Lankan medium pacies gone with the wind...

By Elmo Leonard

Old timers oft wonder why part-time medium pacers, the likes of Ken Mackay, Clive Lloyd and Geoff Boycott, operate no more.
Mackay played for the great Australian team as an allrounder. Benaud used this gritty batsman as an accurate medium pacer in holding up one end.
No longer do we see other batsmen as Bandula Warnapura and Arjuna Ranatunge turn their arm over in gentle medium pace. Mahela Jayawardena does not do it either.
The change in cricket strategy is one reason. Now, men like Allan Donald of South Africa bowl one change and extract such lively pace, they deny early batsmen, the comfort of settling down to the slower medium pacer. More important, the turf pitches of today, lack the green tops, resultant to wickets left open overnight. Forget it; they even cover pitches in the event of a welcome day shower. English fast medium bowler, Less Jackson who came into the Test arena in the 60s aged 40, was reputedly hostile on uncovered wickets. Thus, today’s skilled medium pacer who uses the seam, yet, lacks pace and bounce to exploit; the wickets being shielded from the elements.

Lesson from Derek Shackleton

England’s medium pace bowler Derek Shakelton in spite of taking 100 wickets in 20 consecutive seasons played only seven Tests. Shakelton, beginning as an allrounder took to leg spin, then, reverted back to medium pace.
In 1950 Shakelton played his first Test against the West Indies. But, on slow wickets, batsmen, Frank Worrell and Everton Weeks made him ineffective.
Proof of Shakelton’s prowess: as at 2007 he had the 7th highest tally in first class wickets. Besides, the most first class wickets of a player who began his career after World War II.
Shakleton bowled most in swingers, occasional out cutters, both moving late, with a classical high and smooth sideways on action. He also moved the ball off the seam, with a leg cutter, a yorker and off spinning slow ball, all moronically accurate. When the batsman missed, Shakelton hit the stumps. Half of Shackleton’s victims were bowled or LBW. He could bowl all day with a 12 run pace.
In 1951/52 Shakleton was chosen to play in India and although very accurate, lacked penetration on good-natured Indian pitches. Besides, he had to compete with Alec Bedser, Fred Truman, Brian Statham and Frank Tyson.
In 1963, Shakleton was recalled for the 2nd Test after a record 12 years and bowled beside the relatively flaming Truman. Shakleton bowled an immaculate threatening length, and captain Worrells sent Gary Sobers, one drop to hit the medium pacer off a length. Shakleton became relatively ineffective in the last two Tests and never played again.

Local left armers

Lou Spittle, St Joseph’s and NCC and Lala Wadsworth who played for Dikoya decades before Sri Lanka played Test cricket, were two medium pacers who bowled their natural in swinger to great success.
Medium pacers have a wide repertoire of deliveries; right hander Shakleton being an example. There were left armers, who pitched on the same spot, balls which would swing or seam either way. Some exploited cutters, more often, others the seam. They were thinking men, willing to bowl long spells, bowl to the weaknesses of the batsmen and exploit every condition of the turf.

Neville Pereira of St Benedict’s

Neville Pereira of St Ben’s was a left armer of a rare type. Tall, and when in the early 60s he opened bowling, with a gentle pace with wicket keeper Ranjit Fernando standing up, he proved unplayable, bagged the highest number of wickets and was adjusted the best schoolboy bowler. Pereira, with a high arm action, giving the ball air, also bowled effectively with the old ball.
Barney Reid, the present S Thomas’ coach, as a schoolboy opened bowling with his left arm swing.
Barney also exploited the sea breeze blowing across the S Thomas’ cricket ground. Reid, besides, bowled slow left arm and opened batting for his school. At that time, a foreign coach in Sri Lanka said that a schoolboy (Reid) with likes of Sobers could bowl more than one style and bat. Reid played for Sri Lanka.
Today, Sri Lanka, in spite of an overflow of young cricketing talent, lack genuine effective pacemen; Dilhara Fernando is an exception.
In the past, PI Peiries and Darryl Levers, as medium pacers comes to mind.
For that matter, even Kapil Dev and Chaminda Vaas were not that fast, but had such talent and variation, their granaries were full.
Old timers will also remember medium pacers of promise, Tyronne LeMercier, Keith Labrooy, Ravi Benedict and Sonny Yatawara- the man who bowled Sobers at the Oval in 1961.