Cricket is a sport where batters aim to score runs off balls that are hurled at them at a pace that can range from 70 km/hr to as high as 160 km/hr. In professional cricket, these balls can spin or swing as they approach the batter, thereby increasing the difficulty for the batters.
The bowlers who clock their deliveries over 135 to 140 km/hr consistently are classified as fast bowlers or paced bowlers. These bowlers have a high release point and can bounce the ball at lengths that can make the batters uncomfortable. They rely on raw pace and are skilled at bowling yorkers and bouncers.
The bowlers who bowl between the speed of 110 km/hr to 135 km/hr can be categorised as medium pace bowlers. The ones who can maintain their pace in the higher end of this range routinely are called medium fast or fast medium pace bowlers. Though these bowlers are not as fast as pace bowlers, they are usually more accurate in their line and lengths. They can consistently swing the ball and are especially successful with a new shining ball.
Medium pace bowlers are closely related to but not the same as another category of bowlers who are referred as dibbly-dobbly bowlers. The latter are much slower in their speeds and usually have no variation. They pose a challenge to batters only because the slow deliveries force the batters to use their brute force. Medium pace bowlers on the other hand have a lot of variation options from in swing, out swing, off cutters, and leg cutters.
Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Steve Waugh, Ajit Agarkar, Chaminda Vaas, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar are some notable examples of medium pace bowlers.
