Starc vs Rohit in Perth sparked a storm after a jaw-dropping speed reading appeared on screen. Fans and experts are questioning whether the delivery was truly record-breaking or something else entirely.
The world of cricket was left briefly bewildered when broadcast graphics from the first India-Australia ODI in Perth indicated Mitchell Starc had bowled a staggering 176.5 kph (109 mph) ball to Indian opener Rohit Sharma. Fans were quick to ask if the Australian fast bowler had broken Shoaib Akhtar's 2003 World Cup record of 161.3 kph.
The ball in question was delivered early in the match when Starc bowled a short-of-good-length delivery near the body of Rohit Sharma. Rohit playfully pushed it for a single, much to the chagrin of the graphic that flashed the unprecedented 176.5 kph speed. Social media went into raptures with shock, with people cracking a joke that Starc had become "super-human" overnight.
Multiple broadcasters, however, verified that the real speed was approximately 140.8 kph (87 mph) well within Starc's average pace and far from a world-record throw. The glitch was probably a technical mistake in the broadcast graphic and not an astronomical achievement.
Though biomechanics in humans should permit 174–177 kph throwing in baseball or cricket bowling, the latter is a much more intricate motion. The overarm bowing action and necessity of still having control and bounce makes it very difficult to deliver speeds over 160 kph consistently.
Experts are proposing that the false 176.5 kph readout might have been due to a faulty speed gun alignment, software malfunction, or radar calibration issue, and not Starc gaining record-breaking speed overnight.
Despite the flawed speed reading, Rohit seemed unperturbed. The Indian opener watched the delivery with confidence, underlining his experience and reflexes. In the fourth over, Rohit was bowled out by Josh Hazlewood for 8 runs, with the real delivery registering at 137.6 kph (85.5 mph) a far cry from the earlier hyperbolic reading.
Mitchell Starc remains among the quickest bowlers in international cricket, but the 176.5 kph reading was a television anomaly. Though the paceman might one day threaten Shoaib Akhtar's record, this specific delivery was well within his customary speed range, and it serves to remind even veteran viewers that sometimes they should not believe what they see on the graphics.
