Former Int. cricketers claim that they had faced the fastest bowlers that cricket had ever produced.
I disagree with them completely, but I am also aware of the conditions these batsmen had to endure back then. To add to this, facing these fast bowlers without any major protection equipment, like helmet, chest guard, quality thigh pads, lighter pads, etc., was another physical challenge.
Nevertheless as far as speed and guile is concerned, current crop of fast bowlers are much better, and consistent.
Also, today, in every international side, one finds at least 2 fast bowlers clocking speed of 140 plus. They are fast and have all the required skill to bowl in various conditions, in all formats of the game, consistently and successfully.
Today, we seldom see under-prepared, tampered or tortured pitches like the ones in the 70s and 80s. This was the main reason for batsmen of that era to claim that they faced quality bowling (both fast and spin) back then.
But don’t forget, it is a batsman’s job to perform in any condition. And if a bowler toils hard on lifeless pitches, than the batsman also needs to perform well in conditions that are abysmal.
Therefore when the current crop of players complain about bad pitches, I reckon they are missing on a challenge of gaining some vital experience of playing good cricket.
Here is a list of top fastest bowlers of the 70s and 80s .
Although i have not included list of recent fast bowlers(from 2000-2012) but, in every telecast game the speed is displayed after a ball is bowled.
Hence, if one can compare current crop of fast bowlers with past, it would be very clear that current generation produced better and more fast bowlers.
Most broadcasters display bowling speed in kmph, so if one wants to know its measurement in miles, here is a calculation.
1 Kmph = 0.62 mph.
Therefore, multiply 0.62 x(kmph) = (mph).
E.g, if a bowler is bowling at 90kmph, than his speed in miles is = 55.8
