DHAKA, May 24, 2020 (BSS)–Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has claimed that he still
holds the fastest delivery record officially among the Bangladeshi bowlers
and till now no other pacers could break it.
During the ‘Tamim Iqbal’s Live Show’, which was aired on Tamim’s facebook
page and Youtube channel on Saturday night, the ex-Bangladesh skipper said he
bowled the quickest delivery, clocking 148 kph during a Test against New
Zealand at Hamilton in 2001.
At the age of just 17, Mashrafe in his first New Zealand tour claimed 4-106
and 3-100 in both innings of that Test.
‘”I got the better of Lu Vincent, Craig McMillan and Stephen Fleming in
second innings of the game in one spell, which was out and out fast in a
bouncy wicket,” Mashrafe recalled.
“I had a spell after Tea session in second innings, in which I bowled all
deliveries, clocking between 145 to 148 kph continuously. My fastest delivery
was 148 kph, which I did against Chris Cairns and Adam Parrore. I think still
it remains the quickest delivery by any Bangladeshi bowler in international
cricket.”
Mashrafe was once dubbed as the ‘Narail Express’ because of his express
pace as the cricket experts in Bangladesh believed, the lanky paceman was
faster than any other fast bowlers.
However, recurring knee injuries forced him to reduce his pace, making him
a medium pacer.
The arrival of the speedster like Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain almost made
people forgetting that once Mashrafe possessed more pace than any other else.
During the 2015 World Cup, when Taskin clocked 146 kph in a match against
Afghanistan, many believed that was the fastest delivery.
But during the conversation with Tamim, Mashrafe once again reminded that
real fact.