Like in any other sport, Cricket is also a very competitive sport where we get to see battles between batters and bowlers. Sometimes, bowlers dominate batters. In this game, we have seen many great bowlers who have established their name as one of the greatest. But some batsmen easily tackle these great bowlers. So, let's look at the top ten bowlers and their most formidable batters.
1. Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad is one of the greatest fast bowlers that England has ever produced. He has seen everything from giving 36 runs in an over to becoming one of the best bowlers. In his career, he has taken more than 700 wickets. Stuart Broad has bowled too many great batters, but Steve Smith is his most formidable batsman to bowl. They have played many matches against each other. In test matches, Steve Smith has an average of 52.5 against Borad, in which Smith scored 577 runs against him.
2. Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan is arguably the most excellent spinner of all time, as he is the highest wicket-taker in test and ODI cricket. Many batsmen have admitted that Muralitharan is the toughest bowler to face. But Brian Lara is different. In Muralitharan's career, Brian Lara was the most formidable batsman that he bowled to. He dominated every batter in test cricket, whereas Brian Lara has an average of 87 against him. In Murali's cricketing career, he dismissed Lara only once.
3. Shane Warne
From one spinner to another, Shane Warne is one of the greatest cricketers who has ever played the game. During his prime, no batter was capable of him. Every batter used to fear while facing him. But there is one batsman who used to be the nightmare of Shane Warne. Sachin Tendulkar is the most formidable batsman that Shane Warne has ever seen. Even he admitted this, and there are many incidents like the famous Sharjah innings where Sachin destroyed Shane Warne.
4. Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram is one of the most clever and greatest bowlers Cricket has ever seen. Every batter used to fear while facing him. But New Zealand's former batsman, Martin Crowe, was the toughest batsman for Wasim Akram. He said Martin Crowe was the only batsman who played reverse swing best and scored runs against him. This is one of the significant reasons Martin Crowe was the most formidable batsman for Wasim to bowl.
5. Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn is one of Cricket's most lethal and complete fast bowlers. He is the only bowler who remained World No.1 for over six years. Undoubtedly, he used to dominate and rule the batsman. But only Sachin Tendulkar was able to stop him. In test matches when Steyn was in his prime, Sachin had an average of 50 against him. Even in the ODI, Sachin had a strike rate of 100 against prime Dale Steyn.
6. Trent Boult
New Zealand sensation Trent Boult is a left-arm fast bowler who can swing the ball in both ways. So far, he has played 78 tests in which he has taken 317 wickets. Trent Boult has dominated many batters. But David Warner has always been the problem of Boult. In test matches, David Warner has an average of 56 with a strike rate of 82 against him. Even in ODI, Warner has an impeccable average of 81 with a strike rate of 90 against him.
7. James Anderson
James Anderson is the greatest and best fast bowler that England has ever produced. He has played 183 test matches in which he has taken 690 wickets, which is the most by any fast bowler in test cricket. Undoubtedly, James Anderson is one of the best in swing and seam bowling. But Graeme Smith was the problem for him. He was the first South African batsman to score double-hundred at lord's. In test matches, Graeme Smith has an average of 69 against him. James Anderson has admitted that it was tough to bowl Graeme Smith.
8. Harbhajan Singh
Former left-arm off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is one of the best spinners in Indian Cricket. In test cricket, he is the third Indian spinner with the most wickets. By his great bowling performances, Harbhajan has won many matches for India. No one can forget the 2001 India-Australia series, in which he took 32 wickets. Many batters did not want to face him. But Pakistani batting legend Younis Khan was the nightmare of Harbhajan Singh. In test matches, Younis has an average of 166 against him, and in ODI, he has an average of 103 against Harbhajan.
9. Kagiso Rabada
In modern-day Cricket, Kagiso Rabada is one of the best bowlers who performs in all game formats with equal consistency. Many batters have faced his lethal bowling. So far, he has played 60 tests and 100 ODI, in which he has taken 280 and 156 wickets respectively. Although Kagiso Rabada has bowled too many great batters, he finds Virat Kohli the toughest. In test matches, Virat Kohli has an average of 71.3 against Rabada. In the ODI, Kohli averaged 69 against him.
10. Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson is one of Australian Cricket's most dominant and fearless bowlers. There was a time when the whole England team used to fear him. Apart from his bowling, Mitchell Johnson also used to sledge his opponents. He dominated many world-class batters in his career but felt helpless against AB de Villiers. As in test matches, AB de Villiers has an average of 52 against Johnson, and in ODI cricket, he has an average of 50 against him with a strike rate of 105.
