Cricket’s Fastest Bowlers – 150+ MPH
#8 Shoaib Akhtar – Pakistan
Easily a standout amongst the most greatest players to have played the game, the Pakistani pacer had his effect on cricket in a unique way.
Hair fluttering noticeable all around, an abnormally long run-up, feet pounding the ground, Shoaib Akhtar was the quintessential quick bowler and truly knew how to threaten batsmen with his crude pace and late swing.
The pacer came to the spotlight, when he claimed the wickets of both Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in consecutive deliveries by shattering their stumps with in-swingers. This was when Shoaib set himself as the most fearsome pace bowlers on the planet, who could reliably bowl more than 150 km/h with the ability to bowl toe crushing yorkers.
Be that as it may, his real snapshot of magnificence came, when he conveyed the fastest ball in the history of cricket i.e. 161.3 km/h against England in the 2003 World Cup. This record is still unbroken, although many have come close.
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In the long run, injuries and controversies baffled his career, however his 178 Test wickets in 46 matches tell a different story. Moreover, his 178 wickets in 163 ODI matches looks like an ordinary statistic, however with his pace, fearsome character and his mere presence made these wickets even more valuable than they look upfront.
#7 Sir Andy Roberts – West Indies
Sir Andy Roberts was an uncommon breed; quiet, composed and relatively apathetic, which made him quite dissimilar to any quick bowler the world had seen. With durable shoulders, Roberts was the person who started that huge stage in the West Indian fast bowling during the 70s, after which they became the most dreaded attack in the world.
His skill of delivering a bouncer made this short delivery quite unsafe, and this is why it was always a primary weapon in his stacked arsenal. Additionally, he also had a great deal of varieties up his sleeve which allowed him to become the fastest to take 100 Test wickets at his time.
Andy Roberts had a brutal pace, and this why it does not come as a surprise as his fastest delivery reached up to 159.9 km/h against Australia in 1975 at their home ground. The West Indian’s high time came through the mid-70s and his 202 wickets from 47 matches in test matches and 87 wickets from 56 ODIs is a sheer proof of his skill.
#6 Brett Lee – Australia
Unquestionably extraordinary as compared to other quick bowlers in the most recent decade, Brett Lee, accomplished an unbelievable status in the early 2000s among a legendary Australian team. His pace, anger and ability to bowl constantly in the 150s is why he is still considered as one of the most dangerous bowlers of the 21st century.
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His quickest delivery of 160.8 km/h was against New Zealand in 2002 which further cemented his aura as a fearsome pacer.
Lee had a magnificent yorker and a burning quick in-swinger. He was a genuine bad dream for the tail-enders who simply jumped around his bouncers. The Australian’s best time of his career was around the period of 2004-2008, in which he truly established himself as a leading pace battery for the Australian team.
He played a total of 76 tests in his career and amassed 310 wickets from them. Brett Lee was also an exceptionally keen limited format bowler, as he took 380 wickets in 221 matches with 28 wickets in 25 T20Is.
All his achievements allowed him to cement his place as one of the fastest bowlers.
For the next 3 fastest bowlers, move on to the next page!
