Did India pacer Mohammed Siraj's delivery clock 181.6 kmph on the opening day of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide on Friday? Did the Hyderabad seamer become the world's fastest bowler during the Border Gavaskar Trophy?
Sadly, he didn't. The speed gun got it wrong. It was a technical glitch that resulted in showing the speed of Siraj's final delivery of the 25th over of the Australian innings at 181.6 kmph.
Marnus Labuschagne was on strike on the said ball and the right-hander managed to find a boundary through the deep backward point. However, within seconds, the speedometer on the bottom of the screen showed that Mohammed Siraj had managed a record 181.6 kph ball! To those who saw the ball live, it was evident that the speed gun got it wrong. The blunder, on expected lines, led to a meme fest on social media.
Fastest deliveries in cricket history: Top 5
According to ESPNCricInfo, the fastest ball in the history of cricket was delivered by Australian great Jeff Thomson, who clocked 160.6 kmph. Up next is Carribean seamer Andy Robert's record of 157.4 kmph.
Dennis Lillee (Aus) and Micheal Holding (WI), who managed 154.8 kmph and 153.2 kmph respectively are joined by Wayne Daniel's (WI) 150.8 kmph in the all-time top-five.
'DSP Siraj coming to eat Shoaib Akhtar's legacy': India speedster clocks 181.6 kmph on speedgun during pink-ball Test'
— Ashutosh Mishra (@AshutoshMi20191) December 6, 2024
Broadcasters showed Mohammed Siraj to have bowled at 181.6 km/h after a presumed speed-gun malfunction at the Adelaide Oval.😁 pic.twitter.com/aHKRAdLgdG
Meanwhile, another data showed Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar managed 161.3 kmph against England in 2003, followed by Australian Shaun Tait's 161.1 kmph against the same opposition in 2010. According to this list, Australian Brett Lee also bettered Jeff Thomson by equalling Shaun Tait's 161.1 kmph against New Zealand in 2005.
India vs Australia second Test: As it happened
Mitchell Starc was the standout performer on a lively Adelaide pitch, returning excellent figures of 6/48 to dismiss India for a mere 180 runs. The Australian top order then scored 86/1 in the final session, leaving the visitors in a spot of bother.
While Jasprit Bumrah removed opener Usman Khawaja for 13, Nathan McSweeney (38*) and Marnus Labuschangne (20*) steadied the ship for the home side as the day's play came to a close.