Richardson proof it takes all types
FAST twitch fibres.
That’s how 178cm Jhye Richardson explains his ability to hurl a white Kookaburra ball at speeds just short of 150km/ h.
West Australian Richardson, 21, comes just up to the shoulders of Australia’s established stars Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood ( both 196cm) and Pat Cummins ( 192cm), but his lack of height hasn’t ever curtailed his desire to bowl fast.
South African great Dale Steyn ( 179cm) has 419 Test wickets as one of the best examples of a short speedster.
And now Richardson is on the verge of taking his “different” fast bowling frame on to the MCG for Australia in tomorrow’s one- day series opener against England.
“When I was younger there was a lot of talk about how tall I was going to be, but I didn’t really think about it too much,” Richardson said this week.
“Someone like Dale Steyn has proven to everyone you don’t need to be tall and a solid bloke to run in and bowl fast.
“It doesn’t mean you will be better or worse, it just means you will be a bit different.
“Being 178cm, and 73 or 74kg, there is not much to work with, but the mechanics of bowling — having a locked front leg, and fast twitch fibres — helped me be quite whippy.”
Richardson played two Twenty20s for Australia last February but is still new to the first class scene, with only five Sheffield Shield games.
He hadn’t even had a proper introduction to Australian captain Steve Smith before joining the one- day squad, although the skipper certainly knew about him.
During a Sheffield Shield clash in November, the young tearaway peppered Smith with a few short deliveries, his way of saying hello.
“The plan was to try and bowl a few bumpers at him, so I started charging in, as you do as a fast bowler,” Richardson said.
“You want to try and get up someone. I ramped it up a little bit. I like bowling really fast.”
The absence of frontline quick Hazlewood tomorrow could open the door for Richardson or fellow West Australian Andrew Tye to debut.
Richardson has been picked for his pace, along with his success for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League, but he knows an ODI is a whole new ball game.
“You have to be more disciplined, going from 24 balls in the Big Bash to possibly 60,” he said. “That’s 60 balls that could go to the boundary. You have to bowl a lot more good balls.
“And it’s not all about pace, especially at this level — you can bowl as fast as you want, but if you are not bowling well it goes to the boundary just as quickly.”