Simon Hughes
Opening bowlers are, literally, the giants of cricket – huge, tall men with a killer instinct. They will emerge at the start of play, fired-up, looking for first blood; the batsmen facing have to be confident and calm. The opening bowlers have the most physical job in cricket; you can't project a cricket ball down a pitch at 90mph without expending a huge effort. However, the best are also tacticians, knowing when to tempt and when to torture a batsman.
The Pacemen
The fast bowlers (they are the ones who are always given the new ball) will have listened to the captain's challenge: 'get early wickets, and don't let them get off to a flier'. It is the usual fast-bowler's lot. Somehow, he must bust a gut to take wickets without giving runs away. That's never easy with fielders clustered round the bat. Two wickets in his first spell (six or seven overs) would be good, three ideal. He might, if things are going well, bowl throughout a whole session (about thirteen overs on the trot).
However, things may conspire against him – the pitch may be unresponsive, slip catches could go down, suddenly the score is 50-0 and the opening bowler is retiring to the boundary, feeling demoralised.
The decision as to which bowler bowls from which end will have been made. The senior (or faster) bowler will get preference, and will usually opt to bowl with the wind. If it's a cross breeze, he'll choose the end where the wind will help his natural movement. It is very useful to have a pair of opening bowlers who move the ball in opposite directions so that they can both benefit from the breeze.
Fast bowling is very much an individual skill – all you ask from your team-mates is that they are alert to every chance. These are the players most prone to injury because the strain on their bodies is enormous. Courtney Walsh, the world's leading wicket-taker, has a relatively easy, fluid action and has remained remarkably injury free, but many a fast bowler's body has buckled under the strain.
A Test team without at least two big pace men seems a very toothless attack. Pace dominates, and with it has come improved helmets, gloves and padding of all sorts, to protect the batsman from the onslaught.
 First ball
Everyone is ready and waiting – the bowler is looking for something to happen early on, he needs to get the psychological advantage from the start.
Copyright material reproduced under license from Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London, England
Copyright © Simon Hughes 2001
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