TYSON - NORTHANTS V LEICESTER CRICKET 

I always thought Cowdrey said Roy Gilchrist. But that Thomson got bounce like no other.

@@bonjourr100 indeed, very clean pies.

Sujit Sharma Tyson’s Test bowling average of 18.6, the best of anyone since WW2, including those you mention, suggests he was more than in their league. Richie Benaud said he was the fastest of anyone he saw, which included Thomson, Holding and Shoaib Akhtar. Don’t be fooled by the old film, the baggy pants and Tyson’s receding hairline fool you.

I seriously doubt if the cricketers those days (batsman or the bowlers) were as fit as they are today. Ok as of today no one is that good, but in the last three decades there has been Akhtar, Lee, Donald, Tommo, Dennis Lillee, Holding, Marshall, Garner, Roberts etc. You would also see that once a ball goes past a fielder it would invariably reach the boundary. Hardly any effort by the fielders to stop the ball. Perhaps they were not all that fit. Commentators like Benaud/any other cricketer have the tendency to praise cricketers of their era. If you were to see Bradman's team, most of the players he has chosen are from his era. Got to consider that factor too.Batsman these days are better protected, have better equipment and therefore tend to go for the shots. Batsman of the bygone era in the absence of equipment feared for their heads. Not sure if tyson was as fast as lee, akhtar or had the variation Akram or Donald had. I have my doubts. But yes...for that era he was definitely at the top

In 1955, at the Aeronautical College in Wellington, Tyson bowling speed was clocked. From a standing delivery, that is, without the benefit of any run up, Tyson's bowling speed was registered as 87 mph (or 142 km/hr). In 1954, at Old Trafford, a Tyson delivery bounced once on the pitch, then sailed over the keepers head, and remained in the air, until it hit the sight screen. Only three other bowlers have been able to do this. They are, Roy Gilchrist, Jeff Thomson, and Charles Kortright. "Akhtar, Lee, Donald, ...Dennis Lillee, Holding, Marshall, Garner, Roberts etc.", have not made it onto this list. This is despite the fact that that they, unlike Frank Tyson, have all had the benefit of bowling at the WACA. The WACA pitch offers much more bounce than the wicket at Old Trafford, and the straight boundaries at the WACA are shorter than those at Old Trafford. Nor did Tyson have the benefit of nandrolone.

Well.Tyson's delivery and follow-through were pretty explosive ,judging by photos and videos of his action. In this quite a few quicks,in their prime, may have been his equal. The main difference is that Tyson played under the old back foot no-ball rule,which meant he was regularly releasing the ball maybe two or three foot closer to the batsman,than modern bowlers. Consequently,the ball would have reached the batsman quicker. He had what looks to be a very unusual and stressful bowing action to modern eyes. At 0:35 he seems to balance his entire bodyweight on his right foot,which he dragged behind himself,while loading up.

Sitaram P.R If Ritchie Benaud a cricketing legend says Tyson was the fastest bowler he's ever seen then i'm going to believe Ritchie than you, i have never heard such rubbish.