Cricket is one of the most widely played games in the world. It has a considerable geographical reach, and it's well-liked in Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, etc. Cricket is commonly considered to be the Batman's game however, if we look closely it can be seen that cricket is a game of fine bowling and outstanding batting. There have been times when the bowler dominates the sport. A pace bowler's delivery can send the most effective batsman from the crease to the pavilion in no time. While it's thrilling to see batsmen skin opponents, it's conjointly wonderful to visualize how bowlers shocking everybody with their speed.
Let's have a glance at the fastest bowlers in cricket history!
1. Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a Pakistani cricketer with a bowling speed of 161.3 kph. He's referred to as the "Rawalpindi Express" for his super quick bowling that knocks out the batsman in no time. Akhtar is a right-arm pacer best known for his distinctive and aggressive bowling style. He took 178 test wickets and 247 in ODIs in his active career between 1997-2011.
2. Brett Lee
Brett Lee is a former Australian international cricketer who is considered one amongst the fastest bowlers of this generation. He has a bowling speed of 161.1kph. He was the fastest Australian bowler in history and second fastest bowler of all time. The forty-four-year-old Lee was a vital part of Australia's world cup winning campaign in 2003 and 2007. In his remarkable career of almost thirteen years, he grabbed about 700 international wickets.
3. Shaun Tait
Known for his unpredictable bowling, Tait failed to witness enough success at the international level for Australia. He bowled his fastest delivery of 161.1 kph against England. Tait took sixty-two wickets in his ODI career from 2005-2016.
4. Jeffrey Thompson
A legendary figure, Jeff Thompson is one of the fastest bowlers in cricket history. The Australian pacer had a bowling speed of 160.6 kph against the west indies at Perth 1975. He instilled concern in the minds of his opponent batters with his pace, not to mention colossal consistency. He took 200 test wickets and 55 ODI wickets between 1972 to 1985.
5. Mitchell Starc
Starc is a part of the elite list of left-arm bowlers. The Australian pacer was the highest wicket-taker in two consecutive 50-over World Cups in 2015 and 2019. He clocked his fastest delivery at 160.4 kph. Starc took 255 test wickets, 178 in ODI,0 and 43 in T20s since his debut in 2010.
6. Andy Roberts
Roberts is taken into account the father of modern Western Indian fast bowling. He was a part of the fast bowler circle quartet of west indies in the mid-70s and 80s. His most immediate delivery of 159.5kph came against Australia in Perth in 1975. The pace bowler took 202 test wickets and 87 ODI wickets during his active career.
7. Fidel Edwards
Edwards made his debut in 2003. He was the third-best bowling figure during his second first-class match. His fastest delivery of 157.7 kph was clocked against South Africa in 2003. Paceman Edwards took 165 wickets in test cricket and 60 in ODIs.
8. Mitchell Johnson
Mitchel Johnson is an Australian pacer who is considered to be one of the best fast bowlers of his era. He had a delivery speed of 156.8 kph against England in 2013. Johnson took 313 test wickets, 239 ODIs, and 38 T20s wickets.
9. Mohammad Sami
Sami is the second-fastest bowler for Pakistan in their cricket history. He's famous for his pace and swing. His average bowling has consistently been over 140 kph. He delivered his fastest ball, clocked at 156.4 kph against zimbabwe in the ODI series of 2003. Sami took 85 test wickets and 121 ODI wickets during his bowling career.
10. Shane Bond
Bond was a fast, destructive and dreadful pace bowler for New Zealand. Bond is remembered as much for his injuries as his beautiful abilities. Unfortunately, he had missed more games than he played. His fastest ball was clocked at 156.4 kph in the 2003 world cup. Shane took 87 test wickets, 147 ODI wickets, and 25 in T20s. It's safe to mention that almost all of the world’s fast bowlers are from Australia. However, Pakistan and west indies conjointly boast top bowlers.
