Top 10 All-time Greatest bowlers in Cricket

Cricket the Batsmen’s game has seen many greats in the role of batsmen ranging from the Great Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Viv Richards to Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting the legends of current era to un-conventional hard hitters of the cricketing ball in the modern day cricket MS Dhoni, Chris Gayle,AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli. There are so many of them who mercilessly murdered the cricket bowl and bowlers But, we bring to you the guys Gutsy big heart fellows who made sure every run these men with bats scored was hard earned. In short we bring to you all time greatest bowlers who held the balls in their hands and the guys with the bats had fear in their eyes to see them run in. The list follows: 1.Muttiah Muralithan (SriLanka) Muttiah Muralithan the Sri Lankan off-spinner termed the King of Spin has redefined the word bowling for the cricketing world. The Lankan with his big eyes seemed to have the stumps always in his eye sight. Murali has a whopping 1347 wickets in his nearly 20 years International career that in itself is enough to make him the best bowler in the world of cricket but no only that but his feat of achieving 800 test wickets is almost an un-touchable figure. Murali was not a usual spinner who would give away a few runs to take wickets he would make the batsman dance to his tunes and wind them in his spin webs. His journey was not as easy as it seems often his vital variation the “doosra” would come under suspicion and was checked for his action by the ICC too but nothing could stop him and he came out clean and cricket was the winner in the end it is a real privilege to have seen someone like him bowl. Murali ran in with an intense look big eyes batsmen would lose it to him that moment he successfully ran through the defence of almost every batsmen that faced him that is Muttiah Muralitharan for you the best Bowler in Cricket. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 M Muralitharan(Asia/ICC/SL) 1992-2011 495 583 63132 30803 1347 22.86 2.92 46.8 77 22 2.Shane Warne(Australia) Shane Warne the leg-spinner hailing from Australia is undoubtedly the best leg-spinner in the World and the Best Bowler to don the Australian hat. Warne had a good start to his cricketing career but soon he was in the predictable range of batsmen and would go for runs than get wickets he was an easy picking. This made way for invention of the vicious Zooter this bowl was the one that got Warne most wickets in his career Warne became an altogether different bowler his ball would turn so much that it was hard to believe our eyes often he would fool batsmen with his turn and variation that the batsmen would think of the ball to pass away without troubling him and the ball instead took his stumps with it. Shane Warne no doubt is second best to Murlitharan but Warne is a legend himself 1001 wickets at an overall economy of 2.9 makes him the choice for the 2nd Best bowlers slot. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 SK Warne(Aus/ICC) 1992-2007 339 464 51347 25536 1001 25.51 2.98 51.2 38 10 3.Anil Kumble(India) Anil Kumble the Indian spin bowling Wizard has got 956 International wickets Kumble has the third highest wickets in International Cricket. Anil neither had the accuracy of Murali nor the turn of Warne and still he is as highly rated bowler as anyone of them. Kumble started his career as a medium pace bowler but to very little success so at one point he had to make this call and decided to switch to spin his Googly’s were best disguised his wrong un’s were rarely picked his speed would do in most of the batsman and the balls that spun were surprise for most as they turned at a great speed. Accuracy, commitment and determination to give his best for the team make Anil Kumble the legend he is today. There can never be a best bowlers list without Anil Kumble in it so we rank him 3rd. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 A Kumble(Asia/India) 1990-2008 403 501 55346 28767 956 30.09 3.11 57.8 37 8 4.Glenn McGrath(Australia) Glenn McGrath the Right-arm fast-medium Australian bowler is on the 4th spot in our list. McGrath was a bowler who bowled bang on at the off-stump line considered ideal place for a fast bowler to bowl and he did that with unmatched accuracy and immaculate length made him grab an overall 949 wickets in International cricket without him being the most express or the one who swung the ball much. To overcome his short comings he soon mastered the art of bowling off-cut and bouncers, McGrath was known to specialize in taking the opposition’s biggest wickets and removing the threat before it dwelled. McGrath reached the high of his career with a bowling figure of 7 for 15 against Namibia and he rewrote the World Cup record-books in 2003.McGrath thus became the greatest Australian fast bowler of his time and one of the greatest of all times by beating Courtney Walsh’s 519 wickets record and simultaneously become the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers. McGrath was the first fast bowler from Australia to play 100 ODI matches. He was adjudged the Man of the Tournament during Australia’s successful World Cup campaign in 2007, which marked his final one-day appearance too. This is Glenn McGrath profiled for you. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 GD McGrath(Aus/ICC) 1993-2007 376 493 42266 20656 949 21.76 2.93 44.5 36 3 5.Waseen Akram(Pakistan) Wasim Akram the Left-arm faster from Pakistan is regarded as the best left-arm fast bowler of all time by almost everyone who has analysed cricket. Akram had that unbelievable unparalleled mastery over swinging and seaming the bowl and he would sometimes move the ball both ways in the same delivery. The batsmen could rarely play him when he was in his rhythm and if ever there was assistance from the wicket Akram would blow apart any batting line-up up against him. His deliveries came at high speed from a quick and ball-concealing action to hide the shine from the batsmen to make them helpless as to which way the ball would swing, and is backed by the threat of a dangerous bouncer that could come out of nowhere and leave the batsmen gasping or his deceptive slower delivery he possessed it all in his armoury. Akram reached the 500-wicket landmark in ODIs in the 2003 World Cup and reached an unbelievable feat with this. One cannot simply find someone who has so much control over the cricket ball that Akram had and is an all-time Great bowler and a Legend in his field. Wasim Akram deservingly grabs the 5th spot here. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 WasimAkram(Pak) 1984-2003 460 532 40813 21591 916 23.57 3.17 44.5 31 5 6.SM Pollock(South Africa) Shaun Pollock the Right-arm fast-medium bowler and an efficient lower order Right-hand batsman Pollock represented RSA in International cricket and gave his team all he had in him won them numerous matches. Pollock for most of the part of his career had Alan Donald as his bowling partner and any bowler would get either carried away by it or would feel the pressure to live up to Donald’s standards but Pollock with his bowling ability his always reliable accurate line and length even had Donald competition. Pollock was probably the straightest bowler in world cricket he could bowl day in day out with same vigour and stamina at the same line, Pollock was not a mere straight bowler but was able to move the ball both ways that too at a lively pace. Injuries and age did Pollock in his nagging brilliance around off stump stayed but, his pace and ability to take wickets at the top of the order evaded him and so did his spot in the team eventually he had to retire. Pollock became the first South African to take 400 Test wickets and no further explanation required to explain his spot in the list. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 SM Pollock(Afr/ICC/SA) 1995-2008 423 510 40308 19673 829 23.73 2.92 48.6 21 1 7.Waqar Younis(Pakistan) This Right-arm fast bowler is the pride of the nation Pakistan Waqar along with his bowling partner Wasim could be termed the best new bowl bowling duo. His ability to move the ball was impeccable and we can term him the man who bought this reverse into conventional swing. The late in swing deliveries that he bowled with immense control and pace had done in many the way he changed the pattern of fast bowling which was once focused on bowling at the body of the batsmen short of length Waqar changed it forever with his aiming at stumps deliveries which either broke the root of the stumps or the toe if ever it came his way. At the start of his career he was one of the fastest bowler ever which soon made way for his skilled art of swing bowling. Waqar has the best strike rate among any bowler with over 200 Test wickets the inventor of reverse swing is ranked 7th. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 Waqar Younis(Pak) 1989-2003 349 412 28922 18707 789 23.7 3.88 36.6 35 5 8.Chaminda Vaas(Sri Lanka) Chaminda Vaas whose full name reads to (Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas) was a Left-arm fast-medium bowler for his home country the beautiful Island country of Sri Lanka Vaas is literally the most penetrative and successful new-ball bowler the country has ever produced. Vaas possess the art of swinging and seaming the ball with skill and with lot of success too. Vaas though had a lot of tricks up his sleeve but the one that got him most wickets would surely be his trademark delivery which was the late in dipper, along with this Vaas also had a very effective disguised off cutter he also had reverse-swing in his armoury. Vaas can be termed the best seamer for SriLanka and is Sri Lanka’s second-most successful bowler – after the legen Muttiah Muralitharan. Vaas gets hold of the 8th spot. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 WPUJC Vaas(Asia/SL) 1994-2009 439 520 39345 21643 761 28.44 3.3 51.7 16 2 9.C Walsh(WI) Courtney Andrew Walsh the Right-arm fast bowler from the West Indies is probably the best amongst the massively charged pace battery the West Indies have had. Walsh was a workhorse at the start of his career when he had Curtly Ambrose or Malcolm Marshall as the sphere heads and would be the leaders going in for the kill. Walsh has an immense record of 519 Test wickets and has bowled a huge 30,019 balls which exclude the overs he bowled for his first class sides Gloucestershire and Jamaica. With experience and exposure to International cricket Walsh grew stronger and wilier as he grew in age too. Walsh had a huge frame and would bowl with his unorthodox action from a height in excess of 10 feet’s but, he was hugely economical in his bowling. Walsh had great opening partnerships with Ambrose the two have an unimaginable 421 wickets between them in the part of cricket they have played together. Walsh surely deserves this 9th spot as the best bowler in cricket. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 CA Walsh(WI) 1984-2001 337 446 40841 19606 746 26.28 2.88 54.7 23 3 10.B Lee(Australia) This Right-arm fast bowler for Australia is till date one of the fastest bowlers in International Cricket Brett Lee excelled for Australia with his express speed. In his career of 76 matches he finished as Australia’s fourth-most successful bowler with 310 wickets. Lee had this ability to bowl out swingers with the new ball and reverse the mode of swing with the older ball. Lee had other great in McGrath as his bowling partner for the most part but once McGrath hung his shoes Lee took up the charge and lead Australian bowling attack with immense success. Lee is surely one of the finest bowlers in world cricket with his speed and swing he could rip apart any batting line up, up against them. Brett Lee stands tall as the 10th best bowler in Cricket history with an overall 718 wickets in his International Career. Stats: Player Span Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 B Lee(Aus) 1999-2012 322 392 28261 19145 718 26.66 4.06 39.3 19 0 Here we conclude the list of top 10 all-time great bowlers in International Cricket. CricTracker Senior Staff Report.

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