Mark Wooden bowled ferociously towards Sri Lanka and Milan Rathnayake confirmed unimaginable character to attain a debut 50 – however right here is the important thing to enjoying quick bowling, writes NASSER HUSSAIN

I do not know anybody who loves enjoying quick bowling.

It’s only a case of getting higher at reacting to it and in the end attempting to get by way of it.

Mark Wooden broke Kevin Sinclair’s arm within the West Indies sequence with a 92mph bumper and he went one higher with a 93mph bouncer to eliminate Kusal Mendis on Wednesday.

Our Sky cameras labored out that it took simply 0.46 seconds from leaving Wooden’s hand to reaching the bat. That’s ridiculously fast however it’s important to imagine in your reactions.

The important thing for me was to react to the pitch of the ball relatively than premeditate a shot.

Wooden’s 93mph bouncer to eliminate Kusal Mendis on Wednesday was a ridiculous supply

It got here after Wooden broke Kevin Sinclair’s arm within the West Indies sequence with a 92mph bumper

You’d be amazed at how good your reactions are if somebody throws a ball at you however it’s important to be watching the ball all the best way as a result of that’s the solely approach you’ll be able to react in time.

And it’s important to have the struggle and guts and realise you’ll take some blows as Milan Rathnayake did, coming in at eight, getting hit on the palms umpteen instances, getting the physio on and going once more.

Sri Lanka would have recognized it was coming with the likes of Wooden and Gus Atkinson so it’s important to put together. There’s no level going within the nets and having some light half volleys thrown at you.

Earlier than my first tour of the Caribbean as a 21-year-old, Geoffrey Boycott had us within the nets at Headingley with younger bowlers bowling from 16 yards and he informed me to place a chest pad on. Ever since then, I wore a chest pad and psychologically, that helped.

Graham Thorpe would get balls hurled at him from varied distances earlier than an abroad tour. Earlier than going to the Caribbean, he’d get folks to throw tennis balls at him and he’d be ducking and diving and taking it on. It could possibly look ugly however it’s important to discover a approach.

Each Graham Gooch and Robin Smith had been superb gamers of tempo however even they might get themselves in a tangle. There’s that well-known image of our physio Laurie Brown and Gooch’s face in agony when he famously obtained hit by Ezra Moseley in Trinidad and broke his hand.

Steve Waugh at all times appeared uncomfortable however it very hardly ever obtained him out.

You need to have a plan. Are you fending it, are you ducking it or are you taking it on?

Mark Butcher was magnificent at ducking underneath and you can see the air exit of the opposition bowlers. Others like Alec Stewart backed themselves to take it on and his well-known twin a whole lot in 1994 in Barbados confirmed the reward in that.

The problem is once they’re not truly that brief like Wooden’s supply to Mendis . Wooden is skiddy so his bouncers are sometimes at you rather than these wasted ones that go over your head. In Jofra Archer’s spell to Steve Smith at Lord’s in 2019, he was so near the stumps and the bouncer was at all times on the physique so it was so laborious to duck or sway away.

Michael Holding would at all times say quick bowling makes you do humorous issues. Have a look at how Atkinson obtained Prabath Jayasuriya out. Bouncer, bouncer, bouncer after which executed by a full pitched up supply, the place he obtained right into a horrible place.

Shoaib Akhtar would hit 85mph on a constant foundation then out of nowhere, bowl one at 95mph and deceive you. He broke my finger at Lord’s with that supply.

Gus Atkinson backed up Wooden nicely however I do not know anybody who loves enjoying quick bowling

Milan Rathnayake batted fantastically and confirmed nice character to attain 72 on his Take a look at debut

Mark Butcher was one participant who was magnificent at coping with short-pitched, quick bowling

I used to be on the different finish when Allan Donald bowled that well-known spell to Mike Atherton on a fully turgid pitch and Atherton noticed him off. You need to present some ticker.

In a tour sport on the WACA in Perth, I recall Matt Nicholson hitting Butch proper in between the eyes and once I walked out, there was blood on the crease. That’s the place it’s important to present actual guts when somebody like Butch is getting stretchered off.

For that cause, I love Rathnayake on debut coming in towards that tempo with lights on at Previous Trafford, one of many bounciest pitches within the nation and fully alien to what he would have grown up on.

He obtained his cap within the morning from Kumar Sangakkara and I reckon Kumar would have been so pleased with the character he confirmed on day one.