Jeff Thomson

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	Tests	ODIs
Jeff Thomson Australia (Aus)

Batting style	Right-handed batsman (RHB)
Bowling type	Right-arm fast (RF)
Matches	51	50
Runs scored	679	181
Batting average	12.81	7.54
100s/50s	0/0	0/0
Top score	49	21
Overs bowled	1589.3	447.0
Wickets	200	55
Bowling average	28.00	35.30
5 wickets in innings	8	0
10 wickets in match	0	n/a
Best bowling	6/46	4/67
Catches/stumpings	20/0	9/0
As of 3 January 2006 Source: Cricinfo.com

Jeffrey Robert Thomson (Thommo) (born August 16, 1950 in Greenacre Sydney, New South Wales) is a former Australian cricketer. He was reputed to be the fastest bowler ever to play Test cricket by many of his peers, and was the opening partner of fellow fast bowler Dennis Lillee for some time in the 1970s; their partnership was one of the most fearsome in Test cricket history.

In a fast bowling contest in 1978 that included some of the top bowlers in the world, Thomson came out on top with a delivery clocked at 147.9 km/h (Michael Holding was 2nd at 141.3 km/h and Imran Khan came 3rd at 139.7 km/h).^{[citation needed]}. His fastest delivery ever timed was 160.45 km/h using high speed cameras that are more accurate than the current-day speed guns. Australian wicket-keeper Rodney Marsh, who kept wicket to Thomson throughout most of his Test career, has claimed that in his opinion Thomson has bowled upwards of 180 km/h. He routinely bowled over 145 km/h and terrorised batsmen with his blistering speed. Clive Lloyd, who has seen his share of speed merchants from his playing days and current stint as an umpire, said that he still regards Thomson as the fastest bowler he has ever seen.

Thomson first came to the fore when, with Dennis Lillee, he rolled the English tourists in 1974/5, Thomson taking 33 wickets). It should be noted that what are now commonplace protective items, most importantly helmets, were not in use at the time, nor were there bouncer restrictions nor minimum daily over requirements. Accordingly, conditions were heavily in favour of fast bowlers, and Thomson in particular was faster than anyone England would have faced before. The West Indians learned the value of extreme pace in 1975 when Thomson took 29 wickets in that six-Test series. The following year West Indian fast bowling (and the thunderous batting of Viv Richards) led them to an emphatic victory over England and set the pattern for world cricket for years to come.

Looking at the dominance of fast bowling through the rest of the 1970s and the 1980s, Thomson may be seen as a pioneer with his explosive 1974/75 performance, although of course England's own fast bowling pair of Harold Larwood and Bill Voce had inflicted a remarkably similar piece of brutality on Australian cricketers more than forty years before, in the infamous 1932/33 Bodyline series. Though his field was not set specifically to catch batsmen trying to defend themselves physically in the way that Larwood's had been, there was little doubt that Thomson in 1974/75 was bent on taking wickets as much through intimidation as through traditional cricketing skills. Moreover, the legacy of Bodyline reduced any sympathy Australian cricket watchers might have felt for the English batsmen.

Unfortunately for Thomson and world cricket, just when he was enjoying his prime years, a freakish injury resulting from an on-field collision in an Adelaide Test match against the Pakistanis in November 1976 dislocated his right shoulder. Although he returned to Test cricket, he was never quite as effective even though he occasionally came out with some fast spells. Around the same time, Thomson was one of the prominent players to sign to play for Kerry Packer in World Series Cricket.

He achieved his pace from a relatively short run that culminated in a very powerful slinging style of bowling action. With that type of action, he did not seam or swing the ball much and relied on sheer pace to really shake up batsmen. But he was lethal with his nasty bouncers and the dangerous lift. An outspoken man, he once said that he was equally content breaking batsmen's bones as their stumps^{[citation needed]}.

He retired following an unsuccessful tour of England in 1985, having taken 200 wickets from 51 Tests.