Thursday, February 12, 2009

Top Ten Fast Bowlers of All Time in Cricket

It is really very hard to make a list of top ten fast bowlers of all time in cricket because there are many great fast bowlers in the history of cricket. Fast bowling is thought to be the earliest form of bowling in cricket. Many think that fast bowling means only speed and all the artistic features of bowling belong to spin bowling. It is really a false idea because becoming a fast bowler requires mastering a lots of techniques and arts like swing in the air, swing off the pitch, bounce, cutter etc. Here, I made a list of top ten greatest fast bowlers of all time and all of these players used these fast bowling arts during their illustrious career successfully. Before going through the list, I would like to tell you that many great cricketers were left out of the list and you do not need to agree with this list because you may have your own idea and thought. I appreciate your comment about the list.

Dennis Lillee

Dennis Lillee is one of the fastest bowlers and I think that he would come in top three of any kind of ranking of pace bowlers of all time. Lillee took 355 test wickets from 70 test matches, but you may wonder that 355 is not a big number. Yes, I agree with you, but at the same time, you have to remember that during his days, most cricketers could not play that much. He had his test debut on 29 January 1971 and he played for Australia for next 13 years. Lillee also took part in 63 ODI matches and he took 103 wickets. Lillee was considered to be very dangerous bowler and together with Jeff Thomson, he literally made the lift of England team hell on many occasions. In fact, England batsmen were often afraid of facing this duo.

Malcolm Marshall

Malcolm Marshall died in 1999 and it is almost 10 years that he has died. So, most people of this generation hardly know about him. If you could look at him, the first thing that would attract your attention that he was 5 feet 9 inches tall. Many people feel that a fast bowler should at least be 6 feet tall, but Malcolm Marshall proved this theory wrong and I can not remember any other bowler who could be more dangerous than him. He was considered to be a real by all the opposition teams of his time. He started playing from 1978 in test cricket and he played for 13 years. He took 376 wickets from 81 test matches. He was at his best during 1984-85 season and that time, he demolished almost all the countries in the world. I was surprised to see that Malcolm Marshall with such a small height, he was an effective bowler who could deliver bouncers at a regular basis. He was also great in swinging the ball in both directions.

Michael Holding

Michael Holding was a West Indian bowler and he took part just in 60 test matches. He captured 249 wickets and you may wonder that this record is nothing to be impressed about. However, the thing that attracted many fans was the he was very athletic and he was an expert of getting bounce from the pitch. Most batsmen at that time was afraid of facing holding and the golden time of West Indian cricket came when Holding was in top form. Holding also played for Derbyshire, Lancashire and even in Australia for Tasmania. Some people feel that Holding delivered the greatest over in Test Cricket in 1981.

Richard Hadlee

Richard Hadlee is from New Zealand was no doubt a great all rounder. However, he is much qualified for any list of top ten pace bowlers because of the sheer number of wickets he took. For some time, Hadlee held the record of highest test wicket of 431 and this record was surpassed later on by another great bowler Kapil Dev. Hadlee was also an excellent batsman and he scored more than 3,000 test runs. 36 times Hadlee took 5 wickets in an innings and 9 times he took 10 wickets in a match. This shows that how much he was impressive. His best bowling figure was 9 for 52. I admire Hadlee a lot and I appreciate him because at that time, there was no quality fast bowler in New Zealand team. In fact, New Zealand was a very weak team and there was hardly any world class player except Hadlee.

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram was famous as a true gentleman and his behavior both on and off the field was always praised by many people. He was a Pakistani players, but he was also very popular among many Indian fans. Wasim Akram had his test debut in 1985 and he played until 2002. Akram took part in 104 test matches and he captured 414 wickets. He was even more successful in ODI form of cricket. In just 365 matches he took 502 wickets. This was a record until last week when Muralitharan broke it. Wasim Akram had a lot of contribution in 1992 world cup when Pakistan became world champion. He was also great for his run up. He had a very short run, but he could deliver a ball very strongly. Akram is still popular now and he is now a cricket commentator for a TV channel.

Glenn McGrath

When I made this list, at first I thought that I would not include any player who is stil playing. Then I thought that how can I overlook Glenn McGrath who has taken more than 500 wickets in test cricket. In fact, Glenn McGrath is the highest wicket taker in Test cricket for any fast bowler. So, you can never make a list of top ten fast bowlers, omitting the fast bowler who has taken most wickets. McGrath had his debut in test in 1993 and he retired in 2007. He is still fit and is playing in Indian Premier League (IPL). McGrath played 124 test matches and he captured 563 test wickets. He was not that much successful in ODI cricket, but in ODI, he was a very economical bowler. During the time when McGrath played, Australia emerged as the top cricket team in the world and defeated every other team and broke many records. McGrath saw Australia capturing three world cup titles and he played an important role behind it.

Allan Donald

Allan Donald is from South Africa and he was nicknamed as the White Lightening. He could deliver ball very fast and he was good in getting swing from even a dead pitch. Donald had his test debut in 1992 when South Africa returned into world cricket after the abolition of apartheid. He achieved his best ICC ranking as a bowler in 1998. At that time, he was at his best form and in 1996-97, he along with Shaun Pollock demolished India. In fact, if you want to talk about Donald, sometimes you have to remember Shaun Pollock too. I am very happy to say that I saw Donald in action and he was really dangerous. He was very aggressive and he was never afraid of any kind of situation. No batsman could dominate on him and sometimes he could be really aggressive.

Courtney Walsh

Courtney Walsh played for 17 years from 1984 to 2001. It is an amazing achievement for any fast bowler. Compared to other bowlers, he suffered from injury muss less than others. It shows that Walsh was always fit and athletic. Here, I would like to remind you that Courtney Walsh started playing at a time when West Indies had some amazing fast bowlers like Marshall, Joel Garner and Curtley Ambrose. He had to compete with them to remain in the West Indies team. Many people thought that Ambrose was more dangerous than Walsh, but Walsh was very good at taking wicket very regularly. He could capture 519 wickets and for few years, he held the record of taking highest number of test wicket and that record was later on broken by Muttiah Muralitharan.

Joel Garner

Joel Garner was another West Indies great fast bowler. He was known as the Big Bird. He had impressive height and at the height of 6 feet 8 inches he could cause havoc in any batting line up. He just participated only in 58 test matches and took 259 wickets. Joel Garner had devastating effect on the batting line up of the opposition many times. He was loved by his countrymen for his excellent speed. In 1979 World Cup final against England, Joel Garner did something of a magic. In a spell, he took 5 wicket for just 4 runs.

Harold Larwood

You may wonder to see that former English pacer Harold Larwood has only 78 wickets in his 21-test career, but still I keep him in this list. Well, it is true that Larwood does not have lots of wickets like McGrath, Walsh or Hadlee, but the reason for which I have included Harold Larwood is because of his dominance over Australian cricket team starring great Sir Donald Bradman in 1930s. Harold Larwood is the mean who was instrumental behind the implementation of famous Bodyline bowling during 1932-33 Ashes Test series against Australia. Bradman’s Australia was at great form that time, but still, England team was able to win the series 4-1 mainly because of their bodyline bowling that caused a lot of problem for the visiting Australian team. Under Douglas Jardin’s leadership, England team used this technique in order to stop mainly Sir Don Bradman, and along with Bill Voce, Harold Larwood successfully implemented this controversial technique. Harold Larwood has an excellent first class record with 1,427 wickets from 361 matches.

129 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:21 PM

    Maan! How can you leave out names like Curtly Ambrose & Waqar Younis? They were the most feared bowlers of their era..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:22 AM

      yeah thats true, how can he ignore Ambrose and Waqar. Waqar was not only Fastest at his peak but also deadly and lethal against any batsman of their prime example how Waqar used to trap Brian Lara.

      Delete
    2. mine list would be
      1. Joginder Sharma
      2. balaji
      3.parveen kumar
      4.robin singh
      5.ashish nehra
      6. saurav ganguly
      7.glen macgrath
      8.umesh yadav
      9.brett lee
      10.suresh raina

      Delete
    3. mine list would be
      1. joginder sharma
      2. balaji
      3. parveen kumar
      4. robin singh
      5.ashish nehra
      6.saurav ganguly
      7. glen macgrath
      8.javagal srinath
      9. steve waugh
      10.debeshish mohanty

      Delete
  2. Anonymous10:35 AM

    How can u ignore indian legend agarkar or debashish mohanty....they both formed most feared patnerships of the game

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:50 AM

      teri maaa ki aankh..........

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:51 AM

      teri ma ki aankh

      Delete
    3. Anonymous2:39 AM

      Ha ha ha... do u really think agarkar was a dangerous bowler.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:18 AM

      kiya bol raha hai? sab Kapil to hai hi nahi ye sab kidhar se aaye re...

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:56 AM

      What a f*cking joke. Agarkar, Mohanty. Are you for real?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous6:20 AM

      Then why not Mashrafee or Ishant Sharma???

      Delete
    7. Anonymous9:13 AM

      lol

      Delete
  3. Anonymous2:25 PM

    Agarkar really and mohanty they were good i dont think so. India only had/have two star bowlers ever N. Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan.
    my list would be marshal akram VAAS garner holding mcgrath waquar pollock lilee FLINTOFF

    ReplyDelete
  4. Vishal5:13 AM

    Mine would be
    1.marshall
    2.garner
    3.ambrose
    4.hadlee
    5.lilee
    6.mcgrath
    7.akram
    8.walsh
    9.imran
    10.donald

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:16 AM

      no the world fastest bowler ever in cricket history is one rawalpindi express name
      SHOAIB AKHTAR

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:48 AM

      a worthy list..

      Delete
    3. Anonymous6:47 PM

      Perfect list

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:57 PM

      mine would be
      1 joginder sharma
      2 balaji
      3 parveen kumar
      4 ajit agarkar
      5 robin singh
      6 andrew symonds
      7 saurav ganguly
      8 sreesant
      9 tilakratne dilshan
      10 steve waugh

      Delete
  5. Where's Curtley Ambrose? He was the best I have ever seen as I haven't seen Holding or Lilee bowling.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10:32 AM

    akhtar???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:24 AM

      that's right

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2:26 AM

      that's wrong
      1.Dale steyn
      2.Brett lee
      3.shoaib akhtar
      4.umesh yadav
      5.r.p.singh
      6.shaun pollok
      7.glenn mcgrath
      8.dirk nannes
      9.shaun tait
      10.allan donald

      Delete
    3. Anonymous6:11 AM

      What kind of list you are making man? no wasim, no waqar, no hadlee. infact many bowlers dont deseve to be in the top 50 le umesh yadav and r.p singh

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:58 AM

      This list sucks. There's no Indian bowler whos ever been good enough for the top 10.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous3:55 PM

    shoaib akhtar

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous5:23 PM

    Imran Khan
    Waqar Younis
    Ambrose
    Jeff Thompson... They shud feature above Larwood...

    Dear friends,,, thanks for reminding.. we had one bowler name Mohanty...:) Agarkar one man of the match in career.. I can't digest people suggesting him before Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:21 PM

      Best comment made me laugh so much thanks

      Delete
  9. Anonymous12:42 AM

    Bullshit! The top ten fastest bowlers of all time are
    1) Thompson (aus)
    2) Lee aus
    3) Akhtar Pak
    4) MOHAMMAD NISSAR -ind (surprisingly but rated fastest in the world by len hutton
    5) Lilee
    6) Garner
    7) Ambrose
    8) Hadlee
    9) khan
    10 Akram

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous8:08 PM

    1 thomson
    2ambrose
    3 lillee
    4mcgrath
    5 holding
    6 marshall
    7 walsh
    8donald
    9 younis
    10 hadlee

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous3:05 AM

    1 Wasim Akram
    2 Dennis Lillee
    3 Glenn McGrath
    4 Waqar Younis
    5 Imran Khan
    6 Sir Ian Botham
    7 Michael Holding
    8 Shoaib Akhter
    9 Malcolm Marshall
    10 Mohammad Amir

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous3:08 AM

    1 Wasim Akram
    2 Glenn Mcgrath
    3 Sir Ian Botham
    4 Michael Holding
    5 Imran Khan
    6 Malcolm Marshall
    7 Waqar Younis
    8 Shoaib Akhter
    9 Allan Donald
    10 Mohammad Amir(junior Wasim Akram

    ReplyDelete
  13. HI EVERYBODY,
    here is the respective order, in which they were feared ! ( not in the order in which they played )
    GEOL GARNER
    MICHEAL HOLDING
    MALCOM MARSHAL
    CURTLY AMBROSE
    DENNIS LILLIE
    GEFF THOMPSON
    RICHARD HADLEE
    ALLAN DONALD
    WASIM ACKRAM
    IMRAN KHAN.

    if you are so particular that you should include indians, then :
    KAPIL DEV
    ZAHEER KHAN
    SREESAANT
    ISHANT SHARMA
    CHETAN SHARMA
    ROGER BINNY
    SREENATH
    AGARKAR AND DEBASHISH MOHANTY WILL NOT COME ANYWHERE IN THIS LIST, MY FREIND.....SORRY !

    SALIL KUMAR.P
    ADVOCATE
    COURT ROAD
    THALASSERY-670101

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous12:34 AM

    Kapil dev deserves to be there .... He was the leading wickettaker for many year's !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:45 AM

      being a leading wicket taker does not make him the greatest of all time

      Delete
  15. Anonymous4:25 PM

    John Snow and Curtly Ambrose have to be in it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous9:53 AM

    LISTEN GUYS

    DALE STEYN is the greatest bowler of all times
    this is bcoz he can bowl at any speed upto
    150 km/hr and can swing the new ball yards in
    both directions .
    he is a bowler of his own kind as he can swing the old ball conventionaly !!!!!!
    many bowlers required reverse swing to get wickets with the old ball , but this man gets
    it swinging conventionally on any track .
    moreover , he is one of the best exponents of reverse swing as well
    to prove it just check his bowling avg and strike rate . both are far better than all bowlers in the history of the game ...!!!!1
    SO HATS OFF TO DALE STEYN ..

    MY OTHER BOWLERS IN MY TOP FIVE ARE :

    WASIM AKRAM ( specealist in both reverse swing and conventional swing . also had the greatest yorkers to blow out batsmen )

    GLENN McGRATH ( nicknamed as the pigeon , this man had extreme control in his bowling . this man could bowl an excellent line and length 24 - 7 . he also seamed and moved well bowling in the corridor of uncertainty that could disturbe the best of the batsmen . )

    COURTENY WALSH
    ALLAN DONALD
    BRETT LEE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:11 AM

      u r my brother dale steyn is the best bowler in the world

      Delete
  17. Anonymous9:55 AM

    FUCK OFF EVERY ONE
    I AM THE BEST BOWLER
    TOOK 10 WICKETS 6 TIMES IN COLONY CRICKET

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:13 AM

      chup be

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:45 AM

      like it really mattered

      Delete
  18. Anonymous2:30 AM

    10 best bowlers of all time

    1. Kapil Dev.
    2. Glen Macgrath.
    3. Joel Garner.
    4. Wes Halls.
    5. Andy Roberts.
    6. Curtly Ambrose.
    7. Richard Hadlee.
    8. Michael Holding.
    9. Bob Willis.
    10. Steve Waugh.
    11. Ian Botham

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. u must be an indian.. LOL

      Delete
    2. Anonymous7:48 PM

      I think you are an indian that's why you placed Kapil Dev on top.
      But you forgot Wasim Akram Waqar Younus Chaminda Vas and your dad Shoaib Akhtar.

      Delete
    3. where is robin singh?

      Delete
    4. Qasim Ali11:56 AM

      as if kapil dev on top was not enough to make ur list hilarious, adding steve waugh made it a blast!! ;D

      Delete
    5. Anonymous1:04 PM

      1 joginder sharma
      2 balagi
      3 parveen kumar
      4 robin singh
      5 wasim akram
      6 saurav ganguly
      7 ashish nehra
      8 andrew symonds
      9 glen macgrath
      10 paul collingwood

      Delete
  19. Anonymous12:21 PM

    in the future, dale steyn will be on all the top 10 lists

    ReplyDelete
  20. ssjss8:11 AM

    dude where is imran khan?
    akram,malcolm,lilee,imran,mcgrath,garner,hadlee,syd barnes,fred trueman

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous6:44 AM

    Munaaf Patel...Fuck yeh

    HE IS PHASSSHT

    ReplyDelete
  22. FARMAN ALI CHEEMA
    1 Wasim Akram
    2 Dennis Lillee
    3 Glenn McGrath
    4 Waqar Younis
    5 Imran Khan
    6 Sir Ian Botham
    7 Michael Holding
    8 Shoaib Akhter
    9 Malcolm Marshall
    10 Mohammad Amir

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. amir is in jail for match fixing.. LOL

      Delete
  23. Harsh Thakor9:56 AM

    You have missed out Imran Khan,Andy Roberts and Curtly Ambrose.No paceman was as close to Lillee, in his era in terms of versatality and bowling skill as Andy Roberts,who in addition to great versatality,could cut back a 120 over old ball.Imran Khan was the best ever fast bowler of the old ball who obtained lethal pace and swing on the dead subcontinent surfaces and was the best match-winning pace bowler at his peak from 1982-1987 peformingly oustandingly in West Indies ,England and in Pakistan.In 1982-83 his bowlingwas phenomenal capturing 72 wickets in 12 tset matches at 114 runs apiece.Curtly Ambrose was the best match-winner amongst paceman in the modern era and the best on bad wickets,who obtained lethal bounce in addition to his phenomenal accuracy.Otherwise I appreciate your list contain sthe likes of Lillee,Marshall,Holding,Akram,Mcgrath and Hadlee.Lillee and Marshall,were the most complete,Mcgrath and Hadlee posessed the best control,Holding was consistently the fastest of all with the most perfect bowling action,Wasim Akram was the most versatile while Joel Garner,the most accurate and relentless.

    My tentative list in order of merit is
    1.Malcolm Marshall
    2.Dennis Lillee
    3.Glen Mcgrath
    4.Richard Hadlee
    5.Imran Khan
    6.Wasim Akram
    7.Curtly Ambrose
    8.Andy Roberts
    9.Michael Holding
    10.Joel Garner
    11.Waqar Younus
    12.Alan Donald
    13.Courtnel Walsh
    14.Kapil Dev
    15.Ian Botham

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:40 PM

      Agree with your comment regarding Imran. I disagree with your rating though. I would place Imran above Lillee and Hadlee becuase of the fact that they always avoided coming to sub-continent and their performances over here were pathetic to say the least. Marshall and Mcgrath have done well in these conditions so they are the complete bowlers. Imran, Wasim and Waqar would have had many more wickets had they got the slip fielders like Australia and West Indies.

      Delete
  24. Hello! You have missed out Kapil Dev and Curtly Ambrose. Kapil Dev was the leading wickettaker for many years.They were the most feared bowlers. Kapil Dev is the most gentle man. Kapil Dev is better than wasim akram and allan donald.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:49 AM

      You are an Indian mad, you don't understand game .

      Delete
  25. Anonymous8:22 AM

    Has nobody heard of Frank Tyson? The "typhoon" bowed out the Ausies in 1954/55 and was unplayable, and has been rated by batsman who played at that time as the fastest bower of all time.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous9:43 AM

    Fast as speedy fast?
    I don't think McGrath or Garner were express fast. If you are looking for skill + speed then you need to add Imran, Roberts, Ambrose, Frank Tyson (Richie Benaud rated him the quickest he's ever seen). There are so many it is really hard to make a list of just ten.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous9:53 AM

    how can you ignore hemang badani & rajesh chauhan

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous8:35 PM

    1. Joel Garner
    2. Dennis Lillie
    3. Shoaib Akthar
    4. Brad Lee
    5. jeff Thompson
    6. Shaun Tait
    7. malcolm Marshall
    8. Shane Bond
    9. Muhammad Sami
    10. Mitchell Johnson

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. what u smoking man ??? u full of doo doo

      Delete
  29. Anonymous9:34 AM

    1.Lillee
    2.Marshall
    3.Hadlee
    4.Holding
    5.Imran Kahn
    6.Thompson
    7.Lee
    8.Roberts
    9.Tyson
    10.Donald

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous2:49 PM

    fuck u all murli is the best of all time.

    ReplyDelete
  31. hey, i seriously doubt the cricketing knowledge of the person who compiled this list.he says" Mcgrath was not so successful in ODI."

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous4:22 AM

    how could you leave kapil dev u can think iam just joking but see his records in test cricket
    http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/30028.html

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous10:35 AM

    wasim akram
    mcgrath
    walsh
    waqar
    imran
    richard
    ambrose
    kapil
    warne
    murli
    this is perfect figure in all time fast & spin
    bowlers list mind it dont forget them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kapil ??? quit smoking joints buddy...

      Delete
  34. vijay pal singh11:21 PM

    hum top ten me ambrose or younis ko nahi bhul sakte



    curtley wals wickets credit goes to ambrose, because he put on the pressure on batsman and wals get wicket.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Goodness me....where is Brett Lee.....he is the most fearsome bowler in the present...and also Shaun Tait.....not that much abt Tait but Dale Steyn Should be in the list!!!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous8:16 PM

    1.r p singh
    2.dilhara fdrnando
    3.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous12:51 AM

    WHERE IS ZAKHEER KHAN

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous1:59 AM

    According to Mr. Gavaskar Imran Khan, Dennis lillee and Andy Roberts were the top three he ever faced.

    And for those who rate imran somewhere at the bottom I would recommend Simon Wilde´s book ``letting rip`` and Grantlee Kieza´s ´´ fast and furious´´.

    As for imran´s pace he came in third behind holding and thommo on a competition held to determine who the paciest of them all was. And at that time Imran hadn´t even reached his peak.

    Viv Richards , by his own admission, had to change his stance slightly on one occasion because Imran was bowling with extra pace.

    Greg Chappel, Gavaskar, Richards, Dennis lillee and that marvellous Indian batting line up of the early 80s remember very well what Imran was like at his peak.

    All this talk of 4 great all rounders very conveniently shifts focus away from fast bowling. Let it be said then, Imran was one of the very very best the game has ever seen.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous2:06 AM

    I, shakir hasnain, would subscribe to the opinions of Mr. Harsh Thakor. He has a fine understanding of the game. My list is as follows.

    Andy Roberts
    Michael holding ( who in my opinion was above the game )
    Dennis lillee
    Imran Khan
    Thommo
    Malcolm Marshall
    Wasim Akram
    Waqar Younis
    Garner
    Clarke
    Croft
    Hadlee

    I would also commend Mr. Thakor on his choice of the word ´´ tentative ´´.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous10:57 AM

    I havnt seen any indian bowler reaching 150 miles per hour and thier is no talent in indian line up as far as fast bowling is concern and zaheer khan is average medium pacer my 10 ten fast bowlers are.
    1.akhtar
    2.younis
    3.fillintoff
    4.lilli
    5.ambrose
    6.jeff thompson
    7.mcgrath
    8.holding
    9.ian botham
    10.imran khan

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous10:59 AM

    I havnt seen any indian bowler reaching 150 miles per hour and thier is no talent in indian line up as far as fast bowling is concern and zaheer khan is average medium pacer my 10 ten fast bowlers are.
    1.akhtar
    2.younis
    3.fillintoff
    4.lilli
    5.ambrose
    6.jeff thompson
    7.mcgrath
    8.holding
    9.ian botham
    10.imran khan

    ReplyDelete
  42. Anonymous7:45 AM

    Rubbish.Any list without'Fiery'Fred Trueman,first man to 300 test wickets and scourge of the Aussies and the Windies is no list at all.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Anonymous9:25 AM

    SHOAIB AKHTAR ?????

    ReplyDelete
  44. Anonymous10:33 AM

    Agreed with Mr. Harsh Thakor.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Anonymous9:27 PM

    malcolm marshall and curtly ambrose must be an automatic selection in any of all time list.then there will be likes of mcgrath,lille n others

    ReplyDelete
  46. Anonymous9:49 AM

    the fastest bowler of all time is michael holding, nobody can disagree, he got pace and bounce like no other. people say marshall was the quickest however he wasnt as quick as holding, he was just a 'skiddy' bowler . lillee and thompson were quick but not as quick as holding and marshall. akhtar,lee and tait are quick in todays game, but not in the same league as holding marshall lillee and thompson , these guys used to bowl 100 mph on a regular basis!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:33 AM

      Sorry to burst your bubble, I spoke to Joel Garner & he said Malcolm Marshall was only 90mph, approx. 145km/h. No doubt Holding & Thomson were 100+ mph & that was at the batsmans end, not out of the hand. I reckon Holding was max 165kph & Thomson was over 170kph. Dennis Lillee was no doubt as quick as Holding in 1974, before the back injury & I know in 1977 he was clocked at 155kmh which was at the batsmans end, quicker than any of the modern bowlers.

      Delete
  47. Anonymous10:08 AM

    1. Malcom Marshell.
    2. Denis lilee.
    3. Andy roberts.
    4. Wasim Akram.
    5. Ian Botham.
    6. Curtly Ambrose.
    7. Mcgrath.
    8. Richard Hadlee.
    9. Holding.
    10.Joel Garner.

    I think in my opinion this should be the fastesst bowler list of all time.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Anonymous8:43 PM

    How can you leave Bret Lee and Stuart Broad

    ReplyDelete
  49. Anonymous10:45 AM

    dennis lillee
    andy roberts
    michael holding
    malcolm marshall
    imran khan
    waqar younis
    joel garner
    colin croft
    wasim akram
    richard hadlee
    sylvester clarke
    john snow
    garth le roux
    fred trueman
    wes hall
    keith miller
    ray lindwall
    larwood
    thommo


    in no particular order !

    am leaving out most of the constrictors or the bowlers who preferred not to attack .

    ReplyDelete
  50. Anonymous8:33 AM

    Malcom Marshal
    Wasim akram
    Glen MaCgrath
    Alan Donald
    Curtley Ambrose
    Waquar Younis
    Chaminda Vaas
    Brett Lee
    Courtney Walsh
    Lasith Malinga/Dale Steyn

    ReplyDelete
  51. Anonymous8:47 AM

    how could andy roberts not be number 1 ???

    ReplyDelete
  52. No one can beat JAMES ANDERSON in this era.......

    ReplyDelete
  53. Prakash Mishra 3296:58 AM

    I am not very sure about older ones...especially those who bowled before 1996. My top 10 would only include fast bowlers of modern era i.e Post 1996..Let me consider various parameters like wicket taking capabilities, pace, ability to swing etc..
    thus my top 10 would be
    1. Glen McGrath (Aus)
    2. Wasim Akram (Pak)
    3. Allan Donald (S.Af)
    4. Courtney Walsh (W.I.)
    5. Curtly Ambrose (W.I.)
    6. Lashith Malinga( SL)
    7. Waqar Yunus (Pak)
    8. Zaheer Khan (Ind)
    9. Chaminda Vaas (SL)
    10. Dale Steyn (S.Af)
    Apart from these other bowlers worth mentioning in this era have been James Anderson,Steve Harminson, Shane Bond, Brett lee, Sohaib Akhtar, Javagal sreenath, Ajit Agarkar but they lacked the consistency..the above mentioned list contains the most feared fast bowlers of new era.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Anonymous7:07 AM

    I am not very sure about fast bowlers before 1996 but I reckon these to be spearheads for their teams in modern era

    Australia- G.McGrath, B.Lee, J.Gillespie, M.Johnson
    Newzealand- S.Bond, S.Doull

    West Indies- C.Walsh, C.Ambrose

    India- J.Srinath, Z.Khan, A.Agarkar

    South Africa- A.Donald, M.Ntini, D.Steyn
    Srlanka- C.Vaas, L.Malinga
    England- D.Gough, S.Harminson, J.Anderson
    Pakistan- W.Akram, S.Akhtar, W.Yunus, U.Gul, M.Amir (sadly)

    ReplyDelete
  55. Anonymous5:57 AM

    Good job, but I wud like to differ from you and my list of best fast bowlers( in no particular order) would be..
    Dennis Lillee
    Fred Trueman
    Malcolm Marshall
    Glenn McGrath
    Allan Donald
    Richard Hadlee
    Imran Khan
    Micheal Holding
    Curtly Ambrose
    Ray Lindwall....

    ReplyDelete
  56. Anonymous11:53 PM

    Wasim Akraam..<3

    ReplyDelete
  57. I've select every bowler's peak 6 years to see their performance an results are;

    10. Ambrose
    189 wkts at an avg of 20.24 with a s.r of 50.8 (1993-1998).
    9. Lillee
    203 wkts at an avg of 22.17 with a s.r of 45.9 (76-81)

    8. Holding
    151 wkts at an avg of 21.61 with a s.r 45.9 (81-86)
    7. McGrath
    286 wkts at an avg of 20.5 with a S/R of 48.1 from 1995 to 2000.
    6. Wasim Akram
    195 wkts at an avg of 19.87 with a strike rate of 46.4 (1990-95).
    5. Hadlee
    222 wkts at an avg of 18.76 with a s.r of 46.1 (83-88).
    4. Donald
    233 wkts at an avg of 19.88
    with a s.r of 43.1 (95-00).
    3. Marshal
    238 wkts at an avg of 18.90 with s.r of 43.1
    2. Imran Khan
    154 wkts wkts at an avg of 14.85 with a s.r of 40.9 (81-86)
    1. Waqar Younus
    194 wkts at an avg of 20.02 with a s.r of 38.0 (90-95)

    The strike rate of Waqar and the average of Imran was unmatchable at their time of peak.I've select every bowler's peak 6 years to see their performance an results are;

    10. Ambrose
    189 wkts at an avg of 20.24 with a s.r of 50.8 (1993-1998).
    9. Lillee
    203 wkts at an avg of 22.17 with a s.r of 45.9 (76-81)

    8. Holding
    151 wkts at an avg of 21.61 with a s.r 45.9 (81-86)
    7. McGrath
    286 wkts at an avg of 20.5 with a S/R of 48.1 from 1995 to 2000.
    6. Wasim Akram
    195 wkts at an avg of 19.87 with a strike rate of 46.4 (1990-95).
    5. Hadlee
    222 wkts at an avg of 18.76 with a s.r of 46.1 (83-88).
    4. Donald
    233 wkts at an avg of 19.88
    with a s.r of 43.1 (95-00).
    3. Marshal
    238 wkts at an avg of 18.90 with s.r of 43.1
    2. Imran Khan
    154 wkts wkts at an avg of 14.85 with a s.r of 40.9 (81-86)
    1. Waqar Younus
    194 wkts at an avg of 20.02 with a s.r of 38.0 (90-95)

    The strike rate of Waqar and the average of Imran was unmatchable at their time of peak.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Waqar and Imran are really greatest fast bowlers, as Waqar was the master of swing yorker noone could play his yorker, and Imran was the founder of reverse swing. Passion came in cricket with his arrival and gone with his departure, I cannot forget his match winning performance.
    In last over Australia need just 3 runs and they have 3 wickets in hand, last over bowled by Imran and he the great man picked up all three wickets for just 1 run.
    Noone can be compared to Imran even Waqar or Lillee.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Anonymous12:11 AM

    Statistics mean nothing when analysing fast bowlers. One must remember Malcolm Marshall asked Dennis Lillee to teach him the out swinger & leg cutter. Marks off. One can argue that the West Indians always had 4 great pavement at the 1 time, hence they were bowles sparingly & picked up easy wickets once the damage was done. Dennis Lillee often had to carry the baton himself & was bowled into the ground, hence striker ate suffered. Those who played against him, including Sobers & the West Indian teams, including Viv Richards rate him No. 1. In my 40 years, the best are:

    ReplyDelete
  60. Anonymous12:20 AM

    1. Dennis Lillee
    2. Malcolm Marshall
    3. Richard Hadlee
    4. Wasim Akram
    5. Waqar Younis
    6. Glenn McGrath
    7. Curtly Ambrose
    8. Allan Donald
    9. Jeff Thomson
    10. Imran Khan
    The best opening bowling pairs I have seen are:
    1. Lillee & Thomson
    2. Akram & Younis
    3. Holding & Ambrose

    ReplyDelete
  61. Anonymous8:40 PM

    Larwood and the Poms sullied the name of cricket with bodyline. I would never celebrate aiming for the man instead of the wickets at a time where there was limited protection.

    It was the most shameful time in Cricket.. only rivaled by Trevor Chappels underarm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:35 AM

      Actually sledging is the most shameful activity in rhe game. And it still goes on. It needs to stop. Let's play the game and be sporting.

      Delete
  62. Anonymous3:18 AM

    how can u forget the speed star shoaib akhtar...he is fastest tiger of world.......

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:57 AM

      shoaibs speeds were tahen in Pakistan on dubious equipment a speed that was recoded has since bee beaten on two or more occaisions by Shaun Tait and as they could not measure speed in the early days of cricket we take their words for it the demon spofthath larwood andIm shure many others in betwwen and please remember the sth Africans for 20 years were unheard of so we don't know

      Delete
  63. Anonymous6:09 AM

    No particular order.
    Garner (pace, bounce)
    Hadlee (swing, seam)
    Ambrose (pace, bounce)
    Marshall (pace, swing both ways)
    Akram (lefty, swing both ways and pace)
    McGrath (seam and consistancy)
    Steyn (swing and pace)
    Younis (pace and swing)
    Lillee (all round skill with pace)
    Holding (bounce and seam)

    If I was to put a ODI team together it would be Akram, Hadlee, Garner from this list with Warne, Klusner and Symonds. Hadlee and Akram make it based on their bowling and ability to bat at 8 & 9 very well.
    If I was to put together a test team it would be Akram, Lillee and Ambrose/Garner with Imran Khan and Warne. All have obvious roles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harsh Thakor11:26 PM

      A good effort but I wish to state that you have missed out 2 great fast bowlers in Andy Roberts and Imran Khan.Imran Khan pioneeered the art of reverse swing while Andy Roberts was the closest to Dennis Lillee in terms of craft ,posessing 2 boucers at different speeds as well as a eg-cutter.In addition to other facets,Marshall and Mcgrath too posessed disconcerting bounce.Mcgrath made the ball rise awkwardly outside or on the line of the offstump while Marshall's skidding bouncers were lethal.You have forgotten to attribute pace to Michael Holding who was consistently the fastest paceman of all.

      For pure skill Marshall wins his place in the test side with a repertoire that no paceman ever posessed who could change the speed of a delivery on the course of it's journey.My 2nd choice would be Wasim Akram,the most versatile of all paceman who produced more lethal swing than any paceman ,particularly with the old ball.Lillee,was classically the most complete,Hadlee and Mcgrath had the most control while Garner was the most accurate of all.In my all time test side Marshal,Akram ,Mcgrath and Garner would accompany Warne.This composition would posess all the ingredients of a deadly attack with pace,versatality swing,accuracy,bounce control and agression.

      In terms of skill of the modern greats my order of merit would be Marshall,Akram,Lillee,Roberts,Holding,Mcgrath,Imran,Hadlee,Garner and Ambrose.

      Delete
  64. Anonymous10:40 AM

    It should be Darren Gough everybody's grandad

    ReplyDelete
  65. Anonymous3:47 AM

    Cock

    ReplyDelete
  66. Anonymous6:02 AM

    Fast Bowler rating can NEVER be complete without Curtly Ambrose. He is one of the greatest of all time.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Anonymous2:29 AM

    1)freddie trueman,2)Wasim akram,3)thomson,4)ambrose,5)imran khan,6)hall,7)mcgrath,8)donald,9)richard hadlee,10)michel holding

    ReplyDelete
  68. Harsh Thakor11:46 PM

    In terms of pure bowling skill my list would be
    1.Marshall
    2.Akram
    3.Lindwall
    4.Lillee
    5.Roberts
    6.Holding
    7.Mcgrath
    8.Imran
    9.Hadlee
    10.Garner


    Marshall posessed a repertoire of deliveries no paceman had and could change the pace of a delivery on the course of it's journey,Akram could bowl 6 different types of balls in an over and whose swing was more lethal than any paceman with the old ball,Lindwall and Lillee were classically the most complete with Andy Roberts almost a replica of Lillee,Holding was consistently the fastest with the most perfect bowling action,Mcgrath and Hadlee posessed the ultimate control while Garner was the most accurate paceman of all.

    Combining skill with performance my list in order would be
    1.Marshall.
    2.Lillee
    3.Imran
    4.Mcgrath
    5.Hadlee
    6.Wasim
    7.Lindwall
    8.Ambrose
    9.Trueman
    10.Holding

    Remember Imran Khan had the best strike rate and average from 1980-1988 by any paceman while Hadlee had the highest haul bearing the brunt of a relatively weak attack.Marshall and Lillee were the most complete pace bowlers of call who had unmatched hostility and agression.Wheras Marshall had a better strike reat and average Lillee had better match performances.I have taken into consideration Lillee's 79 wickets in World Series supertest and 24 wickets against Rest of the World in 1972(Lillee actually took 458 wickets in 89 test matches).Imran's performances were best against the West Indies by any paceman of his era and was outsatnding on sub-continent docile tracks,like Wasim Akram later.Above all he was a great match-winner.Mcgrath's stats are phenomenal in terms of consistency. Ambrose was the best match-winner ,particulary in the 4th innings and the best on bad wickets.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Anonymous7:37 AM

    here is my list of top ten fast bowlers at their peak ! 10.Michael Holding. 9. Joel Garner. 8.Sydney Barnes. 7.Richard Hadlee. 6. Curtly Ambrose. 5. Waqar Younis. 4.Denis Lille. 3. Wasim Akram. 2. Malcolm Marshall. 1.Imran Khan

    ReplyDelete
  70. Anonymous11:21 AM

    who forgot sreesanth

    ReplyDelete
  71. Anonymous8:06 PM

    if you talk about speed then it is:
    1)Mohammad Zahid (reasearch about him he was the fastest of them all)
    2)Jeff Tompson
    3)Shoaib Akhtar
    4)Shaun Tait
    5)Brett lee
    6)Michael Holding

    ReplyDelete
  72. How about Javagal Srinath. www.itsmycountdown.com

    ReplyDelete
  73. Anonymous1:05 PM

    Here is the ICC Fastest list

    Bowlers at all times Officialy

    1. Shoaib Akhtar -100.3 mph
    2. Shoaib Akhter -100.1 mph
    3. Muhammad sami -100.0 mph
    4. Brett lee - 99.9 mph
    5. Shaun Tait - 99.9 mph
    6. Jeff Thompson - 99.8 mph
    7. Shane Bond -98.1 mph
    8. Mohammed Sami -97.6 mph
    9. Lasitha Malinga - 96.8 mph
    10. Mitchell Johnson - 95.4 mph

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:04 AM

      I suggest that you go to you tube under shaun tait at etihad stadium Melbourne in a 20/20 match may have been a one dayer Timed at 163 kpm

      Delete
  74. Man some of you are idiots!! Here is the Real List.
    1. Shoaib Akhtar
    2. Waqar Younis
    3. Marshall
    4. Brett Lee
    5. Wasim Akhtar
    6. Ambrose
    7. Donald
    9. Lillee
    10.Hadlee

    ReplyDelete
  75. Okay but here is the true list...
    1. Shoaib akhtar
    2. Muhammad Sami
    3. Waqar
    4. Brett lee
    5. Marshall
    6. Wasim Akhtar
    7. Imran
    8. Ambrose
    9. Lillee
    10. Hadlee

    11. Your mama!!!

    ReplyDelete
  76. Anonymous3:15 AM

    I think you need to include Fred Truman he was lightning could swing both ways and was aggressive cheak out his stats rather impressive .. Also Opening with Frank Tyson they were maybe the most feared opening duo ever.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Anonymous2:29 AM

    You should include LASAITH MALINGA DEATH BOWLER IN THERE WHY DO YOU THINK THEY CALL HIM DEATH BOWLER!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  78. Why not Imran?
    No indian or Srilankan bowler can be put in to the list, but Imran also should be in the list.
    I will nema the list from 1 to 10
    1. Waqar
    2. Marshall
    3. Donald
    4. Garner
    5. Haddley
    6. Lillee
    7. Ambrose
    8. Akram
    9. Holding
    10. Imran
    If you need 10 to 20 I can list them also.
    Mc grath
    Polok
    Walsh
    Thompson
    ---------
    -----etc.

    But keep in mind that in the top ten Mcgrath or walsh or Kapildev or Polok will not be placed.
    They are not cleaver bowlers,but had a little frotune.


    5.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Anonymous12:41 PM

    Waseem
    waqar
    shoib
    Lee
    Ambrose
    Trait
    zaheer
    Mcgrath
    Malinga
    Walsh

    ReplyDelete
  80. Anonymous3:04 AM

    Malcom Marshall is the best ever

    ReplyDelete
  81. Anonymous2:09 AM

    Where's Craig McDermott or Tom moody???? You guys are kidding yourselves!

    ReplyDelete
  82. Anonymous9:59 PM

    Top 10 since the 70,s....fear factor

    Jeff Thomson
    Ambrose
    Aktar
    Snow
    Tait
    Roberts
    Ambrose
    Donald
    Lillee

    No order, just fast bowlers who scare the crap out of batsmen.
    Best I've seen was Shoib, when the English players in the stand were waving toilet paper to one of their batsmen who just faced 6 balls over 95mph, 2 of them over 100!
    When Tomo bowled to the poms in 76/7 before helmets. Tomo was by far the quickest, no radar reading from the hand like today, the pace was measured over the length of the pitch. Would have bowled many many overs over 100mph if measured out of the hand, and probably hit 110+.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Anonymous1:53 AM

    Everything sucks...
    Here is the correct list...
    1.Sachin Tendulkar
    2.Sunil Gavaskar
    3.Don Bradman
    4.Ricky Ponting
    5.Rahul Dravid
    6.Steve Waugh
    7.Amitabh Bachchan
    8.Shah Rukh Khan
    9.Katrina Kaif
    10.Malcolm Marshall

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:52 PM

      Ian Bishop should be in there

      Delete
  84. Anonymous3:50 PM

    Ian Bishop should be in there as well

    ReplyDelete
  85. Anonymous3:25 PM

    all are pagal...........

    ReplyDelete
  86. Anonymous12:58 AM

    Ishant Sharma of (whichever team India is playing against), ask anyone NOT from India.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Anonymous8:39 AM

    1. Munaf Patel
    2. Ian Bishop
    3. Marshall
    4. Brett Lee
    5. Wasim Akhtar
    6. Ambrose
    7. Donald
    9. Lillee
    10.Hadlee

    ReplyDelete
  88. Anonymous7:14 AM

    This is Perfect Ten:-
    This is the final Judgement:-
    1) Jeff Thomson
    2) Harold Larwood
    3) M. Holding
    4) Andy Roberts
    5) Shoaib Akhtar
    6) Brett Lee
    7) Wasim Akram
    8) Frank Tyson
    9) Malcolm Marshall
    10) Allan Donald

    Note:- Jeff Thomson, Larwood, Kortright are the only FastBowlers whose ball directly hit the SideScreen after one bounce in Pitch. Imagine the Pace in these category of players...

    ReplyDelete