I’m new to this: Facing a cricket bowling machine set at 150km/h

Reporter Mike Tweed takes on the chance of batting with a cricket bowling machine up to 150km/h. Photo / Bevan Conley

Over the summer Chronicle reporters have been trying their hand at something new, under the supervision of experts. Today, Mike Tweed pads up to face the music.

There is no greater sight in the game of cricket than a fast bowler steaming in from the end of his mark, bristling with venom.

Think Akhtar, Lee, Thomson, or Holding.

It’s one thing watching the ball whistle past the batter’s throat on TV but what’s it actually like to face those speeds yourself?

There was only one way to find out.

I was a pretty good cricketer in my younger days, turning out for Whanganui age-group sides and maturing into a Gavin Larsen-esque line and length technician.

My batting fell away, however, especially as the balls started coming down at an increasing rate of knots.

The sheer terror of being padded up and watching an opposition quick make batters jump and duck still haunts me to this day.

I had the technique and I knew what I should do, but as soon as I got to the middle, panic inevitably took over.

To right the wrongs of the past, I called Cricket Whanganui general manager Pete Bowman and asked if he would let me face a bowling machine at high speeds, right up to 150km/h.

A nervous Mike Tweed prepares to face his demons. Photo / Bevan Conley

When we arrived at Cricket Whanganui’s indoor facility, I wondered If I had made a huge mistake.

Bowman said it was important not to fear the ball.

“If you know the basics of your game and how to defend and get out of the way, that’s going to put you in better stead.

“As you get used to that speed, you are then going to have the confidence to know when to react.

“Your eyes are the most important part of this game. They help you with catching, bowling to your target, throwing, but most of all when you’re batting.”

My eyes were fine, it was my stomach that was struggling.

We started off at a leisurely 90km/h, a decent speed in the Premier 2 grade I was used to with Whanganui Old Boys Tech, and a couple of elegant forward defensives boosted my confidence.

Before long Bowman had cranked the machine to 128km/h - Colin De Grandhomme territory.

My footwork became non-existent and the bat was pushed out in a hopeful prod.

A bit of a gap between bat and pad. Photo / Bevan Conley

Still, I managed to get bat on ball a few times, claiming a couple of streaky fours between second and third slip.

We travelled through 136km/h and on to the fabled number - 150km/h.

This was it, this was Brett Lee charging in at the WACA (Western Australian Cricket Association) ground, this was Shane Bond circa 2002.

Bowman said while there was only a split second to react when facing fast bowling, if you were training and drilling you would know what shot to play in any situation.

“It removes the rest of the fear because you’re not worried about the ball.

“The big thing I have to say to kids, once they are padded up, is they are protected.”

Three overs of express pace followed.

Stumps were splattered and my nervous cackles reverberated around the nets.

Pete was right though. The more I drilled, the more acclimatised to the speed.

Like him, I never wore a helmet growing up and now I wish I did.

Pete Bowman cranks up Cricket Whanganui's bowling machine. Photo / Bevan Conley

With two runs needed off two balls to win the World Cup for New Zealand, I slashed at a wide one and it flew past point for four.

It must be noted that none of the balls I faced was aimed at my head, although one took an awkward bounce and came within a whisker of rattling my grill.

Facing a real-life bowler trying to knock your block off at 150km/h? Yeah, no thanks.

“It’s repetition but it’s also still about having pretty good hand-eye coordination,” Bowman said.

“If you keep practising and practising, I’m sure you could be a dedicated number 11 in P1 (Premier 1, Whanganui’s highest grade).

There were still kids out there who wanted to be express pace bowlers but players like Shane Warne had changed things for a lot of people, Bowman said.

“I’ve got four or five leg spinners in my under-11s at the moment but there are a few who still want to push off the fence.

“For fast bowlers, when you hit your teenage years, you’re doing a lot more work. It’s a pathway you want to choose because you love it. You have to put the mahi in.”

Whanganui teenager Charlie Meredith, who has just made the Central Districts under-17 squad, was one example.

Bowman said that 20 years ago, coaches told young quicks to “just keep bowling and bowling and bowling”.

Now, workloads were much more controlled.

“Look at Pat Cummins. He started in the Australian side as an 18-year-old and got a stress fracture straight away.

“We’re talking about longevity. People who want to go into professional sport might only have a 10-year window in which they can operate.

“You need to make sure they’re at peak performance the whole time.”

My window was a bit shorter than that, but if facing 150km/h in your work clothes isn’t peak performance, nothing is.