Speed guns appear on every broadcast, but the unit changes with the country. Indian and Australian broadcasts usually show km/h, while English coverage often shows mph. This converter switches between kilometres per hour, miles per hour and metres per second instantly, labels the pace band, and shows how long a ball at that speed would take to travel the 22 yards between the stumps.
How to use the bowling speed converter
- Type the speed.
- Choose the unit you typed it in: km/h, mph or m/s.
- Read the speed in all three units, the travel time over 22 yards and the pace band.
The conversion formulas
- mph = km/h ÷ 1.609344 (one mile is exactly 1.609344 km)
- km/h = mph × 1.609344
- m/s = km/h ÷ 3.6 (1,000 metres per 3,600 seconds)
So 150 km/h is 93.2 mph or 41.7 m/s, and 90 mph is 144.8 km/h.
Time to cover 22 yards
Law 6 of the MCC Laws sets the distance between the two sets of stumps at 22 yards (20.12 metres). The converter divides that distance by the speed in metres per second:
Time ≈ 20.12 ÷ Speed (m/s)
At 145 km/h (40.3 m/s) that is roughly 0.50 seconds. Treat it as a guide rather than a precise reaction time. A real ball loses speed after release and again when it bounces, the bowler releases it slightly in front of their stumps, and the batter stands well in front of theirs. Still, it shows why genuine pace is so hard to face.
Real match example
Shoaib Akhtar – 161.3 km/h
- km/h
- 161.3
- mph
- 100.2
- m/s
- 44.8
- Time over 22 yards (constant speed)
- about 0.45 seconds
Shoaib's delivery is widely recognised as the fastest recorded ball in international cricket.
Quick conversion table
| km/h | mph | Time over 22 yards (constant speed) |
|---|---|---|
| 120 | 74.6 | 0.604 s |
| 130 | 80.8 | 0.557 s |
| 135 | 83.9 | 0.537 s |
| 140 | 87.0 | 0.517 s |
| 145 | 90.1 | 0.500 s |
| 150 | 93.2 | 0.483 s |
| 155 | 96.3 | 0.467 s |
| 160 | 99.4 | 0.453 s |
Each extra 5 km/h takes only around two hundredths of a second off the ball's journey, but at the top level that small margin is the difference between a batter getting into position and being late on the shot.
Pace bands
There is no official definition of "fast" in the Laws or ICC regulations. Commentators and analysts broadly use these bands, which the converter follows:
- Under 100 km/h: spin and slow bowling. Most spinners bowl between about 80 and 95 km/h.
- 100–130 km/h: medium pace.
- 130–140 km/h: fast-medium.
- 140–150 km/h: fast.
- 150 km/h and above: express pace.
Why speeds vary between broadcasts
Speed guns and ball-tracking systems usually measure the ball close to release, where it is fastest. Different providers use different technology, and a small calibration difference can move a reading by a km/h or two. That is why the same delivery can appear at slightly different speeds on different feeds, and why record speeds come with a note about how they were measured.
Speed is not everything
Quick bowlers make headlines, but line, length, movement and variation take wickets. A bowler at 135 km/h who swings the ball late can be harder to face than one at 150 km/h who bowls straight. Use our bowling strike rate and economy rate calculators to judge effectiveness, not just speed.
Common mistakes
- Using 1.6 as the conversion factor. It is close but not exact. 1.609344 is the precise value.
- Assuming a fixed reaction time. The ball slows down after bouncing, so the real time is a little longer than the constant-speed estimate.
- Comparing speeds from different technologies as if they were identical.
Fast bowling also burns a lot of energy. See how much with the calories burned playing cricket calculator.
