Fast bowling is something which puts the thrill in the game of cricket. History of the game has seen some great fast bowlers who fired up the pitch with their pace and bounce. A battle between top batsman and a fast bowler is a treat to watch for the spectators. Fast pace plus swing plus bounce makes it intimidating for any batsman in the world.
Here is our pick for Top 10 Fast Bowlers
1. ANDY ROBERTS
He was the most feared fast bowler in world cricket during his career span. The West Indian was a part of the famous quartet of West Indies others being Joel Garner, Michael Holding, and Colin Craft.
He was also a part of the prudential world cup winning squad in both 1975 and 1979 in England.
He used his fierce bouncers to scare the hell out of batsman. He was famous for his slow bouncers.
Tests: 47
Wickets: 202
ODI: 56
Wickets: 87
Andy Roberts
2. JEFF THOMSON
Famously known as “Thommo” this Australian legend was the fastest bowler during the 70’s. His 160.4 km/hr at Perth was a record for the fastest ball for a long time. West Indian batting legend
Sir Vivian Richards said that Thomson was the fastest bowler he ever faced.
Thomson came to the fore in the 1974-1975 Ashes series with 33 wickets. Even the great fast bowlers like Michael Holding also considered him the fastest bowler of their era.
Tests: 51
Wickets: 200
ODI: 50
Wickets: 55
Jeff Thompson
3. MALCOLM MARSHALL
He was a great swing bowler of his time with a height of 5 feet 11 inches he was not that tall in his time but was a fiery fast swing bowler with a great wicket-taking spree both in one-day internationals and test cricket too. Marshall had a fantastic test bowling average of 20.94. He took a brilliant 7 for 53 in 1984. He ended Andy Loyd’s career by hitting him on the head with a bouncer.
Tests: 81
Wickets: 376
ODI: 136
Wickets: 157
Malcolm Marshall
4. WASIM AKRAM
Famously known as “Sultan Of Swing”, he is regarded as the best left-handed fast bowler in the history of the game. He was the only bowler of his time to have bowled with both ways swing in the air and the pitch too. He was the first to reach 300,400 and 500 wickets in one day of cricket. He holds a record of 881 wickets in list A cricket. He produced some unbelievable swing deliveries to shatter the stumps.
Tests:104
Wickets:414
ODI: 356
Wickets: 502
Wasim Akram
5. SYDNEY BARNES
Sydney Barnes is an English fast-medium bowler. he is regarded as the greatest fast bowler of all time in the history of cricket. Sydney Barnes made his debut against Australia on 13th December 1901. Sydney Barnes played 27 test matches for England from 1901 to 1914. he took 189 wickets with a very impressive average of 16.43, which is the biggest Argument for his greatness. Sydney Barnes also took 719 wickets in his first-class career with an average of 17.09 runs per wicket. undoubtedly he was the greatest fast bowler ever in cricket history.
Sydney Barnes
6. SIR RICHARD HADLEE
He was a former New Zealand cricketer regarded as one of the finest fast bowlers and a handy all-rounder in cricket history. He gave a new life to New Zealand cricket and is highly honored in his country. He was a very calm character on the field but his bowling was his way of showing aggression Tests:86
Wickets:431
ODI:115
Wickets:158
Richard Hadlee
7. BRETT LEE
Lee was not only one of the fastest pacers but also a handy lower-order batsman. He was also known as an athletic fielder. His fastest-ever bowl was recorded at 161.8 km/hr, but it was an unofficial game not recognized by the ICC. However, his fastest-ever bowl was clocked at 160.8 km/hr. Due to the constant strain on his shoulders, Lee was prone to injuries. Lee has taken 310 wickets in 76 Tests and 380 wickets in 221 ODIs.
Brett Lee
8. CURTLY AMBROSE
One of the tallest cricketers of all time. Curtly Ambrose was 6ft 7in and can release the ball from almost 10ft high. with lethal pace, bounce, and swing, he was one of the most dangerous fast bowlers. he took 7 wickets for only 1 run against Australia at WACA 1992/93 season, that was one of the best bowling figures of all time. Curtly Ambrose took 405 test wickets in 98 matches, with an average of 20.99. and also too 225 ODI wickets in 176 matches. without any doubt, he is one of the Best Fast Bowlers of all time.
Curtly Ambrose
9. WAQAR YOUNIS
According to cricinfo.com: “The man who really put the reverse into the swing. Waqar Younis bucked the 1980s trend of pitching fast and short by pitching fast and full. Not an obvious recipe for success until you factor in prodigious late in swing, which was designed to smash into the base of leg stump or the batsman’s toes.” Waqar Younis has the best strike rate of any bowler who took over 200 wickets in test matches. Waqar took almost 800 international wickets with an average of under 24 per wicket in both formats. he has the world record for most five wickets hauls in one-day cricket. probably was one of the Best Fast Bowlers of all time.
Waqar Younis
10. SHOAIB AKHTAR
The fastest-ever bowler in cricket history Shoaib Akhtar recorded 161.3 km/hr against New Zealand. Known for his performances against India during the 1999 ICC World Cup, Akhtar is known to have won many fast bowling records.
He was the first bowler to reach 100mph and has bowled at speeds of 160 km/hr, 159 km/hr, and 158.4 km/hr. He was popularly known as “Rawalpindi Express”
Shoaib Akhtar
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