Poll: Jeff Thomson v Mitchell Johnson, who was Australia’s most fearsome fast bowler?

Two players of different eras yet their skills, pace and the impact they had on cricket make them comparable. ‘Thommo’ and ‘Midge’ are arguably two of the game’s most feared fast bowlers ever. Their ferocious speed generated excitement amongst fans troubled the best of batsmen. These two created the kind of buzz that makes fast bowling a great spectacle.

Jeff Thomson – (1973-1985)

Thommo had a slinging action clearly influenced by his javelin throwing skills. He did not swing or seam the much however used his raw pace and accuracy to intimidate the batsmen. The right-arm fast bowler had the ability to make the ball rise sharply from length earned him many wickets. He made his debut against Pakistan in 1972-73, but was hampered by a broken bone in his foot; an injury he hid from the selectors. He was ineffective with match figures of 0/110. He earned a recall in 1974-5 forming a legendary partnership with Dennis Lillee. He terrorised the English batsmen with consistent spells of hostile fast bowling and took 33 wickets in the series.

Prior to the 1974-75 Ashes, he bowled well within himself against the visitors in a tour match as instructed by his captain Greg Chappell. This was the only time the English team had seen him in action and would have clearly been unaware of things to come. In the second innings of the first Test at Brisbane, he bowled a match-winning spell of 6/46 as the Aussies won by 166 runs and followed it up with one of the deadly spells of fast bowling ever witnessed in cricket. He injured several batsmen and blew away the English with a spell of 5/93 in the second innings. The hosts won the match easily by 9 wickets. Before the Test series during a television interview Thommo said, ‘I enjoy hitting a batsman more than getting him out. I like to see blood on the pitch’, a statement which generated a lot of controversies. A severe injury due to an on-field collision with Alan Turner in 1976 did hamper his pace however he made a successful comeback making adjustments to his bowling by using a cutter and relying more on seam and swing than pace. He played for Australia until 1985 representing it in 51 Tests taking 200 wickets and 50 ODIs taking 55 wickets. Sir Vivian Richards who came up against many great fast bowlers of his time rates Jeff Thomson as the fastest he had ever faced.

Mitchell Johnson – (2007-2015)

The left-arm fast bowler, Mitchel Johnson had a stop-start beginning to his international career, however, ended his international career as Australia’s fourth highest wicket-taker in both Test and ODI cricket. His genuine pace and ability to bowl a ‘heavy ball’ made him a modern day great and one of the game’s most charismatic fast bowlers. Midge was first identified by the great Dennis Lillee at a fast-bowling clinic at Brisbane. He was 17 at this time and asked to join the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide. He made his ODI debut in 2005 against NZ and Test debut in 2007 against SL. Injuries played a part in his career and hampered his progress however in 2011, the time away from cricket, helped him reflect on his game. In 2013-14, he picked up 59 wickets at 15.23 and petrified the English and South African batsmen with aggression and raw speed. With a moustache reminiscent of Lillee, he bowled a series of fast-bowling spells reminded every one of the Lillee-Thomson era. The Australian fans loved the way he intimidated the batsmen with a lethal bouncer. He used the late swing to great effect and also kept the batsmen guessing with changes in line and length. He played 73 Tests and pocketed 313 wickets with a best spell in an innings of 8/61 against the South African’s. His 153 ODIs fetched him 239 wickets with 6/31 being his career best spell in this format of the game. He featured in 30 T20I and picked up 38 wickets with 3/15 being his best spell. In an era dominated by batsmen on batting friendly surfaces, Johnson deserves a huge credit for keeping the art of fast bowling alive and inspiring upcoming fast bowlers around the world.

These two great fast bowlers were loyal servants of Australian cricket and left a mark in their nation’s rich cricketing tradition. The fans can vote for their choice of Australia’s most fearsome fast bowler from Thommo and Midge.

Give out your opinion, crown the most fearsome Australian fast bowler with the power of your vote:

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