Simon Hughes
Run-up
How many times have you seen a fast bowler carefully pace out his run, place the marker at his starting point, then charge in and bowl a rearing express delivery, only for it to be called a no-ball because he has over-stepped the crease? There are two obvious reasons for this: nervous over-enthusiasm, or poor run-up measurement.
 No ball!
Curtly Ambrose (left) overstepping by quite some margin. A no-ball counts one to the score and has to be re-bowled.
The run-up is actually one of the most neglected areas of the fast- bowler's technique. Few take the trouble to mark it out accurately, relying on a number of giant strides, which are bound to vary in length from day to day making the end point wildly variable. It would make far more sense to work out their run-up in practice, measure it exactly with a tape measure and then mark it out precisely before the game, allowing a few inches for over-excitement if their tails up.
No-balling
No-balling is generally a product of an inconsistent run-up and it can be a real annoyance. The delivery doesn't count (effectively it's a free hit, although against quick bowlers there is no time to change the shot after hearing the umpire's call), and it can throw the bowler's rhythm. His run-up totally determines his balance and momentum as he arrives at the wicket. If the run-up is too fast, he will overbalance in delivery; if he's no-balling, he'll start to run in slower and he'll be 'reaching' for the line and leaning back. If he's worried about overstepping, for instance, he will slow as he approaches the wicket, disrupting his stride and take-off point. It happened consistently to the West Indian Reon King during the summer of 2000, and he bowled terribly. In the end, he couldn't seem to remember which foot to start off with.
Speed
Interestingly, Allan Donald discovered that the more smoothly he approached the crease, the faster and better he bowled. If he charged in, he seemed to lose both speed and direction. As a result, his coach, Bob Woolmer, used to time his run-up to the millisecond to find the optimum speed. It was one of the reasons Donald wore an ear-piece on the field during the 1999 World Cup (until it was outlawed) so that Woolmer could advise him whether to speed up or slow down his run. The variety of run-up approaches, from Holding's glide to Marshall's gallop, is one of Test cricket's delights.
 Length
At roughly the length of a pitch (22 yards), Dominic Cork's run-up (left) is about average. You can see his mark, which he will try to land on when he's about three strides in to his run. Run-ups seem to have got shorter in recent times, although Pakistan's Shoaib Akthar is a distinguished and mesmerising exception.
The length of the run is governed by what feels natural. Generally, the taller the bowler, the further he'll need to run to get going, but over-rates (and over-rate fines) have to be weighed against the desire to charge in from the sightscreen.
Copyright material reproduced under license from Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London, England
Copyright © Simon Hughes 2001
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