Fastest bowlers in cricket are usually most entertaining to watch. If they employ their wit and abilities, they are someone who is most productive and match winners wherever. Every batsmen in the world have very little time to play strokes against raw pace bowling, so it is especially dangerous to face fastest bowler in the world who have extra pace in their arsenal. There have been few fastest bowler in the world who could consistently bowl quick over 90 miles per hour.
Here’s a list of Top 10 fastest bowler in the world –
1. Shoaib Akhtar – 161.3 km/hr
Shoaib akhtar is the fastest bowler in the world and is popularly known as ‘Rawalpindi Express’. He often regarded as possibly the best of all super fast bowlers. Shoaib akhtar produced the sort of devastating bowling spells that change a match and thrill a crowd. However, his bowling was more than just fast pace. Shoaib’s temperament had always been fiery in cricket. Apparently he was the most fascinating to watch, especially when running to bowl in. Numerous fast bowling speed records belong to Shoaib Akhtar. His 159 km/h, 159.3 km/h, 158.4 km/h, and 161 km/h fast bowling speeds.
One of the most dangerous fast bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar used to cause mayhem on the field against all teams in the world. Shoaib Akhtar used to intimidate the opposing batsmen with his incredible speed and ferocious bouncers. In 2003 World Cup match against England, Shoaib Akhtar bowled the fastest ball in cricket history at a speed of 161.3 kmph (100.2 mph) to Nick Knight, breaking the 100 mph barrier for the first time in the history of cricket.
2. Shaun Tait – 161.1 km/hr
Shaun Tait is one of the most incredible fastest bowler in the world, known as “The Wild Thing.” A muscular and brutal bowler with a shoulder-strong action, Tait had all the qualities to be one of the most dangerous fast bowlers of all time. He had a reputation as one of the quickest bowlers because of his consistent ability to bowl at speeds of up to 155 kilometres per hour. Tait often bowled the ball at up to 155 km/h and even faster.
He charged in full force and sent thunderbolts at the batsman who thudded furiously. The fastest ball ever recorded in Australia was bowled by Tait 160.7 against Pakistan on February 5, 2010, during a T20 international. Tait bowled even more fastest delivery in 2010, clocking 161.1 kph in a one day match against England at Lord’s. It is the second fastest ball that has ever recorded in the history of cricket.
3. Brett lee – 161.1 km/hr
Brett Lee was simply the most sensational fastest bowler in the world who had dominated cricket world till his last match. Brett lee was remarkable and had the ability of being able to bowl at 160 km/h, or 100 mph. He was exceptional because of his raw and unadulterated pace. Over the course of two decades, ‘Lethal’ Brett Lee terrorised many batsmen in the world. All batsmen were unable to handle his devastating speed and ferocious bouncers. Brett Lee is a great illustration of a raw and intense fast bowler ever.
In an ODI match at Napier in 2005, Brett Lee bowled the fastest delivery of his career to Craig Cumming of New Zealand. The delivery was made at a speed of 161.1 kmph (100.1mph). In the 2003 World Cup, when Australian team dominated every opposition they faced, Brett Lee was at his most lethal form regularly clocking in at 150 km/h. In the end, Lee had taken 22 wickets in the tournament.
4. Jeff Thomson – 160.6 km/hr
Jeff Thomson is widely regarded as the fastest bowler in the world to ever play test cricket. He was mind bogglingly and earth scorchingly quick. Thomson had an excellent physique, simply jogged up to the wicket before spreading his enormous chest and shoulders and launching the ball above at a speed that was far from 100 mph. In 1975, at Perth, Thomson bowled his fastest delivery at 160.6 kph (99.8 mph) against the West Indies.
There would not be a dispute today over who will be the first fastest bowler to break the 100 mph barrier if speed guns had been available in the 1970s, thomson would have reached Mach as the speedy does. “Tommo” was portrayed as the typical Australian fast bowler who was nasty and bloodthirsty and sought to harm batsmen. He also developed incredible bounce, which made the idea of facing him even more terrifying.
5. Mitchell Starc – 160.4 km/hr
Mitchell Starc is famously known as the Yorker King and one of the best fast bowlers of the modern era. He has been a very consistent performer for Australia since his debut and has gained a lot of admiration throughout the world for his relentless consistency in releasing lethal power with the ball. He swings the ball, assaults the stumps, and creates pace up to about 150 km/h.
His arsenal includes inswing, reverse swing and unplayable yorkers, all of which are extremely effective. In 2015, on the third day of the second Test match against New Zealand, Mitchell Starc bowled the fastest delivery of his career. It was a 160.4 kmph (99.7 mph) yorker to Ross Taylor.
6. Andy Roberts – 159.5 km/hr
Andy Roberts is the godfather to the all generation of West Indies fast bowlers. Andy Roberts was a tough competitor and one of the greatest fast bowlers who could bowl very lethal bouncer and swing the ball with excellent change of pace. In his whole career, he injured several batsmen of every team from his incredible lethal fast bowling.
In 1975 test match, he bowled at a speed of 159.5 kph (99.1 mph) against Australia. He was the primary strike bowler for the West Indies starting in the middle of the 1970s. Andy Roberts is the first West Indies fast bowler ever to take 200 Test wickets. He paved the way for a great number of others, including Holding, Garner, Croft, Marshall, Walsh, and Ambrose, who continued the legacy of West Indies fast bowling for the next 20 years.
7. Fidel Edwards – 157.7 km/hr
Fidel Edwards was the most entertaining fast bowlers that West Indies had produced in the modern era 2000s. Edwards was the team’s strike bowler in 2000s because of his excellent pace and his ability to quickly swing the ball away from the batsmen. He bowled lethal bouncers at very high speed that extremely unplayable to all batsmen in the world.
He bowled at a speed of 157.7 kmph (97.9 mph) in 2003 while playing against South Africa. At the time, it was the second-fastest delivery in international cricket. He will always be remembered for his fiery aggression as a super-fastest bowler.
8. Mitchell Johnson – 156.8 km/hr
Mitchell Johnson is well regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of the modern era. He terrorized many batsman of every team in his whole career with his dangerous bouncer. He swung the ball nicely when he got it properly and bowled at a speed of about 150 km/h with brilliant control and aggression. Mitchell’s devastating pace on the cricket pitch made him one of the most feared fast bowlers of all time.
During the 2013 Ashes Series, he delivered the fastest ball of his career, registering at 156.8 km/hr. He terrorised England in the 2013–14 Ashes series became the leading wicket-taker with 37 wickets at an average of 13.97 in five tests including three five wicket hauls was phenomenal. Throughout the whole series, he was at his most menacing, terrifying the English batsmen with his brutal pace and bouncer and making them feel extremely uneasy to play. Johnson was awarded Player of the Ashes Series for his tremendous performance.
9. Shane Bond – 156.4 km/hr
Shane Bond is frequently referred to as one of the world class fast bowlers that New Zealand has ever produced. Since his debut in 2001, he bowled clocking 150 km/h on the speed-gun radar. Shane Bond was the crowing achievement for the New Zealand team, giving them the genuine strike strength needed to win crucial ODIs and Test matches.
Bond is also regarded as one of the best swing bowlers of all time. He began by having a devastatingly quick in-swinging yorker and over time he was able to add a leg cutter and an outswing. He bowled his fastest delivery clocking at 156.4 kmph (97.1 mph) against India in the 2003 World Cup.
10. Mohammad Sami – 156.4 km/hr
Mohammad Sami was undoubtedly one of the fastest bowlers in 2000s with the capacity to frequently bowl over 150-155km/h. He had taken a hat-trick against Sri Lanka in his third Test match, and in 2002, he got his second career hat-trick against the West Indies in an ODIs.
He also became one of two Pakistani fast bowlers to have taken a hat-trick in both Test and ODI cricket after Wasim Akram. He bowled the fastest delivery of his career on the first ball of his fifth over of an ODI match against Zimbabwe on April 3, 2003, at Sharjah, when he bowled a 156.4 kmph (97.1 mph) ball to Dougie Marillier.
Read also: Top 10 Best Spin Bowlers of All Time