In a game of cricket, bowlers are as crucial as batsmen. Just that they are not credited as much, but people who are ardent fans of cricket will agree with this statement. Time and again bowlers have proved to be match winners, sometimes even trophy winners. Below are some bowlers who made a significant impact in the cricketing world and the opposition batsman.

1. Richard Hadlee

Sir Richard is a legendary Kiwi bowler who is the finest fast bowler this world has seen. His run-up was so accurate that sometimes he would knock off the bails at the bowler's end. Most of the wickets were LBWs, caused due to the perfect lines he used to bowl. In his initial days, he bowled at unplayable speeds but later focused on precision. He hung his boots in 1990 after claiming 432 test wickets. Not only was he a star bowler, but he was also an aggressive batsman who hit the boundaries.

2. Wasim Akram

Hailing from Lahore, Akram is the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in ODIs (502). Rather than speed, his main strength was his reverse swing. This earned him the name ,“The Sultan of swing.” Those deliveries were unplayable, said Kevin Pietersen, who was a contemporary batsman. Sir Viv Richards also said he was the toughest bowler after Dennis Lilee.

3. Dennis Lilee

Australia’s golden boy and fan favorite, he was a destructive pacer who was deadly, especially in the eyes of England. A stress fracture almost ended his career, but he returned to take wickets famously using physiotherapy and a strict fitness regime. He scalped a total of 355 test wickets and 103 ODI wickets. He also coached Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, two other deadly bowlers for their country.

4. Courtney Walsh

After surpassing Marshall, he reached the highest test wickets record with 524 of them and held it for some time before Sri Lankan Spinner Muralitharan overtook him. Fierce with his bowling, he was known for his sportsmanship. Currently, he coaches the West Indies Women’s cricket team.

5. Malcolm Marshall

Relatively shorter than other accomplished players of the time, Malcolm proved to be a complete and reliable side for the West Indies. He has the best test bowling average of all time which is 20.94. He was surpassed by Courtney Walsh for the highest number of Test wickets, 376.

6. Shoaib Akhtar 

Many people recognize him as Rawalpindi Express, he earned the name due to his immensely fastballs. The fastest ball ever bowled was by him at a speed of 160 km. He had infamous rivalries with Dravid and Sachin. He retired in 2011 after the WorldCup, with 247 ODI wickets to his name.

7. Glenn McGrath

This pacer played for Australia when it was dominating world cricket. His wrist action allowed him to seam the ball flawlessly. His best test figures are eight wickets for 24 runs, and ODI being seven wickets for 15 runs. His fierce rivalry with Sachin Tendulkar was something everybody was looking forward to. McGrath often had the higher hand. By the time he retired, he had a record of dismissing batters for a duck (105).

8. Brett Lee

Undoubtedly one of the most dangerous pacers to have played the game, Australia’s Brett Lee was a nightmare for some of the greatest batters including, Sachin, Brian Lara, Dravid, and Jacques Kallis. He used to bowl all his spells at around 150km/h. His slower balls were equally effective.

9. Lasith Malinga

Malinga is widely known as Yorker King, because of his ability to nail the yorkers with precision. The run-up, the throwing style, and hitting the middle stump. This Sri Lankan bowler has scalped 136 wickets, the highest in T20s. He is highly reliable in the death overs. He also has a remarkable record of picking three hat tricks in ODIs. In the IPL league, Malinga is the only bowler to take 150 wickets. He has consistently outperformed the other top team, CSK, many times.