

Yet, he just managed 35 ODIs claiming 62 wickets at 23.5. He played just 3 tests. Due to his injuries, mostly the result of a very inefficient and horrific action that put a lot of pressure on his body, he had to quit even ODI cricket immediately after 2011 campaign, to play just T20 cricket.

He was just 28 at that point. Tait suffered plenty of injuries to the knee, shoulder, elbow and back. He is still just 32 and plays active T20 cricket for Essex. Tait is one of cricket’s greatest losses as far as test and ODI cricket are concerned.

#3 Nathan Bracken

Bracken was very good in bowling slow off-cutter deliveries

The left-armer who made a place for himself in probably one of the strongest ODI teams ever was once the No.1 ODI bowler in the world having been awarded Australia’s ODI Player of the Year. Bracken had the rare ability to swing the ball both ways and move it off the seam and he did it all with great consistency.

Yet, he played his last game for the Aussies when he was only 31. Chronic knee injury, which according to him, was not managed properly by Cricket Australia, led Bracken to call it a day when he was just 33.

In spite of a much shortened career, Bracken finished sixth on the list all-time list of Australian bowlers with most ODI wickets. Member of the 2007 World Cup winning team, Bracken played just 116 ODIs taking 174 wickets at 24.36 with a stunning economy of 4.41.

#2 Ian Bishop

Ian Bishop, was probably, in the true sense, the last of the generation of great, tearaway West Indian fast bowlers terrorising batsmen. He played 43 tests for West Indies claiming 161 wickets at 24.27.

He also played 84 ODIs taking 118 wickets at 26.5. A renowned TV commentator now, Bishop’s career ended before he turned 31, with recurring back problems that led to his breakdown very frequently.

Amidst injuries, Bishop managed to pull off stunning bowling performances like his 6/40 in Perth and 6/87 in Bridgetown that Indians remember too well. The giant known for breaking many a batsmen and for his thunderbolt out-swingers was diagnosed with stress fractures in the vertebrae and in spite of rehabilitation and desire couldn’t continue.

#1 Shane Bond

Shane Bond was the only tearaway fast bowler of his time who could cross 150kph with an immaculately clean action. The man who tore into the Aussie line-up in the 2003 World Cup and is now a popular bowling coach played only 18 tests having taken 87 wickets at 22.09.

In 82 one-day internationals, he took 147 wickets at an unbelievable average of 20.88. That is not all. Bond, because of his accuracy was one of those rare genuinely fast bowlers who also had a low economy rate, finishing with a measly 4.28.

The most stunning feat of Bond’s short career was the fact that he averaged 15.79 against Australia having taken almost half of his wickets against them. During his time, Australia had an invincible ODI squad, a point to be noted. It was he who helped New Zealand reach the 2007 World Cup.

Bond was one of those unfortunate players who had injuries everywhere from the spine to the knees and feet and he was rarely willing to give up his pace to preserve himself. Bond, who coached Mumbai Indians in their victorious IPL 2015 campaign was also the New Zealand bowling coach during their best World Cup showing when they reached the Final, in 2015.

Having lost couple of years to a rebel league, the ICL, Bond had to retire at 34, having already missed a lot of games before ICL happened.