Dr Paul Hawkins, inventor of Hawk-Eye
Today’s article looks at how England bowlers have failed to achieve the levels of performance achieved at the beginning of the season and during the winter.
The most clear change has been the speed with which Darren Gough is bowling. In the 1st Test at Edgbaston (left), Gough's average delivery was around the 87mph mark with his quicker ball reaching the 90mph mark.
However, at Headingley (right) his average ball has been around 83mph. The benefit of bending your back at Headingley is clear: out of all the boundaries Gough has been hit for, only one of them has been bowled at over 85mph.
It is not just Gough who has suffered. Although Andy Caddick’s pace has not dropped, his consistency - particularly with his line - has changed. In the 1st Test, Caddick bowled well, but with far too many balls on leg-stump which the Waugh brothers took full advantage of.
He rectified this problem for the 2nd Test and bowled well, but by Headingley his consistency had suffered, and many more balls were bowled wide outside the off-stump than in any of the previous Tests.
In many sports it is difficult to achieve your highest levels of performance when you are in a losing team, and this could be a contributory factor to the change which Hawk-Eye can reveal. With central contracts, too much cricket cannot be held to blame.
20 Aug, 2001
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