How to measure bowling speed
Last updated: 15 September 2026
To measure bowling speed, find how long the ball takes to travel a known distance, then divide the distance by the time. You can do it with a radar speed gun, by stepping through a slow-motion video frame by frame, or with a free app like CricSpeedo that finds the frames and does the maths for you.
The bowling speed formula
Speed = distance ÷ time. Divide the distance in metres by the time in seconds, then multiply by 3.6 to get km/h. To get mph, multiply km/h by 0.6214.
A full cricket pitch is 22 yards (20.12 m, 66 ft) from stumps to stumps. A ball that covers that distance in 0.50 seconds is travelling at 144.8 km/h (90.0 mph).
Bowling speed timing chart
The speed of a ball for the time it takes to cover a full 66 ft pitch or a 58 ft tennis-ball pitch.
| Time | 66 ft · km/h | 66 ft · mph | 58 ft · km/h | 58 ft · mph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.45 s | 160.9 | 100.0 | 141.4 | 87.9 |
| 0.50 s | 144.8 | 90.0 | 127.3 | 79.1 |
| 0.55 s | 131.7 | 81.8 | 115.7 | 71.9 |
| 0.60 s | 120.7 | 75.0 | 106.1 | 65.9 |
| 0.70 s | 103.5 | 64.3 | 90.9 | 56.5 |
| 0.80 s | 90.5 | 56.2 | 79.6 | 49.4 |
| 0.90 s | 80.5 | 50.0 | 70.7 | 43.9 |
| 1.00 s | 72.4 | 45.0 | 63.6 | 39.5 |
Three ways to measure bowling speed
| Method | What you need | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Radar speed gun | A radar gun and someone to aim it along the line of the ball | The speed at release, the fastest point of the delivery |
| Slow-motion video, counted by hand | A phone that films in slow motion and an app that steps through a video one frame at a time | The average speed between the two frames you pick |
| The CricSpeedo app | An Android phone | The average speed between the release and impact frames you mark, worked out for you |
How to measure bowling speed with your phone
- Set up the phone. Place it side-on to the pitch, level with the middle, with the bowler’s release and the batter both in frame. Keep it still on a tripod or rest it on something.
- Record the delivery. In CricSpeedo, tap Record video and film up to 6 seconds, or tap Upload video to use a clip already on your phone.
- Mark the frames. Scroll the frames, tap the first frame after the ball leaves the hand as Release, and the frame where it reaches the batter as Impact. Zoom in to be exact.
- Set the pitch. Choose 66 ft for hard-ball cricket or 58 ft for tennis-ball and tape-ball cricket, or type your own distance.
- Tap Calculate speed. CricSpeedo shows the speed in km/h and mph and saves it to your Records.
How to measure it by hand from a slow-motion video
- Film the delivery side-on in slow motion, at 120 or 240 frames per second if your phone offers it.
- Open the video in an editor that steps forward one frame at a time.
- Note the frame where the ball leaves the hand and the frame where it reaches the batter.
- Divide the number of frames between them by the frame rate to get the time. For example, 120 frames at 240 frames per second is 0.50 seconds.
- Divide the distance by the time and multiply by 3.6 for km/h.
Use the frame rate the video was recorded at. Slow-motion clips play back slower than real time, so the clock in a video player shows the wrong time.
Why frame rate matters
You can only choose whole frames, so the time between two frames is only as precise as one frame. For a ball crossing a full pitch in 0.50 seconds, about 144.8 km/h, picking a frame one step too early or too late changes the reading by roughly:
| Frame rate | Time per frame | One frame changes the speed by about |
|---|---|---|
| 30 fps | 33.3 ms | ± 9.7 km/h |
| 60 fps | 16.7 ms | ± 4.8 km/h |
| 120 fps | 8.3 ms | ± 2.4 km/h |
| 240 fps | 4.2 ms | ± 1.2 km/h |
Tips for an accurate reading
- Film side-on, level with the middle of the pitch, so the ball moves straight across the frame.
- Keep the phone completely still, and film in good light so the ball is sharp.
- Use the highest slow-motion setting your phone has.
- Pick the first frame after the ball leaves the hand, and the first frame where it reaches the batter or the stumps.
- Use the distance the ball actually travels between your two frames. The 66 ft and 58 ft presets are full stump-to-stump lengths; if the ball is released well in front of the bowler’s stumps, or you mark impact at the batter rather than the stumps, a slightly shorter distance gives a more exact result.
Why your speed may be lower than a TV speed gun
The speeds shown on TV come from radar and record the ball at release, its fastest point. Timing the ball over the pitch gives its average speed instead, and the ball slows down in the air and again when it bounces. So an average reading is usually lower than a radar reading of the same delivery. Compare your speeds with other readings taken the same way.
Frequently asked questions
Can I measure bowling speed without a speed gun?
Yes. Film the delivery, find how long the ball takes to cover a known distance, and divide the distance by the time. An app such as CricSpeedo finds the frames and does the calculation for you.
How long is a cricket pitch?
A full cricket pitch is 22 yards (20.12 metres, 66 feet) between the two sets of stumps. Tennis-ball and street cricket are often played on shorter pitches, so measure yours.
How do I convert km/h to mph?
Multiply the speed in km/h by 0.6214. For example, 140 km/h is 87.0 mph.
What frame rate do I need to measure bowling speed?
Use the highest slow-motion setting your phone has. At 240 frames per second, one frame changes a fast reading by about 1.2 km/h; at 30 frames per second it can change it by about 10 km/h.
Is a phone accurate enough to measure bowling speed?
Yes, if you film in slow motion with a steady camera and pick your frames carefully. Frame rate and frame choice matter far more than the phone itself.
Measure your own bowling speed. CricSpeedo is free on Android and does the frame timing and maths for you.
Get it on Google Play