The early fast bowlers who made an impact were Parsis
who dominated the cricket scene both in India and abroad
Gulu Ezekiel
The following extract from Speed Merchants, The story of Indian pace bowling 1880s-2019 by Gulu Ezekiel and Vijay Lokapally is reproduced here with permission from Bloomsbury. This extract was authored by Ezekiel.
The most exciting spectacle in cricket has always been that of a fast bowler approaching the crease at speed, blood-red, rock-hard ball between fingers and thumb, his intention plainly to beat the batsman with sheer speed or swing or bounce or all three.
– The Fast Men by David Frith
The early years of Indian cricket, going back to the 1880s, is a story of pace, pace and more pace. A......