Due to the rules in the game, the batsmen are more favored than the bowlers. However, many bowlers have shown their dominance in the game with their skills. Over the years, the boundaries have been decreased and the size of the field has been reduced to favor the batsmen; however, the bowlers have always had an upper hand with their swing bounds and pace.
Many great fast bowlers have always been legends of the game, and I’ve created multiple records while bowling with the new ball and have successfully derailed many batsmen of many countries and domestic cricket with their incredible pace. When you achieve great speed in bowling with good accuracy, you can do great damage to the opposition batting lineups. In this article, we will take you through a few of the fastest bowlers to have ever bowled in this beautiful game.
List of the Top 10 Fastest Bowlers in the World
| Bowler | Country | Fastest delivery | Opposition |
| Shoaib Akhtar | Pakistan | 161.3 km/hr (100.2 mph) | England |
| Shaun Tait | Australia | 161.1 km/hr (100.1 mph) | England |
| Brett Lee | Australia | 160.8 km/hr (99.9 mph) | New Zealand |
| Jeffrey Thomson | Australia | 160.6 km/hr (99.8 mph) | West Indies |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 160.4 km/hr (99.7 mph) | New Zealand |
| Andy Roberts | West Indies | 159.5 km/hr (99.1 mph) | Australia |
| Fidel Edwards | West Indies | 157.7 km/hr (97.9 mph) | South Africa |
| Mitchell Johnson | Australia | 156.8 km/hr (97.4 mph) | England |
| Mohammad Sami | Pakistan | 156.4 km/hr (97.1 mph) | Zimbabwe |
| Shane Bond | New Zealand | 156.4 km/hr (97.1 mph) | India |
Here are the full details of all bowlers which are mentioned in the list.
10. Shane Bond( New Zealand)
He was one of the best New Zealand bowlers who have ever played for the Kiwis. With his perfect curve and unbelievable pace, he has taken the wickets of multiple legends like Ricky Ponting. His best bowling figure came in the 2003 World Cup, where he bowled an astonishingly fast delivery, clocking a whopping 156.3 kilometers per hour. This was his fastest delivery, and it was bowled against India.
He has more than 250 wickets in international cricket and has made a good name for himself as one of the fastest bowlers ever. These fats definitely put him in the top ten fastest bowlers in cricket, and in 2021, he is still one of the fastest bowlers that have ever bowled in the game.
9. Mohammad Sami( Pakistan)
It’s a great bowler who has played for the Pakistan cricket team, and has once clocked A whopping 164 kilometers per hour ball, which was later discarded as it was a fault in the speedometer. Overall in Pakistan’s history, he is the second fastest bowler to play for the team, and his top speed recorded was a 156 kilometers per hour ball that was bowled against Zimbabwe in 2003.
He has over 200 wickets for Pakistan in international cricket and has definitely cemented his name in the cricketing Hall of Fame of the country. For these amazing achievements, he has already been put in the top 10 fast bowlers in cricket history.
Also read: Best fielders in the world
8. Mitchell Johnson ( Australia)
It is not possible to create a top 10 fast bowlers in cricket list without including Australian pace bowlers. Australia has provided numerous fast bowlers in its history who have terrorized the batting lineups of all the nations except Australia. Mitchell Johnson is one of those players who can bowl astonishingly fast balls with incredible accuracy. His fastest ball was recorded during the Ashes in 2013, where the match was played in the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
This ball clocked at a massive 156.8 kilometers per hour and was named one of the most aggressive deliveries of the series. He has 1A World Cup with Australia and has over 500 wickets, which is a very good record for a fast bowler in recent times.
7. Fidel Edwards ( West Indies)
Hey, what’s a very good fast bowler in the West Indies cricket team who made his debut in 2003 when a peak era of bowlers was going on? He pulled his fastest delivery against South Africa in 2007. Ball recorded a speed of 157.7 kilometers per hour and was one of the fastest deliveries bowled ever. He has over 200 wickets for West Indies, and his amazing pace is enough to put him in the fastest bowlers in cricket.
6. Andy Roberts (West Indies)
Another West Indian in the list, Andy Roberts, was a menace to the batsmen during the early times of the game in 1975. He recorded his fastest delivery in Perth at a record 159.5 kilometers per hour ,and this delivery was unplayable by the batsman. His great achievements put him definitely among the top six of the world’s fastest fast bowlers in cricket history.
5. Mitchell Starc ( Australia)
One of the best Australian fast bowlers who still plays the game and has over 450 wickets in international cricket. He has already been the top wicket-taker in a World Cup two times and has cemented his legacy as one of the fastest bowlers in cricket history. His fastest delivery was a 160.4 kilometers per hour, and it was bowled in a Test match against a tough opponent.
4. Jeffrey Thompson ( Australia)
Mentioned earlier, Australia has always provided the best fast bowlers in the game, and Jeff Thompson is definitely one of them. He has terrorized batsmen in his prime and has taken numerous wickets with his incredible pace. His fastest delivery was recorded at 160.6 kilometers per hour and it was in a match against West Indies. he is definitely one of the fastest bowlers in cricket history to ever to the game.
3. Shaun Tait( Australia )
It is one of the best Australian pace bowlers of recent times, and he has played in multiple World Cups for the Aussies and has recorded many fast balls that have traumatized batsmen over the years. His fastest ball was a whopping 161.4 kilometers per hour, and it was bowled against Pakistan. He has crossed the 100 miles barrier in 2020 over cricket and has terrorized the batting lineups of many nations. This easily puts him in the top three of the fastest bowlers in cricket.
2. Brett Lee ( Australia)
With the List dominated by Australians, it is unthinkable to leave out Brett Lee, Dominated batsman in his entire career and was playing at the highest level till the end of his career. he was formidable in his prime and has terrorized many batsmen over the years and he was among the fastest bowlers during his time. His fastest ball was recorded at 161.1 kilometers per hour, but what was the most deadly thing about him is his consistency. He could bowl these fast deliveries at a consistent rate, and that made him unplayable by the batsmen.
1- Shoaib Akhtar ( Pakistan)
It was almost expected to have him in the top spot for the fastest bowlers in cricket, also known as the Rawalpindi Express. He destroyed the minds of many batsmen during his prime, and he was bowling consistently at 150 plus kilometers per hour for a full match. His fastest delivery was a mind-blowing 161.4 kilometers per hour and it was bowled against England.
