A 160 kmph delivery by Neil Wagner sparks debates

By Sayantan Bhattacharjee

Updated - 11 Dec 2015, 17:42 IST

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New Zealand pace bowler Neil Wagner bowled a delivery at 160kmph on the second day’s play of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Dunedin. The landmark has been achieved by only a few bowlers have been able to touch in the game.

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, Aussie pacers Brett Lee and Mitchell Starc, who hit the mark just a few weeks ago against New Zealand at Perth. Within no time the accuracy of what was being displayed on television was debated, considering the 29-year-old Wagner has never bowled any delivery nearly as quick as that in his 17-Test career.

A member of Sky’s production team claimed that a low-flying bird could have been the reason for the inaccurate display from one of the two-speed guns in use at Dunedin’s University Oval. Another theory is that a laser could have been the reason.

What makes Friday’s instance more incredulous is that Wagner normally bowls in the mid-130 range and is far from being considered a premier fast bowler. A ball bowled by left-arm pacer Starc to New Zealand’s Ross Taylor during the drawn WACA Test in November was clocked at 160.4kmph, making it the fastest recorded delivery in Test history.
However, at the time, New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan had questioned the authenticity of that recording, saying “That delivery came out of nowhere and looked pretty similar to a lot of deliveries through the day that were closer to 150 than 160. I’m not sure if maybe the wrong button was pushed. But you’d have to ask Rosco whether it felt 10km/h quicker than any other delivery he faced.”
Watch: Mitchell Starc bowl a ripper to Ross Taylor at 160.4 kmph

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