Well, that's what you and I, the Walter Mittys of cricket, might be doing if we were up against the speed demons: Shoaib Akhtar, Allan Donald, Javagal Srinath, Glenn McGrath and the rest.

Instead, millions of viewers and spectators will have the vicarious pleasure of sitting back in beanbag comfort and wowing at the scorching pace and piercing speed of the best of the world's fast bowlers -- while even the most skilled and courageous of batsmen face them with thudding hearts and quaking knees.

The speed gun makes its debut in World Cup cricket tomorrow in the game between India and Australia, after finding an appropriate sponsor in the form of Federal Express. The FedEx Speedster, as the contraption is called, will be used to measure bowling speeds during the remaining 12 matches of the competition.

The South African-made speed gun was formally released at The Oval by India's Srinath, Australia's McGrath, and a man who in the interest of consonance and rhyme should just be called Wrath Australia's Jeff Thomson, who still holds the world record for a ball delivered at 99.7 miles per hour.

But that was a good 24 years ago when measuring techniques were still fairly primitive. In fact, the South African manufacturers of the speed gun suggest that the feat may have been exaggerated, although in fairness to Thommo, English batsmen like Brian Luckhurst, Dennis Amiss and John Edrich who had various bones of their bodies broken will probably say the speed was understated.

The new contraption, which is a sort of Doppler tracking radar, is said to be accurate within 2 km/ hour. Two such devices will be placed on either end of the ground and will measure the speed of the ball from the instant it leaves the bowlers hand.

``It will be as much entertainment as sport. It will take cricket to a new dimension,'' Henri Johnson, the South African engineer who worked on the device, said in an interview. Srinath and McGrath will prefer to talk with the ball tomorrow.

From the beginning of sport, mankind has been fascinated by the concept of excellence and extremities, expressed in the Olympic slogan of Altius Fortius Citius (Higher, Stronger, Faster). But the idea of fastest is only now catching on in cricket. It won't be long before they will start measuring which batsmen hits the ball the hardest. Johnson says his company is currently working on a device which can help in accurately determining leg before decisions.

The fastest acknowledged bowler currently is Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar, who has been measured at 97.5 miles per hour (or 156 km/hour). The Pakistani spearhead, fondly called Rawalpindi Express by his team mates, has already fedexed his intention to the cricketing world: he wants to bowl the first 100 mile per hour ball.

``It will be quite a feast, and there are plenty of others who will also be glancing up at the electronic display,'' Johnson said, plugging away for Electronic Development House (EDH), the South African firm that pioneered the device and also Springbok engineering skills, which were finely honed by years of isolation during decades of apartheid when they had to make their own thingamajigs.

But there could well be some surprises.

Any bowler acknowledges that the speed at which they bowl also depends on their physical and mental state they are in, not to speak of the atmosphere and the wicket. In South Africa for instance, Lance Klusener was measured bowling faster than Allan Donald, who is thought to be the world's second fastest bowler. On occasions, Javagal Srinath topped them both. Donald in fact is believed to hold back considerably in one-day cricket, striving more for accuracy and movement. In fact, the best bowlers use speed as a surprise weapon.

Not so Shoaib Akhtar. The Pakistani quickie, who has the longest bowling run of any fast bowler in the world, gives his everything with almost every ball, grunting with the effort. Batsmen from every country he has played against acknowledge that he is grease lightning -- pure unadulterated speed. In Pakistan's game against West Indies, the first slip Inzamam was standing just a couple of yards short of the 30 yard circle -- another record.

Incidentally, the speed displayed on the electronic boards will show the velocity when the ball leaves the bowler's hand. The ball loses at least ten per cent of it speed when it hits the turf, Johnson said.

So now with speed guns that will measure every ball (unless it is obscured by the umpire, wicket-keeper or first slip, although the gun is movable) over the next 12 games, we will also know who is consistently the fastest bowler in the world.

Meanwhile, spare a thought for the batsmen, although the face of batsmanship has changed, literally and metaphorically. Modern batsmen wear so much gear that Neil Armstrong could easily identify with them. But that still does not always guarantee safety as Meryck Pringle, whose dentures were rearranged by a Srinath delivery that snuck in through the metal visor, can testify.