“Bowling is an art, I am an Artist,” said Hardik Pandya. A bowler is no less than an artist showcasing their skill with their bowling; although, batters have been crowd favorites bowling helps you win matches. No matter how many runs a batter scores, the bowlers had to defend it for the team. A bowler has to restrict the batters from scoring runs and also ensure to pick timely wickets. Pitches have been batter-friendly but good bowlers have always got up with new ideas. A perfect yorker, an unplayable spin, or a precise swing are magics produced by these artists called bowlers; such eminent bowlers in ICC tournaments are listed below.
1. Lasith Malinga
Regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of the limited overs format, Lasith Malinga has terrified batters throughout his career. His characteristic round-arm action earned him the name of “Sling Malinga”; his unorthodox bowling actions and perfect yorkers have helped him get dozens of wickets; he is the only bowler to have two World Cup hat-tricks, the first to have a double hat-trick and the only bowler to get four wickets in four balls; he also holds the record for the most five-wicket hauls in International Cricket. In his career, he c took 119 wickets across all ICC Tournaments. His approach to bowling death overs has revolutionized bowling in limited overs format.
2. Muttiah Muralitharan
One of the best and most successful bowlers of all time is Muralitharan. He averaged over six wickets in test cricket; he became a nightmare for batters and his unplayable spinning balls would break through solid defenses of batters. Although, Muttiah has faced many controversies due to his bowling actions but never got dominated by the batsman. The former Sri Lankan took 103 wickets across all ICC tournaments, the second most by any other bowler in the world; he held the record for the highest-rated ICC test bowler for a record 1,711 days spanning over 214 test matches.
3. Glenn McGrath
McGrath was one of the crucial members who led Australia back to Test cricket domination in the 1990s and the late 2000s; famous for his accurate line and length, McGrath was a threat to batters. He won the World Cup with Australia on three occasions, in 199,2003 and 2007. His accurate bowling helped him to become one of the most economical and successful bowlers of the limited-overs format. He obtained 92 wickets across all ICC tournaments without playing any T20 matches; his tally could have been higher if he continued his dream run in cricket.
4. Shakib Al Hasan
Accepted as one of the best all-rounders of all time, Shakib proved to be the best sportsman in his country. He had been an essential member of the Bangladesh cricket squad and has been a consistent performer for them both with his bat and bowl; a left-handed middle-order batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Shakib has helped his team on enormous occasions by taking crucial wickets and scoring essential runs. With 84 wickets across all ICC Tournaments, Shakib helped his team reach the knockout stage on many occasions.
5. Shahid Afridi
The former captain of the Pakistan Cricket team, Shahid Afridi had been in the headlines for his glorious performances with his bat and ball. A leg spinner and a pinch hitter were his roles in the national squad. He led Pakistan through various tough times and led the team from the front; imminent players struggled in front of his leg spin and his variation in bowling. He became a crucial bowler for Pakistan taking wickets on important occasions and breaking partnerships; taking 83 wickets across all ICC Tournaments, Afridi has proved to be among the best all-rounders cricket has ever witnessed.
6. Mitchell Starc
Starc has represented Australia across all the formats of cricket; being a terrific fast bowler, he had posed great difficulties to batters throughout his bowling career. When it comes to deadly yorkers, pace, bounce and death bowling, there are no exceptions to Starc. He had been a crucial member of the World Cup-winning squad of Australia; he won the “Man of the Tournament” award for his consistent performances and for taking important wickets for the team. Across all ICC tournaments, Starc has 83 wickets despite his career being prone to injuries.
7. Daniel Vettori
The former New Zealand captain, Daniel Vettori, is the youngest player to represent his country in international cricket; known for accurate line and length, Vettori’s spin attracted 74 wickets across all ICC tournaments; his spin bowling has often beaten batters or deceived them, helping his team to get breakthrough.
8. Chaminda Vaas
The former Sri Lankan cricketer, Vaas was one of the most successful international bowlers for his country; he was one of the few bowlers whose fifteen-year-long career had been comparatively free from injury. Vaas holds the record for the best bowling figures in ODI cricket. With 72 wickets in all ICC tournaments, Vaas has been the only bowler with an eight-wicket haul to his name.
9. Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan came to the rescue when India struggled with their bowling lineup. His pace, inch-perfect yorkers and swing helped India regain its glory days in cricket; credited for introducing knuckleball in cricket way back in the 2011 World Cup, Zaheer played an essential role in taking wickets for the team. The Arjuna Award winner took 71 wickets across all ICC tournaments; adding variety to the bowling lineup, Zaheer became a regular member of the Indian squad and the leader of the bowling attack.
10. Tim Southee
Debuting at 19 years, Southee had been one of the youngest international players in New Zealand; although not as quick as his fellow bowlers, his accuracy and variations with the ball were sufficient to deceive the batters. His off-cutters proved to be a lethal weapon during death overs, awarding him key wickets. His bowling has resulted in 68 wickets in all ICC tournaments; Providing the extra edge with bowling on difficult pitches helped New Zealand to be one step ahead of their opponents on numerous occasions.
