Top 5 military medium bowlers of all-time

Military medium pace bowlers are those who do not quite have the pace to trouble batsmen, but bowl a disciplined line and length throughout their quota of overs to choke the run flow and frustrate the batsmen into throwing away their wickets. These are bowlers who generally bowl at the speed of 110-125 km/h and can be depended upon to lend some control to the captain. They are much more effective in limited-overs cricket where batsmen are constantly forced to look for scoring opportunities, as opposed to Test cricket where they can afford to be patient and wait for the loose deliveries. Here are the top 5 bowlers belonging to this category:

#5 Mudassar Nazar

Pakistan’s Mudassar Nazar played 76 Tests and 122 ODIs for his country in a career spanning from 1976 to 1989. He was mainly known for his opening batting, but his medium pace bowling cannot be overlooked. He bowled a nagging line, and earned himself the reputation of having a golden arm because of his tendency to break long partnerships on a regular basis and bail the team out when the frontline bowlers weren’t effective.

In Test matches, he took 66 wickets at an average in the late thirties. He was most effective in ODIs, though, picking up 111 wickets at an average of just over 30 and an excellent economy rate of just 4.24. He contributed some match-winning performances with the ball, like the 5/28 he took against the West Indies in the semi finals of the World Championships. This was against a team which boasted of players like Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson and Clive Lloyd. Another amazing performance came in an ODI against India in 1983, where he had figures of 10-3-17-3. These are figures any top bowler would be proud of.

After retirement, he occupied the role of coach for a number of teams, including the national teams of Pakistan and Kenya.

#4 Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh needs no introduction. He was the captain, after all, who led Australia to a record consecutive 16 Test victories, not to forget the 1999 World Cup triumph. All of us are well aware of his batting accolades. What has gone unnoticed is his more than useful slow-medium pace bowling which helped turn the tide in the Aussies’ favour on more than one occasion. For instance, take the match between Sri Lanka and Australia in the World Series in 1998. Waugh brought himself into the attack at one-change and ended up taking 4/33 in his 10 overs, which was crucial in restricting the Sri Lankans to a meagre total 188. Australia won the match with 3 balls to spare.

Another example of his fine bowling is the 3rd match of the Coca Cola Trophy against India at Sharjah in 1998. The Indians were chasing a target of 265 and looked well on course till he came into the attack and took four quick wickets to help Australia win by 60 runs. In 168 Tests, he took 92 wickets at an average of 37. In 325 ODIs, he scalped 195 wickets at an impressive average of 34 and a miserly economy rate of 4.56. He hung up his boots in 2004 and was inducted into the ICC hall of fame in 2010 in Sydney.

#3 Gavin Larsen

Gavin Larsen was one of the main reasons for New Zealand’s amazing run to the semifinals in the 1992 World Cup. Larsen, along with Chris Harris, choked the run flow of the batsmen in the middle overs, inhibiting the opposing team from capitalising on their starts in the process. His 3/30 vs Australia and 3/16 vs Zimbabwe were instrumental performances which helped New Zealand progress from the group stages.

Another performance worth mentioning is the 4/24 he took against Pakistan in a famous tied ODI in 1994. Though he played only 8 Tests, he captured 24 wickets at a very good average of 28. He played in 121 ODIs, picking up 113 wickets at an average of 34 and an astonishing economy rate of only 3.76. This means that he would have figures of 1/37 from 10 overs in a 50-over game on an average. Which captain wouldn't want such a bowler? He continued to play in ODIs pretty much throughout the 1990s before finally deciding to call it quits from all forms of cricket after the World Cup in 1999, playing his last match against Pakistan at Manchester, England.

#2 Chris Harris

Chris Harris was a very popular player who represented New Zealand through the late 1990s and early 2000s. While he was also a useful lower-order batsman and one of the best fielders during his time, his deceptive bowling was often effective during the middle overs of a limited-overs innings and restricted the scoring rate of batsmen. He, along with Garvin Larsen, contributed immensely to New Zealand’s semifinal appearance in the 1992 World Cup.

Harris represented the Black Caps in 23 Tests, picking up 16 wickets, and 250 ODIs, capturing 203 wickets at an average of around 37 and an impressive economy rate of 4.28. Though Larsen had better figures, Harris’ consistency over a longer period of time puts him ahead of his teammate in this list.

Some of his notable performances include figures of 5/42 against Pakistan in Sialkot in 1996 and a match turning 4/40 against India in 1999. Also, his spell of 3/15 against Zimbabwe in the ‘92 World Cup proved to be crucial in helping New Zealand to the semi-finals. As mentioned earlier, Harris also saved New Zealand from difficult situations with his aggressive batting on numerous occasions. He decided to retire from international cricket in 2004, after completing 250 ODIs, signing off with a match against arch-rivals Australia.

#1 Alec Bedser

Alec Bedser was a medium-fast bowler who represented England in 51 Tests from 1946 to 1955. He reportedly bowled at speeds that would've only been around 120 km/h (there were no speed guns in those days), and his stock ball was the inswinger, which swung in late from outside the off-stump to crash into the stumps. In his 9-year Test career, he scalped a total of 236 wickets at a phenomenal average of just over 24. He held the world record for the maximum number of wickets till Brian Statham overtook him in 1963.

Bedser, who took 11 wickets on his Test debut against India, haad fifteen 5-wicket hauls to his name in his Test career, which was quite a feat to achieve in just 51 matches. He worked tirelessly match after match and was never annoyed when catches were dropped or lbw appeals were rejected off his bowling. He was awarded the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1947.

Interestingly, when his inswinger became slightly ineffective over time, he developed an inswinging leg break which came to be known as Bedser's "Special Ball". This ball befuddled the best of batsmen, including the great Sir Don Bradman. He retired from Tests in the year 1955, and was knighted for his services to England cricket in 1996.