As T20 cricket is rising, most people think that the yorker is the deadliest ball in cricket history. But it is not the correct answer, as this bowl is dangerous only for batting, not for batters. But there is a delivery that is more lethal than a yorker, which is the Bouncer; the Bouncer is dangerous for both batting and batters. If a batter gets late while playing Bouncer, then he will surely lose his wicket or can be injured. Some bouncers have cost the lives of some players. So, here’s a list of ten deadliest bouncers in cricket history.
1. Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is the fastest bowler this game has ever seen. He has the record for the fastest bowl bowled by any bowler in the world. But he was also very famous for his bouncers. Shoaib’s bouncers used to be very lethal, and batters had to be very careful while playing him. In the ICC Champions Trophy Final 2004, Shoaib Akhtar bowled a deadly bouncer to Brian Lara. The bouncer was so lethal that Brian Lara fell on the pitch. After this incident, Lara was out of cricket for a couple of months.
2. Brett Lee
Brett Lee was the bowler with one of the best bouncers in cricket. His bouncers were lethal because of his pace, which makes it unplayable for batters. In a match against West Indies, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was batting very well. Brett Lee decided to bowl a bouncer. He bowled a lethal bouncer to Chanderpaul, which hit the back of his head, and he got injured. If there had been no helmet, then he would have been hospitalized.
3. James Anderson
James Anderson will be remembered as the best fast bowler that England has ever produced. His ability to swing the ball in any condition makes him dangerous for batters. However, there are some incidents in which Anderson has bowled the lethal bouncers to batters. In a match against New Zealand, James Anderson bowled a deadly bouncer to Daniel Flynn. He got injured as his lips were bleeding, and medical staff came to the ground for treatment.
4. Mohammad Irfan
Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Irfan is considered the tallest bowler that has ever played. His height and left-arm action make it more challenging for the batters to play him. Because of his size, he is known as a bouncer specialist, as bouncers are very lethal. During the match against Zimbabwe, He bowled bouncers to one of the Zimbabwe batters, Chibhabha. That bouncer was unplayable, and the Zimbabwe batsman could not play and fell on the ground.
5. Anwar Ali
Anwar Ali is a fast bowler in Pakistan’s team who is known for his accuracy and swing. Even though he used to bowl at an average speed of 120 or 130 mph, because of his line and length, he dismissed many batters. Yet, Anwar Ali was famous for his bouncers. In a match against New Zealand, he bowled a deadly bouncer to Mitchell McClenaghan. The bouncer was so lethal that the ball entered inside the helmet.
6. Lasith Malinga
Legendary Sri Lankan bowler Lasith Malinga is famous for his yorkers. But amazingly, He used to bowl deadly bouncers as well. There are many incidents in which Malinga’s bouncers have injured batters. During a local match played in South Africa, Lasith Malinga bowled a bouncer that hit the helmet of a batsman, and he got brutally wounded.
7. Sean Abbott
That is the deadliest and saddest bouncer bowled in cricket history. It was the bouncer that cost life to Phillip Hughes's life. This was the local Australian match in which Phillip Hughes was batting at 63 runs. Sean Abbott bowled a bouncer to Hughes, which hit the helmet. But no one knew the consequences of this bouncer. After this, Phillip Highest was hospitalized, and later he died. Till now, Sean Abbott regrets about that bouncer.
8. Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar had the deadliest bouncer in cricket history. That’s why he is again on the list. Bouncers were the greatest strength of Shoaib Akhtar, and he knew the use of that as well. He bowls many lethal bouncers. In a match against South Africa, Gary Kristen was batting very well. Then, Shoaib Akhtar bowled a bouncer to him, which directly hit the helmet of Gary Kristen. After this, the umpires stopped the match for a while. The bouncer was so lethal that it injured Gary Kristen’s eyes area.
9. Jofra Archer
If we talk about the deadly bowler in today’s era, then Jofra Archer’s name will definitely come. England’s sensational fast bowler, Jofra Archer, is a hurdle for any batsman as he has excellent action along with an ability to bowl at a speed of 145 mph. So far, he has injured many batters. But a famous one came to ashes in 2019. In a test match against Australia, when Steve Smith was batting. Jofra Archer bowled the deadly bouncer to Smith. Smith could not play that bouncer and got hit in the helmet.
10. Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison was England’s right-arm fast bowler. There were many incidents in Ashes in which batters got injured, and that is one of them. This match was played at Lord’s. On the 1st day of a test match, When Australia was batting, Steve Harmison bowled a bouncer to Ricky Ponting at a speed of 87 miles per hour, which directly hit Ponting’s helmet and bold coming from Ponting’s face. After this, the match was stopped for a while.
