Cricket is the most fascinating and popular sport all around the world. Although cricket is known as the batsman game, on several occasions, bowlers have an upper hand. As bowling plays a significant role in cricket so are different bowling techniques. Many fast bowlers have made their name in the history using few techniques specifically swing, bounce and pace. As for most of the players and batsman, pace is not a major worry but still some troublemaker fast bowlers are able to stun the teams with their bowling speed and precision. The world has few fast bowlers who have stunned and made the best players feel anxious on many occasions. Fast bowling is a very rare technique and there are only a few players in the history of cricket who can hit 90 mph and sometimes above at the instant. With that in mind we have enlisted the top five fast bowlers in the world who made a remarkable name in the history of cricket
1. Shoaib Akhtar the world fastest bowler
Shoaib Akhtar also known as The Rawalpindi express is at the top of the list. He is the fastest bowler in the history of cricket world. He recorded 178 wickets in Test matches, 247 wickets in ODI’s and 19 wickets in T20 matches. He is the first Pakistani bowler who bowled the fastest delivery in international cricket and broke the 100mph barrier during the world cup 2003. That was the wild thing. He is famous for his unpredictable bowling, but he couldn’t see much success at international level. Although he didn’t make any international record but still, he is considered in the top five fastest bowlers. His erratic bowling style was a much frightening experience for the opposite facing players. He made his fastest cricket delivery against England in an ODI match as he reached 161 kph and made a delivery of 100 mph. Shaun tait participated in only three test matches for Australia. He took 5 wickets in test matches, 62 wickets in ODI’s and 28 wickets in T20 matches.
2. Brett Lee
Brett Lee is also an Australian player and is known as the third fastest bowler in the history. He also crossed the 100 miles barrier and delivered the fastest delivery at a speed of 160.1 km/h during a match against New Zealand in 2005. He played a major role in Australia’s world cup winning campaign in 2003 and 2007. He is also the world’s fastest bowler who did a hat-trick during the T20 world cup in 2007. In his wonderful career he took almost 700 international wickets for his country. He took 310 wickets in Test matches, 280 in ODI’s and 487 first class wickets.
3. Jeff Thomson
Jeff Thomoson was an Australian fast bowler who was always a terrifying sight for his opponents. He made the life of many players miserable during his era as an Australian cricketer. With his incredible consistency and utter pace, he made the opposition fearful. He is still known for his fast bowl in cricket. He made his fastest delivery in 1975 in a match against Indies at a speed of 160.6 km/hr. He and Dennis Lillee’s bowling partnership developed a reputation as the most dreadful attack in test cricket of all the time. He was inaugurated into the hall of fame by Australian cricket board. He took almost 200 wickets in test matches and 55 wickets in ODI’s.
4. Mitchell Starc
The fifth fastest bowler is also an Australian bowler. Mitchell Starc, the left arm paceman helped Australia in lifting the world cup 2015. Mitchell Starc’s fastest ball was of 99.7 mph at a speed of 160.4 km/hr during a match against New Zealand. He had an average speed of 146.4 km/hr. he is a nightmare for the opposing players due to his combination of bouncing and swing from his height. Mitchell Starc took total 501 wickets at international level. He took 255 wickets in Test matches, 195 wickets in ODI’s and 51 in T20 matches.
