14 Most Deadly fast bowlers in the history of Cricket

14 Most Deadly fast bowlers in the history of Cricket: Fierce, Venomous and intimidating. Fast bowling is all about letting the batsman know that he is in a contest and a tough one at that. There have been many bowlers who have terrorized batsmen on a cricket field. And there is no more beautiful sight in world cricket than a genuine pace bowler sneaking past the batsman’s defense and uprooting that middle stump. For pace bowling, you need not necessarily be world class but you have to be scary. It can be your pace, your wicket-taking ability, your sheer consistency or just the impact you have on the game or the batsmen’s psyche. Let us look at 14 Most Deadly bowlers in the history of Cricket: 1. Joel Garner ‘BIG BIRD’ – West Indies Tests- 58, Wickets- 259, Average- 20.97 Joel Garner. (Photo Source: Getty Images) When this lighthouse of a man delivered, his balls it seemed like they were hailstones hurtling down from a dark heaven. At 6 feet 8 inches, Joel Garner was one scary human specimen. He could make the ball bounce up from the good length, ushering in the era of helmets in professional cricket. Add to that a real toe-crunching yorker and you have a slightly oversized cruise missile at your disposal. The fact that West Indies used him as their number four bowler should be enough to tell you how fantastic the other three were. 2. Waqar Younis – Pakistan Tests – 87, Wickets – 373, Average- 23.56 Waqar Younis. (Photo Source: Vic Isaacs) If Imran was the one who developed it and Wasim the one who exploited it, then it was truly Waqar who used the reverse swing to a devastating effect. Pitching it menacingly fast and full, Waqar aimed for the base of the leg stump and if the batsman’s toes came in the way, well, that was just collateral damage. He was single-handedly responsible for getting Nike and Adidas more business as batsmen of his generation stocked in quality shoes to protect their ankles from those 93 mph cruising missiles of his. 3. Wes hall – West Indies Tests- 48, Wickets- 192, Average- 26.38 Former West Indian pacer Wes Hall. (© Getty Images) When the regular opening bowler of a Barbados club failed to turn up in a club game in the 1950s, wicketkeeper-batsman Wesley Hall was given the new ball. Thus was born the first great Caribbean speed demon. He was a scary sight for batsmen world over, as he hurtled his tall, muscular frame to deliver fast and accurate deliveries. During the Lord’s Test he bowled unchanged for 3 and a half hours, unprecedented for an express bowler. He still bowled quick enough to break Colin Cowdrey’s arm during his extended spell. 4. Allan Donald ‘The White lightning’ – South Africa: Tests – 72, Wickets – 330, Average – 22.25 Allan Donald. (Photo Source: The Cricketer International) On the field, he was simply the devil incarnate, mocking world-class batsmen with bouncers and threatening blows to the body like a high-school bully. The Apartheid ban on South Africa meant that Donald lost some of his best years toiling in the first-class circuit, unable to play at the top level. But when he finally got the chance to play Test cricket at 26, he looked in a hurry to make up for lost time. Frighteningly accurate and amazingly quick, Donald was the fastest of his age and as the batsmen soon found out, not one of the friendliest either. 5. Curtly Ambrose – West Indies Tests – 98, Wickets – 405, Average – 20.99 Curtly Ambrose. (Photo Source: ESPNcricinfo Ltd) Tall, menacing and fiery – Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose was lethality personified. No one of his generation bowled faster and with greater ferocity. When Ambrose released the ball from some 100 feet above the ground, the batsman could do just three things- pray, pray and pray some more. Ambrose had a devastating jaw-ripping bouncer, coupled with a pace that made it seem unfair for the batsman to try and survive. 6. Jeff Thompson – Australia Tests- 51, Wickets – 200, Average – 28.00 ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – 1982: Jeff Thompson of Australia bowls a delivery during the Third Cricket Test between Australia and England 1982 in Adelaide, Australia. (photo by Adrian Murrell/Getty Images). One of the fastest ever, Thomson was bold and lethal enough to be considered one of the best bowlers in the world at a time when the West Indian pace quartet was at the height of its powers. Thomson’s name was enough to scare the hell out of any opposition in the 1970s. He regularly bowled in excess of 95 mph, often reaching tantalisingly close to the ever-elusive 100. 7. Brett Lee – Australia Tests – 46, Wickets – 238, Average – 23.21 Brett Lee. (Photo Source: PA Photos) In terms of sheer speed, there are only a few who can match up to this blonde bombshell. For over a decade, Brett Lee was relentless in churning out the fastest deliveries in the history of cricket and having a personal contest with Shoaib Akhtar over being called the fastest ever. He might not have had the accuracy of a McGrath or the penetration of Lillee but he had the heart of a lion that enabled him to bowl quick even in his post-30s. 8. Dale Steyn – South Africa Tests – 82, Wickets – 406, Average – 22.53 Dale Steyn. (Photo Source: AFP) In the list of dangerous fast bowlers Dale Steyn’s name will surely appear in the top 5. He seems to have taken over the mantle from Allan Donald in making batsman wet their trousers on consistent basis. On his day, Steyn can bowl at a whirlwind pace, generating an unbelievable amount of bounce and make batsmen rethink their decision of taking up cricket in the first place. 9. Harold Larwood – England Tests – 21, Wickets – 78, Average – 28.35 Harold Larwood. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Controversy’s favourite child, he was the tormentor-in-chief in the infamous Bodyline Tour, where he took a phenomenal 33 wickets in 4 Tests, dismissing the great Bradman 4 times. When he refused to apologize for the Bodyline tactics as he was just obeying his captain’s orders, he was never selected for England again. One of the game’s greatest fast bowlers ever, his career was brutally over at the age of just 28. 10. Dennis Lillee – Australia Tests- 70, Wickets – 355, Average – 23.92 Denis Lillee. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Lillee has to be the most ‘complete’ bowler to have graced the game. In his early days, he was all-out pace, with a riotous rage and uncontrollable, unfathomable aggression. He was fast, accurate and had modelled himself on the West Indian greats of the past. Returning from a career-threatening spinal fracture, Lillee continued with the same amount of venom in his bowling as before; a testament to his sheer greatness. Any mention of fast bowling is just incomplete without the mention of the incomparable Dennis Lillee. 11. Mitchell Johnson – Australia Tests 73, Wickets – 313, Average 28.40 Mitchell Johnson bowls with the slingy action and can be dangerous with ball swinging in both ways and also has a variety of yorkers to hit batsmen. (Photo Source: Getty Images) He is the most deadly fast bowler in present cricket. Only Dale Steyn comes close in terms of ability to dent the batsman’s confidence like none other. He got 37 wickets in the 2013 Ashes at home at a fantastic average of 13.97 and was extremely lethal. With a slinging action, Johnson consistently touches the 150 kph mark and his brutal short deliveries that set him apart from the other pace bowlers. Be very alert while facing him or you could soon find yourself in the hospital. 12. Shoaib Akhtar – Pakistan Tests – 46, Wickets – 178, Average – 25.69 Shoaib Akhtar. (© Getty Images) The fastest ever bowler in cricket history Shoaib Akhtar is to batsmen what a ghost movie is to kids. He burst onto the scene with a Thomson-like slinging action, and a superb wrist movement. Shoaib, who was famous for his really long run-ups, was a terror amongst even the best batsmen. The speedster created history during the 2003 World Cup, when he delivered the fastest ball of his career, which clocked 161.3 Kph. More often than not, batsmen failed to even see the ball, let alone play it. The pace was unparalleled, the consistency remarkable and the aggression simply scary. 13. Andy Roberts – West Indies Tests – 47, Wickets – 202, Average – 25.61 One of the genuinely fastest and scary bowlers and leader of the famous West Indian pace quartet of 1980s. (Photo Source:Hampshire County Cricket Club) What made Andy Roberts truly scary was not his 97 mph pace or his relentless aggression, but the fact that he never let any emotion show on his face. The batsmen were always clueless about what this Antiguan assassin was thinking. Roberts was the perfect combination of raw pace and controlled accuracy. He was the benchmark used by Clive Lloyd to build his devastating pace quartet that terrorized the batsmen world over for well over a decade. Sometimes his fast booming bouncers were almost unplayable. 14. Michael Holding – West indies Tests – 60, Wickets – 249, Average – 23.68 Michael Holding. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Patrick Eagar Collection via Getty Images) Wisden says no one in the game has bowled faster. His one legendary over to the great Geoff Boycott in 1981 has been often dubbed as the ‘most ferocious, fastest gambit of all time.’ His ability to bowl fast and straight even on dead pitches earned him respect and fear from all quarters. His mesmerising, long run-up where he moved stealthily towards the crease earned him his enigmatic nickname “Whispering Death”. Fast bowling wouldn’t have been what it is today if it wasn’t for Michael Holding. Also read: 6 Batsmen who have scored a double hundred and a duck in the same Test match

14 Most Deadly fast bowlers in the history of Cricket

14 Most Deadly fast bowlers in the history of Cricket: Fierce, Venomous, and intimidating.

9. Harold Larwood – England