5 bowlers who bowled with extreme pace despite having an unusually short run-up

As any cricket fan will agree, watching an express fast bowler running in off a long run up and then letting fly is one of the most exhilarating sights in the game. The run-up is the key element for many of the greatest fast bowlers who have played the game and helps them generate the pace that makes them such a difficult proposition for most batsmen.

On the other hand, there is that rare breed of bowlers who can be just as quick without an elaborate run-up. Now, this is not a joke, it needs immense talent and boisterous shoulder strength. Hence there very few bowlers who can bowl at an extreme pace with a short run-up. That said, there have been bowlers, both past, and present, who have confounded batsmen with their ability to generate such extreme pace from a short run-up. Here is a look at 5 of them.

#5 Andre Adams

Former New Zealand all-rounder had a rather unremarkable career, spanning around 5 years in the international cricket, during the course of which he played 42 one day internationals and a solitary Test match along with 1 T20.

Adams was a big-hitting batsman and scored quick runs for New Zealand lower down the order, but it was his bowling that was more intriguing.

Coming in off a short innocuous run-up, Adams could really let it rip and often bowled at speeds of around 90 miles per hour. Although he did not possess the other skills like movement in the air or off the pitch, generating pace was never one of the problems for Adams and throughout his short career, he often troubled batsmen with his deceptive pace and made their life difficult.