How tourists’ pace-bowling quartet has become such a dangerous unit
Jason Holder
Height is the key No bowler in world cricket delivers the ball from a higher release point than Holder. While he is West Indies’ slowest ‘quick’ bowler, his bounce – combined with prodigious levels of swing and seam movement – makes him a menace. Since 2018, Holder has led the way in world cricket in terms of generating the most swing and seam.
Shannon Gabriel
Body angle arrows ball into batsmen In the last 50 years in Tests, only one bowler with 100 wickets has claimed a higher proportion clean bowled than Gabriel’s 34.5%. Often goes wide of the crease but the angle – which he generates through a sharp arc in his torso while his head almost faces away from the batsman at the point of delivery – and pace allows him to attack the wicket, while bounce can force batsmen to inside-edge onto their stumps, as Ollie Pope did in the second innings of the first Test.
Kemar Roach
Compact technique makes him the metronome Reinvented himself from a tearaway to a metronome. Has a compact, rhythmical action – with his left hand tucked tight to his body – and uses the crease adroitly, often going very wide to right-handers to create the extra angle, while against left-handers, Roach prefers to go around the wicket.
Alzarri Joseph
Skiddy action is dangerous, but falls away Considered hugely promising. From a skiddy action from a low delivery height, Joseph combines bounce, pace and swing and is adept at finding an awkward length that prevents batsmen going on the front foot. Falls away slightly in his delivery stride, which may be an issue to address, as will his underwhelming record against left-handers.