Cricket may seem like a slow game, but the distances covered by mainly fast bowlers are great. Fast bowlers cover more distance than half marathon runners at times. Recently during a Boxing Day, Ashes Test Match, Mitchell Johnson was recorded as having covered 23 kilometers on the first day. He also reached speeds of 33.1kph and this was achieved by chasing a ball to the boundary. The fastest speed recorded using the Australian GSP monitoring system, was done by Brett Lee, who reached a speed of 36kpm. This is faster than most wingers, in AFL, rugby league and union.
A fast bowler is generally said to cover about 15km in 50 over cricket (including the walk back to the mark) and more than 20km in a day for a Test match.
A Comparison:
SPORT | TIME | DISTANCE |
Half Marathon | 58:23min – World Record 90min – Competitive 120min – Amateur | 21.1km |
Cricket (fast bowler) | 180min 360min | @ 15km – ODI @ 20km - TEST |
Football player (midfielder and wingers cover more distance | 90min | @ 8-15km |
Field Hockey | 70min | @ 7-9km |
Tennis | 300min 665min (World Record) | @4-5km @9.6km each player |
