In Test Cricket, one of the fastest bowlers has been Jeff Thomson. He had an aggressive approach and an unusual slinging action which struck fear in the minds of batsmen.
In 1972-73, when he debuted against Pakistan, he was ineffective as he had a broken bone in his foot. During the 1974-75 season, when he was recalled to the Australian squad, he formed a partnership with Dennis Lillee. Due to the consistent spells of extreme fast bowling of this duo, the England tourists were terrorized. In this series against England, Thomson took 33 wickets.
Thomson’s body and particularly his right shoulder were subjected to considerable stress. As his career progresses, he relied less on pure speed and more on swing, seam and cut. When several Aussies joined the Packer circus in 1977, Thomson adhered to the Australian team in two series against India and England. However, he too joined the World Series Cricket shortly. During the 1997 Ashes series, he was heard as a radio commentator.
| Born | 16 Aug 1950 |
| Nationality |
Australia
|
| Team History | |
Queensland Bulls
|
1974 - 1986 |
Australia
|
1975 - 1985 |
|
Middlesex County
|
1981 |
| New South Wales cricket team | 1972 - 1974 |
Career Highlights
Jeff Thomson participated in 51 Test matches in which he took 200 wickets. He bowled 10535 deliveries in which he conceded 5601 runs. His economy rate was 3.18, bowling strike rate was 52.6 and bowling average was 28. He also played in 50 ODIs during which he bowled 2696 balls, gave away 1942 runs and made 55 dismissals. His bowling average was 35.30, economy rate was 4.32 and bowling strike rate was 49.
