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

Today , I am going to inform you about the fastest bowler in the World 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 and the fastest bowler in the world 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” . He represented New Zealand in Tests , ODI and Twenty 20 International cricket .
• 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.

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 fastest bowlers not only of Pakistan but also in world cricket .
• 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.

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 aggressive fast bowlers in the history of international cricket . His various fights with opponent batsmen also shows his competitive spirit and intensity in the game .
• 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 .

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. Edwards was considered to be one of the fastest bowlers ever in world cricket .
• He took 165 wickets in 55 Test matches , 60 wickets in 50 ODI’s and 20 wickets in 26 T20I’s .

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 .
• 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 in 1975.

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.
• 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 a Test match, of 160.4 km/h against Ross Taylor of New Zealand .

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 fastest bowler of 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.

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 fastest bowlers in the world. 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. 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 2005 .

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 .
• 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 at Lords in 2010. 

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 FASTEST BOWLER IN THE WORLD CRICKET HISTORY.
• He is the fastest bowler in the world cricket history 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 .
• Akhtar has a nickname “Rawalpindi Express”, in reference to his speed and hometown, and “Tiger”.
• 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.

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 fastest bowler in the world cricket history . And below is the detailed list of TOP 10 and the fastest bowler in the World cricket history and fastest balls bowled by them:

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