Garry Nelson's teacher
Well-known member
We have a top grade bowling machine at our cricket club, and a couple of weeks ago I was feeding deliveries for a net session. For a giggle, we cranked it up to 96mph and sent a few down into an empty net. Short ones, beamers, all sorts. It was bl00dy frightening, terrifying. In loading the deliveries myself, I felt like I was firing a high powered rifle. There seems absolutely no time to react at all, these top level batters have something like 0.65 seconds to select and execute the correct shot at this pace - or get out of the way.
Reminds me of when the bell-end that is Piers Morgan was' invited' into the nets by Brett Lee. The link (if it works) is well worth looking at to see how a 'civilian' copes with really quick bowling. In fact I ended up having a bit more respect for Morgan than Lee - who deliberately bowled no-balls in order to make it even harder. I think it might have cured Morgan from labelling England's batsman as gutless and to me I think the 'snowflake banter' is a bit off-the-mark. Fast bowling can be lethal. Having watched the game (and played a bit) in the pre-helmet era, and seen guys hit - and crumple - I lookback in some amazement that more weren't really badly injured. Watching Smith collapse when hit was a serious moment and anyone who booed him when he returned to the crease might benefit from a session in the nets with Brett Lee.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...&ts=1566305978919&nclidts=1566305978&tsms=919