Under the gun Radar to check speed of fast bowlers Click here for more on this story Posted: Thursday June 03, 1999 01:32 PM   The blistering pace of Pakistani Shoaib Akhtar, nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express, has been one of the sensations of the tournament so far. Shaun Botterill/Allsport LONDON (AP) -- The Fedex Speedster is about to meet the Rawalpindi Express. Speed guns will be introduced to World Cup arenas for the first time when the second-round Super Six games get underway on Friday with India vs. Australia at the Oval. But while Australia's Glenn McGrath and India's Javagal Srinath are quick bowlers in their own right, the real test of the new technology will come Saturday when Pakistan takes on South Africa at Trent Bridge. The blistering pace of Pakistani Shoaib Akhtar, nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express, has been one of the sensations of the tournament so far, but the technology to measure his precise pace has been missing. McGrath and Srinath will be the first fast bowlers to go under the surveillance of the South African developed cameras. But McGrath and Srinath are reluctant to admit they'll be chasing any speed records. McGrath, who hit form by taking five wickets for 14 against the West Indies last Sunday, says he's more concerned about taking wickets than terrorizing the Indian batsmen with pure speed. Srinath said it's more important to bowl according to the situation. "It just shows how fast you bowl," he said Thursday as the guns were installed at the Oval. "It doesn't show how many wickets you've got." "You don't bowl for the machine, you bowl for the team." Although he did admit that being able to see your speed registered on the scoreboard might tempt him to bowl a bit faster. "Bowling fast will be at the back of my mind," he said. "Maybe subconsciously I might be looking at the board." Akhtar has openly admitted he wants to become the first bowler ever to break the 100 miles (162 kilometers) per hour barrier. The 23-year-old plans to prove to cricket fans exactly how fast he is when speed guns clock bowlers at all remaining World Cup matches. Nobody needs a speed meter to see that Akhtar is bowling quicker than anybody else at the tournament -- his first World Cup delivery was so fast that an edge by West Indies opener Sherwin Campbell carried for six over third man in Bristol. But the clocks will be able to answer the question on many people's minds: Is he the fastest speedster ever? The fastest delivery to date was bowled by Australian pace legend Jeff Thomson, who fired down a 99.7 mph (159.4 kph) delivery against the West Indies in December, 1975. Thomson, now a television commentator, watched the speed cameras being installed at the Oval on Thursday. "I think it's a great idea, it's another angle on the match," he said "It's like serving at tennis. You see one go through quick and you want to know how fast it was." Thomson will be at the Oval for the first Super Six match but predicted Akhtar would be the bowler to watch in terms of sheer pace. "It's going to be interesting. [Akhtar] looks to be sharpest of the lot at the moment," he said.   Related information Stories Pakistan favored to win World Cup Organizers: No need to panic despite Kashmir Radar gun to record fast bowlers Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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