You will be surprised to know that the number of sports played worldwide is more than 8,000. Soccer, boxing, wrestling, hockey, etc., are the most popular games worldwide. Wait! We forget to mention cricket in top games worldwide. According to different surveys, cricket has 2.5 billion fans.
It is a sport that people like to watch and play, and a person needs to be energetic and active to play this game. Cricket comprises three departments: batting, bowling, and fielding. As we have to discuss the top ten fastest bowlers in the world, before meeting these bowlers, we need to know that there are three types of bowling spin: medium, fast, and fast. The Fast bowling list comprises an extensive list like Shoaib Akhter, Brett Lee, Shane Bond, Mohammad Sami, and others.
A bowler needs a lot of effort, fitness, and exercise for best performance. In the upcoming passages, you will learn about the top ten bowlers. Some of them are mentioned above, while the rest of these bowlers are Fidel Edwards, Mitchel Johnson, etc. So, get ready to meet these top ten fastest bowlers. This meet-up aims to tell you about their records and the careers they enjoyed.
So, prepare yourself as we will meet people with unique records worldwide, and the first person on our list is Shoaib Akhter.
Shoaib Akhter
Pakistan has always been very famous for producing the best blowers worldwide. So, the fastest bowler in the world, also known as “Rawalpindi Express,” is the quickest bowler worldwide and belongs to Pakistan. He bowled at the speed of 161.3 km/h against New Zealand in 2002. In 1997, he made a debut in international cricket.
He remained a part of all formats of cricket, Test, ODIs, and T20, and has a remarkable record in all of them. Unfortunately, his career remained very controversial as a few scandals and injuries did not prevent him from enjoying the career.
Moreover, he played cricket for 14 years and said goodbye to cricket in 2011. He played 46 test matches, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20 matches. Nowadays, we see him as a cricket analyst on different channels.
Knowing the speed of the fastest bowler in the world should have fascinated you to know about the 2nd bowler in this list. Our next guest on the list is Brett Lee from Australia.
Brett Lee
Do you know that Australians are very popular for being aggressive in every field, whether cricket or something else? Our next bowler in the index is Brett Lee, who bowled at the speed of 161 km/h against New Zealand in 2005. New Zealand is credited with facing the two fastest deliveries in cricket history.
Returning to Brett Lee, he also faced various injuries and fitness issues, but he played more matches than Rawalpindi Express. His career comprises 76 test matches, 221 ODIs, and 25 T20s. If we monitor his record within Kangaroo’s country, he is the second most wicket-taker after Glenn McGrath.
He is among the bowlers with a top 5 wicket haul, and he reached this milestone 19 times in his career. Another thing that made him prominent in the team was aggressive batting.
Now, it is time to see the next fastest bowler in the world, Shaun Tait, another Australian player.
Shaun Tait
Right-arm fast bowler Shaun Tait was a former Australian professional cricketer. He played for Australia in all three game formats but was most successful in Twenty20 cricket and one-day internationals.
Moreover, he was a member of the nation’s unbeaten squad at the 2007 Cricket World Cup. He is recognized as one of the all-time quickest bowlers, and in 2010, he delivered the fastest international cricket delivery ever at a speed of 161.1 km/h, like Brett Lee.
During England’s Ashes trip in 2005, Tait made his debut abroad. With his raw velocity and capacity for producing tremendous bounce, he made a name for himself as one of the most feared bowlers in the world. He was an integral part of the Australian team that won the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
However, injuries also hampered Tait’s professional career. Due to physical and mental stress, he was forced to take an indefinite vacation from the sport in 2008, and he never recovered from his most excellent form after returning. In 2016, he gave up playing cricket in any capacity.
Now it is time to meet another Australian player known to throw a fast delivery in cricket history. Meet Mr. Jeff Thomson!
Jeff Thomson
He is one of cricket’s swiftest bowlers in history and widely recognized as one of the most intimidating bowlers to ever compete in the sport. In addition to his ability to regularly bowl at speeds of more than 150 km/h, Thomson was renowned for his slinging motion. He was also a cheeky bowler who frequently sacrificed runs to get wickets.
In 1972–1973, Thomson played his first Test match for Australia against Pakistan but struggled because of a fractured foot bone. He was re-added to the Test squad in 1974–1975, and he and Dennis Lillee established a lethal bowling combination. With their brisk pace and aggressiveness, Lillee and Thomson terrified batters everywhere.
Thomson turned arguably one of his most illustrious performances, taking 33 wickets at an average of 28.27. In 1975–76, he played a crucial role in Australia defeating the West Indies by taking 26 wickets at an average of 28.69.
Now, let us move to the next person, and in the list of the top ten fastest bowlers, the following one is also from Australia. He is Mitchel Starc, a sign of threat for many top-level batters.
Mitchel Starc
He is another speed machine from the same country we are following from the last three bowlers list. He registered his name among the top ten fastest bowlers in the world.
The second Test match against New Zealand in Perth included Mitchell Starc’s most immediate delivery in 2015, which clocked in at 160.4 km/h. Ross Taylor was batting against him and had made 137 runs, receiving his delivery. Despite being able to defend the strike, Taylor had little time to react since the delivery was a blistering yorker.
Talking about his records, he collected two wickets in his first ODI encounter against India. Starc rapidly became one of Australia’s top ODI bowlers, and in 2015, he won Player of the Tournament honors at the World Cup for his 22 wickets at an average of 10.18. In 82 Test matches, 110 ODI matches, and 58 T20I matches as of October 2023, Starc has claimed 311 Test wickets, 483 ODI wickets, and 94 T20I wickets. Being only 33 years old and one of the most successful bowlers of his time, he still has a lot of cricket left in him.
Now let us meet the next person from another country, “West Indies,” while the bowler is Andy Roberts.
Andy Roberts
Andy Roberts was among the quickest bowlers in cricket history, with a maximum bowling speed of 159.5 km/h (99 mph). One of the best fast bowlers of all time, he played a significant role in the West Indies team that dominated international cricket in the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1974, Roberts made his West Indies Test debut. He made a name for himself as one of the world’s most feared bowlers. He was also a proficient bouncer bowler, and the batters frequently found his deliveries too rapid and brief to manage.
In the final years of his career, injuries limited Roberts’ ability to play, although he still managed to capture 202 wickets in 47 Test matches. Additionally, in 56 One-Day Internationals, he claimed 87 wickets. Roberts ended his career as an international cricket player in 1983 but kept playing first-class cricket for a little longer. In 1994, ICC Cricket Hall of Fame admits him as one of the best and fastest bowler.
After a detailed introduction with Andy Roberts, meet another tall man from the same country “Fidel Edwards.” Famous as the others and a sign of fear for top-level batters.
Fidel Edwards
Fidel Edwards is one of the all-time quickest bowlers, with a career-high bowling speed of 157.7 km/h (98 mph). In a Test match against England in 2003, he accomplished this accomplishment. Edwards is famous for his sweeping motion, which produces a lot of speed and bounce.
In 2003, Edwards made his West Indies debut at the international level. He later played a significant role in the team’s 2004 ICC Champions Trophy victory. Despite his physical issues, Edwards enjoyed a fruitful career abroad. He got 170 wickets in 104 ODI matches and 169 in 55 Test matches. He also took 21 wickets while playing in 19 T20I games.
Edwards retired from international cricket in 2015. Cricket fans consider him as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. Moreover, his career-best bowling speed is 157.7 km/h. Let us return to Australia and meet another Australian player named “Mitchell Johnson,” also known as Goon.
Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson, one of the all-time quickest bowlers, has a lifetime average speed of 148.1 km/h (92.1 mph). His fastest recorded delivery was 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph) against England in 2013. He could bowl regularly above 150 km/h (93.2 mph).
Throughout his career, Johnson’s pace has been a significant asset. Meanwhile, he was particularly productive in 2013–14, when he peaked. During this tenure, he took 59 wickets at 15.23 in eight Test matches against England and South Africa. He was virtually unplayable for many batters because of his speed and aggressiveness, and his contribution to Australia’s 2013–14 Ashes success was crucial.
Among Test bowlers, Johnson’s career bowling speed is rated 25th all-time, while among ODI bowlers, it is ranked 17th all-time. In Test and ODI cricket, he is among the few bowlers who regularly bowled beyond 150 km/h.
After meeting Mitchell Johnson, let’s move to his neighborhood in New Zealand, which faced the faster deliveries, and look for Shane Bond—a great and mysterious fast bowler of his era.
Top Ten Fast Bowlers List of PSL Season 08 in 2023
The PSL is another sport where fast bowlers are known to be crucial to a team's success. Let's take a look at the PSL 2023's fastest bowlers.You can read more about Top Ten Fast Bowlers List of PSL Season 08 in 2023.Shane Bond
Though New Zealand players face most of the fastest deliveries, they also produce produce one of the all-time best and fastest bowlers “Shane Bond.” At the 2003 World Cup, Bond’s maximum bowling speed was measured at 156.4 km/h against India. He now ranks joint-ninth among all cricket bowlers in terms of bowling speed.
Although injuries hindered Bond’s international cricket career, he could still accomplish amazing things. He participated in 18 Test matches, taking 81 wickets at a 22.09 average, and 82 ODI games and got 147 wickets at an average of 20.88. He also took 17 wickets at an average of 26.00 in 12 T20Is while playing.
In Australian conditions, Bond was a particularly dangerous bowler. In 11 Test matches against Australia, he had 38 wickets at an average of 24.68, while in 27 ODIs against Australia, he also recorded 30 wickets at an average of 21.60.
Bond gave up playing with the cricket team in 2010. Since then, he has coached bowling for several teams, notably the Mumbai Indians of the Indian Premier League.
Now, let’s return to Pakistan, which produced the fastest bowler in this history. However, the 10th fastest bowler is from the same country. Meet “Mohammad Sami” and explore his career.
Mohammad Sami
In the annals of cricket, Mohammad Sami ranks among the swiftest bowlers. Unofficially, it is said that he bowled the fastest delivery in cricket history during a One Day International match, traveling at 164 km/h (101.9 mph). Due to inaccurate speed readings from the speed meter, this record was subsequently canceled.
In the 2003 ODI series against Zimbabwe, Sami bowled with a speed of 156.4 km/h (97.2 mph), the fastest bowl ever officially recorded. In the 2002 Asian Test Championship final against Sri Lanka, he also set the record for bowling the quickest hat-trick in Test cricket.
Sami was a prolific wicket-taker in his early years, but his abilities gradually waned. He took 85 Test wickets and 121 ODI wickets while playing 36 Tests and 134 ODIs for Pakistan. Finally, he is the only player to take 5 five wickets in the debut test match.
As we see in the list of the top ten fastest bowlers in the world, the first and last one belongs to Pakistan. If we connect this write-up with the top ten fast bowlers in PSL, a Pakistan cricket league, it will add to the reader’s knowledge.
Top Ten Fast Bowlers in PSL
As discussed in the 1st passage, cricket has around 2.5 billion followers. It may be surprising if most of these people are aware of PSL. Pakistan Super League is an emerging cricket league that captivates the attention of these people for a month. On the other hand, we have witnessed some people curious to discover the top ten fast bowlers of the PSL. You can click here and get the list of bowlers working hard to entertain the cricket enthusiast.
Bottom line
The excess of incredibly quick bowlers has forever changed the history of cricket that the sport has to offer. These players have demonstrated incredible speed, tenacity, and talent, from classics like Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee, and Jeff Thomson to modern-day stars like Mitchell Starc and Shane Bond. Their efforts have molded the game despite setbacks and injuries, exciting fans worldwide. The lively Pakistan Super League has also developed into a breeding ground for emerging stars, enhancing the excitement in the cricketing world. Top ten fastest bowlers in the world represent the spirit of commitment and enthusiasm in the sport we all love. Moreover, they serve as role models as the cricketing world continues to develop.
