During these challenging times for all, we want to help keep everyone associated with the club and wider community positive and engaged. We’re in this together and Together, We Are All Derbyshire.
As part of the Together, We Are All Derbyshire campaign, players will be answering questions submitted by none other than you, our loyal supporters.
Tony Palladino received the following query from Gregg Watts, who asked: “What does it feel like for a tailender when he stands at the crease waiting to face a really fast bowler? Does he actually see the ball? Or is it a reflex action when he goes to hit it?”
Palladino, who has scored 2,915 first-class runs in his career, including a century against an Australia bowling attack containing Mitchell Starc, admits that it can be intimidating for a lower-order batsman to face an especially quick bowler. but says all the measures are in place to prepare them for it.
“It can be quite scary sometimes, especially if the bowling is genuinely quick,” said Palladino.
“The quickest I’ve faced is Mitchell Starc, and I’ve won one battle against him. He bowled me for a fourth-ball duck last year, but I also scored my one and only first-class century against him a few years ago.
“You do, 100 percent, see the ball. Your reactions have to be a lot quicker than if you are facing someone who bowls my pace, around 70-75 miles-per-hour.
“You practice with the bowling machine and you do get adjusted to that level of pace. Something that our top-order batsmen do is almost over-practice, facing guys with the dog stick so when they go into a game, they’re used to it.”
Click the video above to watch the full Q&A.
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