Who is World’s Fastest Bowler in the History of Cricket ?

Today , I am going to inform you about the world’s fastest bowler in cricket history . But before proceeding to our main topic , I would like to explain some basic points about fast bowling in cricket to newbies . But if you already are well equipped with these terms , you can surely skip to the business end .

WHAT IS FAST BOWLING AND WHO ARE FAST BOWLERS IN CRICKET ?

• Fast bowling is a major chunk of cricket . It has been playing an enormous role in making the sport so popular in the world .
• Whenever a player bowls fast (around 120 -160 kmph) to a batter, it is called fast bowling and he/she is referred as a fast bowler . Easy as you like .
• A cricketer can play various roles in the ground . This includes batters , wicket-keepers and bowlers . Bowlers are the one who have to deliver ball to the batter . It can be said that without them , this game cannot begin .There are different ways of throwing ball to batters. Bowlers include spinners , medium fast and fast bowlers .
• Generally , speed of medium pacers varies between 120 – 140 kmph . And here comes our FAST bowlers who ranges from 140 – 160 kmph (believe it or not ) .
• Fast bowlers have been the biggest threats for batters since ages. They not only break wickets with their pace but also batter’s body parts . Their presence always create pressure and fear in the minds of batters , especially with the new ball .
• They are aggressive and ruthless . And batsmen having these qualities can only survive and score runs against them . Cricket would have been incomplete without the unforgettable clashes between the legendary fast bowlers and batsmen .

TOP 10 WORLD’S FASTEST BOWLER IN CRICKET HISTORY

If you like video format too , you can watch this 2-minute video on my Youtube channel ‘Cricket Cordon’ :

Here is the list of TOP 10 world’s fastest bowler in cricket history and the fastest balls ever bowled by fast bowlers in the history of international cricket .

10. SHANE BOND ( NEW ZEALAND ) – 156.4 km/hr (97.1 mph)

• Shane Edward Bond (born 7 June 1975) is a New Zealand former cricketer who represented New Zealand in all the formats , described as “New Zealand’s best fast bowler since Sir Richard Hadlee” . Bond represented New Zealand in Tests , ODI and Twenty 20 International cricket .
• He was considered as one of the world’s fastest bowler of his era. He took 87 wickets in 18 Test matches, 147 wickets in 82 ODI’s and 25 wickets in 20 T20I’s .
• A right arm fast bowler , his fastest recorded delivery was clocked at 156.4 km/h against India in the 2003 World Cup , Centurion .

SHANE BOND’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 10/99 ( 2005 v Zimbabwe , Bulawayo )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 6/51 ( 2005 v Zimbabwe , Bulawayo )
ODI MATCH – 6/19 ( 2005 v India , Bulawayo )
T20I MATCH – 3/18 ( 2009 v Sri Lanka , Colombo )

9. MOHAMMAD SAMI (PAKISTAN) – 156.4 km/hr (97.1 mph)

• Mohammad Abdul Sami (born 24 February 1981) is a former Pakistani cricketer who played for the Pakistan national cricket team between 2001 and 2016 . He was a right arm fast Pakistani bowler and bowled his fastest bowl against Zimbabwe in 2003 at 156.4 km/hr. Sami had a quick arm action and is regarded as one of the world’s fastest bowler not only of Pakistan but also of the world .
• He was considered one of the finest fast bowlers of Pakistan when he was at his peak . He took 85 wickets in 36 Test matches , 121 wickets in 87 ODI’s and 21 wickets in 12 T20I’s .
• He has unofficially bowled the fastest delivery in cricket when he clocked at 164 km/h (101.9 mph) during a One Day International match against India in 2004. However, it was revoked by cricket officials after it found faulty speed measurements on the speed meter.

MOHAMMAD SAMI’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 11/94 ( 2016 v Sri Lanka, Galle )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 6/50 ( 2016 v Sri Lanka, Galle )
ODI MATCH – 6/28 ( 2015 v New Zealand , Auckland )
T20I MATCH – 3/11 ( 2012 v Pakistan , Dubai )

8. MITCHELL JOHNSON (AUSTRALIA) – 156.8 km/hr (97.4 mph)

• Mitchell Guy Johnson (born 2 November 1981) is an Australian former cricketer , who played all forms of the game until his retirement from international cricket in 2015. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. Johnson was considered to be one of the greatest fast bowlers of his era .
• He took 313 wickets in 73 Test matches , 239 wickets in 153 ODI’s and 38 wickets in 30 T20I’s. Johnson represented Australia from 2005-2015 across all formats . He will always be remembered as one of the most lethal and world’s fastest bowler in the history of international cricket .
• His various fights with opponent batsmen also shows his competitive spirit and intensity in the game . Who can forget his historic battles with Kevin Peterson and Virat Kohli (especially) back in 2014 India’s tour of Australia .
• He generally bowls the sling action and has the capability to bowl in excess of 150 km/h (93 mph), his fastest being 156.8 km/h (97.4 mph) in Melbourne in the 2013-14 Ashes series .

MITCHELL JOHNSON’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 12/127 ( 2014 v South Africa , Centurion )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 8/61 ( 2008 v South Africa, Perth )
ODI MATCH – 6/31 ( 2011 v Sri Lanka , Pallekele )
T20I MATCH – 3/15 ( 2010 v Sri Lanka , Barbados )

7. FIDEL EDWARDS ( WEST INDIES ) – 157.7 km/hr (97.9 mph)

• Fidel Henderson Edwards (born 6 February 1982) is a Barbadian cricketer , who played all formats of cricket for West Indies . His bowling speed is around the late 80s and early 90s mph . His fastest was clocked at 157.7 km/h in 2003 against South Africa .
• He is a right-arm fast bowler and right-handed batsman. At his peak , Edwards was considered to be one of the world’s fastest bowler ever in cricket .
• He took 165 wickets in 55 Test matches , 60 wickets in 50 ODI’s and 20 wickets in 26 T20I’s .

FIDEL EDWARDS’ CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 8/132 ( 2011 v India , Barbados )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 7/87 ( 2008 v New Zealand , Napier )
ODI MATCH – 6/22 ( 2003 v Zimbabwe , Harare )
T20I MATCH – 3/23 ( 2012 v Australia , Barbados )

6. ANDY ROBERTS ( WEST INDIES ) – 159.5 km/hr (99.1 mph)

• Sir Anderson Montgomery Everton Roberts,  (born 29 January 1951) is a former Antiguan first-class cricketer who is considered the father of modern West Indies bowling .
• He played Test cricket for the West Indies . He was also part of the West Indies team that won the first two Prudential World Cups in England in 1975 and 1979 . Roberts was also the part of the West Indies team which ended up as runners-up in the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup .
• If you would ask your parents or grand parents , this is the name you will always hear from them as a ruthless , dominating and extremely fast bowler . Just feel for the batsmen playing 150 kmph+ in those days without helmet and no limit on bouncers .
• He was also considered the world’s fastest bowler of his era . He took 202 wickets in 47 Test matches and 87 wickets in 56 ODI’s .
• His fastest delivery was 159.5 kmph against Australia in Perth 1975.

ANDY ROBERTS’ CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 12/121 ( 1975 v India , Chennai )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 7/54 ( 1975 v Australia , Perth )
ODI MATCH – 5/22 ( 1980 v England , Adelaide )

5. MITCHELL STARC (AUSTRALIA) – 160.4 km/hr (99.7 mph)

• Mitchell Aaron Starc (born 30 January 1990) is an Australian international cricketer , who plays for the Australian national team .He is a left-arm fast bowler and a capable lower order left-handed batsman . He was a prominent member of the victorious Australian squad that won the 2015 Cricket World Cup and was declared Player of the Tournament as a result of his consistent performances.
• From many years , his main weapon for taking wickets is his unplayable toe-crushing yorkers with reverse swing . We can say that he is a big match player as he took most number of wickets in both 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cup with 22 and 27 scalps .
• He has taken 255 wickets in 61 Test mathes , 195 wickets in 99 ODI’s and 60 wickets in 48 T20I’s so far in his tremendous career . Starc has been representing Australia from 2010 across all formats .
• On 15 November 2015, Starc delivered one of the fastest deliveries in Test match, of 160.4 km/h against Ross Taylor of New Zealand in Perth . He is considered one of the world’s fastest bowler in the world currently .

MITCHELL STARC’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 11/94 ( 2016 v Sri Lanka, Galle )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 6/50 ( 2016 v Sri Lanka, Galle )
ODI MATCH – 6/28 ( 2015 v New Zealand , Auckland )
T20I MATCH – 3/11 ( 2012 v Pakistan , Dubai )

4. JEFFREY THOMPSON (AUSTRALIA) – 160.6 km/hr (99.8 mph)

• Jeffrey Robert Thomson (born 16 August 1950) is a former Australian cricketer , considered by many in the sport to be the world’s fastest bowler in cricket history . Thomson had an unusual but highly effective slinging delivery action that he learned from his father.
• In December 1975, after the second test match against the West Indies at the WACA , he was timed with a release speed of 160.45 km/h using highly accurate, high-speed Photo-Sonics cameras.
• He took 200 wickets in 51 Test matches , 55 wickets in 50 matches . Thomson represented Australia from 1972-85 in both the formats .Jeff Thomson bowled his fastest ball at 160.6 kmph on the fastest pitch in the world at Perth against the West Indies in 1975 series.

JEFFREY THOMPSON’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 9/105 ( 1974 v England , Brisbane )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 6/46 ( 1974 v England , Brisbane )
ODI MATCH – 4/67 ( 1978 v West Indies , Antigua )

3. BRETT LEE (AUSTRALIA) – 160.8 km/hr (99.9 mph)

• Brett Lee (born 8 November 1976) is an Australian former international cricketer ,  who played all three formats of the game. During his international career, Lee was recognized as one of the world’s fastest bowler in cricket history . Lee played for the Australian team that won the 2003 World Cup .
• Lee was known for his pace and regularly clocked 140 km/h (87 mph) and above. He also broke wickets of many great batsmen with his great speed . No one can forget his great battles with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar .
• The strain of consistently bowling at 150 km/h (93 mph) caused a string of stress fractures and recurring injuries and forced him to alter his strategy, which he amassed effectively.
• He took 310 wickets in 76 Test matches , 380 wickets in 221 ODI’s and 28 wickets in 25 T20I’s. Lee represented Australia from 1999-2012 across all the formats .
• His fastest ball was clocked at 160.8 km/h (99.9 mph) against New Zealand in the 5th ODI at Napier , 2005 .

BRETT LEE’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 9/171 ( 2008 v New Zealand , Adelaide )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 5/30 ( 2005 v West Indies , Brisbane )
ODI MATCH – 5/22 ( 2006 v South Africa , Melbourne )
T20I MATCH – 3/23 ( 2012 v West Indies , Barbados )

2. SHAUN TAIT (AUSTRALIA) – 161.1 km/hr (100.1 mph)

• Shaun William Tait (born 22 February 1983) is a former Australian professional cricketer . He played as a right arm fast bowler and represented Australia in all three forms of cricket, but had most success in One Day Internationals . He was considered one of the world’s fastest bowler in the history of cricket when he was at peak of his career .
• Dubbed “The Wild Thing”, during his career Tait was considered one of the fastest bowlers in the world , regularly bowling at speeds up to 155 km/h . During a Twenty20 international match in February 2010 Tait bowled a ball measured at 160.7 km/hr, the fastest ball ever recorded in Australia.
• He took 5 wickets in 3 Test matches , 62 wickets in 35 ODI’s and 28 wickets in 21 T20I’s . Shaun Tait represented Australia from 2005-2016 across all formats .
• The second fastest ball at 161.1km/hr bowled in the history of cricket was bowled by Australia’s Shaun Tait against England in the 5th ODI at Lords in 2010. 

SHAUN TAIT’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 3/97 ( 2005 v England , Nottingham )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 3/97 ( 2005 v England , Nottingham )
ODI MATCH – 4/35 ( 2007 v South Africa , St. Lucia )
T20I MATCH – 3/13 ( 2010 v Pakistan , Melbourne )

1. SHOAIB AKHTAR (PAKISTAN) – 161.3 km/hr (100.2 mph)

• Shoaib Akhtar (born 13 August 1975) is a Pakistani former cricketer who is the world’s fastest bowler in cricket history . He tops our list of TOP 10 WORLD’S FASTEST BOWLER IN CRICKET HISTORY .
• He is the fastest bowler in the history of international cricket having bowled a delivery at 161.3 km/h (100.23 mph), in an ODI against England – a pool match during the 2003 Cricket World Cup at Cape Town .
• Akhtar troubled almost every other batsmen he played against with his raw pace . One of the best example is his great spell against MS Dhoni . He also has a nickname “Rawalpindi Express”, in reference to his speed and hometown .
• He took 178 wickets in 46 Test matches , 247 wickets in 163 ODI’s and 19 wickets in 15 T20I’s.
• He was also the first bowler to be recorded bowling at 100 miles per hour and did so twice in his career. That is why he was considered as the world’s fastest bowler in the history of cricket .

SHOAIB AKHTAR’S CAREER BEST BOWLING FIGURES IN:
TEST MATCH – 11/78 ( 2003 v New Zealand , Wellington )
TEST MATCH INNINGS – 6/11 ( 2002 v New Zealand , Lahore )
ODI MATCH – 6/16 ( 2002 v New Zealand , Karachi )
T20I MATCH – 3/38 ( 2010 v New Zealand , Auckland )

CONCLUSION

Since , Shoaib Akhtar has the highest average speed in world cricket and also bowled the fastest ball in cricket history , therefore Shoaib Akhtar is the World’s fastest bowler in cricket history . And below is the detailed list of TOP 10 world’s fastest bowler in cricket history and fastest balls bowled by them:

QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHO IS  YOUR FAVOURIE WORLD'S FASTEST BOWLER IN THE WORLD?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Who is the No. 1 Bowler in the World Cricket History of T20I’s , ODI’s and Tests ?

Different people have different definitions of the No. 1 bowler in the world cricket . But one of the most common , simplest and logical way to rank all the bowlers is to look at the numbers . Like batters are judged on the basis of their runs scored . Similarly , the bowlers have always been judged on the amount of wickets taken by them . Therefore , No. 1 bowler in the cricket history in all formats as per the total wickets taken by them is :

Muttiah Muralitharan in Test and ODI cricket

• Murali (Born 17 April 1972 Kandy, Ceylon) is a former Sri Lankan cricket player , who is regarded as one of the greatest and most successful bowlers ever to play international cricket. His role was of a right-arm off break bowler , which he played very successfully throughout his long career of 19 years from 1992 – 2011 .
• He is the only bowler to take 800 test wickets and 530+ (534) ODI wickets. He also took 13 wickets in T20I’s .
• As of January 2022 , he has taken more wickets in international cricket than any other bowler. That is why he can be considered the no. 1 bowler in the world in Test as well as ODI cricket .

Shakib Al Hasan in T20I cricket

• Shakib Al Hasan  (born 24 March 1987), is a Bangladeshi international cricketer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest all-rounders of all time . He has been serving as the backbone of Bangladesh Cricket team from the year 2006 .
• Shakib is a left-handed middle order batsman and left-arm off-spin bowler. Shakib became the first and only cricketer in history to be ranked the ‘No.1 all-rounder’ by ICC in its Player Rankings in all three formats of the game .
• In 59 Test matches , 215 ODI matches and 94 T20I matches , he took 215 , 277 and 117 wickets respectively . As of January 2022 , Shakib’s 117 is the highest number of wickets taken by any individual in T20I cricket history.

2. What are the different types of cricket bowlers ?

There are two major types of cricket bowlers i.e. Pace/Seam and Spin . Pace bowlers usually with speed and  dismiss batsmen, whereas spin bowlers rely on the rotation and turn of the ball. Further these two categories can be split into numerous and unique kinds :

• Swing is a major component of fast bowling and itself needs a separate mastery to control it. There are some bowlers who specialise either in out-swing or in-swing only . Some bowlers have the ability of swinging the ball both ways .
• Pace/Seam bowlers can be categorized into different groups as per their speed :

• Spin Bowlers can be categorized into the following :

3. Who are the TOP 10 World bowlers including all the formats of Cricket ?

Here is the last of all-time Top 10 wicket-takers in world cricket including all the formats of cricket:

4. Who are the Top 10 Australian fast bowlers in Test Cricket history ?

• The list of World’s fastest bowler in cricket history is clearly dominated by the Australian fast bowlers as half of the pacers are Australians only . This list includes great fast bowlers like :
  • Jeffrey Thompson ( 1972-85 )
  • Brett Lee ( 1999-2012 )
  • Mitchell Johnson ( 2005-2015 )
  • Shaun Tait ( 2005-2016 )
  • Mitchell Starc ( 2010-present )
• But the greatness of a fast bowler is judged by his contribution for the team to win matches and the ability to take wickets rather than just bowling fast . A fast bowler cannot take wickets only with his ruthless speed . It takes a lot more than that . They should have different plans for different batters , accurate line and length etc.
• Like others in the world , the success of a fast bowler too is judged by their numbers i.e. total wickets taken by them . According to this , the list of the top 10 Australian fast bowlers in Test cricket history is as follows :

5. Who scored the fastest 200 in ODI cricket history?

• Chris Gayle, (born 21 September 1979) is a former West Indian cricketer who played international cricket for the West Indies from 1998 to 2021.
• In February 2015, Christopher Henry Gayle became the fourth cricketer to score a double century in ODIs, and the first ever to do so in World Cup history . It was the fifth and the fastest double century in ODI history .
• He made 215 during a pool game against Zimbabwe in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in Canberra on 24th Feb ’15 .
• Gayle is the only player in world cricket to hit a triple hundred in Tests, a double hundred in ODIs and a hundred in Twenty20 Internationals.

LIST OF DOUBLE CENTURIES MADE IN ODI HISTORY

6. Who bowls in cricket and what is meant by the term fast bowling ?

• Cricket is a sport played majorly on the pitch where two wickets are on the opposite ends . Bowler needs to deliver the cricket ball towards the batter who then has to score runs or defend the ball accordingly . Therefore , bowler is the one who bowls in cricket to the batter .
• Bowlers can throw the ball towards the batter in many ways as per their comfort and strengths discussed above .
• One of those ways is fast bowling . In this , a bowler generates the momentum from his long run-up and transfer it to the ball when he reaches the popping crease . This allows him to bowl faster balls to the batter . Whenever a player bowls fast (around 120 -160 kmph) to a batter, it is called fast bowling and he/she is referred as a fast bowler .
• Generally , speed of medium-fast bowlers varies between 120 – 140 kmph . And here comes our FAST bowlers who ranges from 140 – 160 kmph (believe it or not ) .

7. Which bowler is fastest to 100 test wickets in test cricket history ?

GEORGE ALFRED LOHMANN ( Born 2 June 1865 , England ) holds the record for the fastest 100 wickets in Test for the last 126 years . He was a right-handed medium fast bowler who played for England for a decade from 1886 to 1896 .

His 100th wicket came against South Africa at Johannesburg on. He took only 16 matches to accomplish the feat .

LIST OF TOP 4 FASTEST BOWLERS TO 100 TEST WICKETS