Cricket is the most beloved game by many fans today. It involves a combination of agility, speed and precision. In this game, fast bowling is an important aspect. Every team has fast blowers whose main role is to control the batsmen and run. The bowler bowls the ball towards the batsman at high speed. Over the past few decades, many bowlers made a mark on the game and delivered fast balls in cricket history.
Fast bowling is a skill that requires a lot of practice and talent. Fast bowlers are also known as pace bowlers. The main aim of a fast bowler is to give excitement in sport with extreme pace and accuracy. Fast bowlers also have a great position in the cricket via lethal weapons involving swing, pace and bounce.
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Top 10 Fastest Ball in Cricket History of All Time 2024
| Rank | Bowler | Country | Top Speed (km/h) | Matches Played | Wickets Taken |
| 1 | Shoaib Akhtar | Pakistan | 161.3 km | 163 | 247 |
| 2 | Brett Lee | Australia | 161.1 km | 222 | 380 |
| 3 | Shaun Tait | Australia | 161.1 km | 82 | 123 |
| 4 | Jeff Thomson | Australia | 160.6 km | 51 | 200 |
| 5 | Mitchell Starc | Australia | 160.4 km | 67 | 244 |
| 6 | Andy Roberts | West Indies | 159.5 km | 47 | 202 |
| 7 | Fidel Edwards | West Indies | 157.7 km | 55 | 165 |
| 8 | Mitchell Johnson | Australia | 156.8 km | 256 | 590 |
| 9 | Mohammad Sami | Pakistan | 156.4 km | 136 | 234 |
| 10 | Shane Bond | New Zealand | 150 km | 126 | 259 |
① Shoaib Akhtar
In the cricket world, he is the fastest bowler and keeps the highest speed bowling record in cricket. Bowler often bowled delivery and ran from the boundary line. His natural pace and bounce are helpful for slinging action. His another name is Rawalpindi express.
These things help him to be the fastest bowler in the world ever. Right-arm pace from the Pakistan cricket team bowled his delivery at the incredible speed in the international cricket in World Cup 2003. Shoaib is also bowling fast at the speed of 161.3 km/hr against England.
Fast delivery makes Shoaib the first player in cricket history to smash the barrier on the speed gun. He is well-known for unique action and aggressive bowling. He obtained a hundred and seventy-eight test wickets and two hundred and forty-seven ODI wickets during his playing days.
② Brett lee
Brett Lee is the second fastest bowler in Australia and unique for the highest speed bowling in cricket history. He is the most important part of the Australian team during the 2000s. Glenn Mcgrath and Shane Warne loved his regular feature.
Rather than accuracy, his menacing pace troubled batters to score runs. Brett Lee reached a hundred-mile barrier to set delivery at the speed of 161.1 km/hr against New Zealand. He is a potent weapon in Australia and has tricked from a slower ball to a menacing Yorker.
The sheer pace and deadly bouncer with underhanded eye contact with batsman makes him a complete fast bowler. He plays a crucial role in Australia’s World Cup-winning campaign in 2003 and 2007. In his cricket career, he secured seven hundred international wickets for Australia.
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③ Shaun Tait
Shaun Tait is also a popular fast bowler for his beefy and muscular build with sling action and broad shoulder. These help him to be part of the big league. Due to their high speed, he secured the top place in the world’s fastest bowler ranking.
Shaun gained immense popularity for the erratic bowling and was the quickest bowler in 2010. He played three test series and thirty-five ODI for Australia in 2004 and 2016. His slinging action aids him to bowl constantly above hundred and fifty clicks.
He made his fast delivery against England and bowled at the speed of 161.1 km/hr. Right-arm fast pacer crossed a hundred miles against Pakistan in a T20I game.
④ Jeffrey Thomson
Jeffrey is the prime fast bowler in the Australian team. He keeps dreadful sight for a batter during featured among toppers in cricket history. The former Australian fast bowler has unique bowling action that is miserable for batsmen.
He infused fear in the opposition team mind with sheer pace with huge consistency. Fast bowler comes under list of fast ball bowled in cricket ever. He delivers the ball at the speed of 160.6 km/hr against the West Indies.
On the other hand, he also partnered with Dennis Lillee. He made the fearsome fastest bowling duo in the cricket history. He grabbed two hundred test wickets and fifty-five ODI wickets during his career.
⑤ Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc is an important fast bowler in the Australian cricket team today. Starc is a major part of an elite list of left-arm bowlers. He always plays games at an extreme level. Australian fast bowler considers as highest wicket-taker in two fifty-over world Cups consecutively in 2015 and 2019.
Speedster delivers his fastest delivery at the speed of 160.4 km/hr in a test series against New Zealand. It is a fast ball in the cricket history list. Fast packer received two hundred and fifty-five wickets and a hundred and eighty-four wickets in ODI during his career.
In spite of his recent performance in cricket, starc is one of the foremost fast pacers in the Australian cricket team. He also plays in the Indian premier league for Kolkata Knight Riders.
⑥ Andy Roberts
Andy Roberts is also the fastest bowler in his career. Bowler is popular for the searing pace and lethal bouncing. He bowled the sixth fastest ball ever at the speed of 159.5 km/hr against Australia. He is the legendary fastest bowler in the West Indian quart during the 1970s and 80s.
He made his fast delivery against Australia in Perth in 1975. The speedster is well-known as the fastest ball in cricket. First, Antiguan symbolized the West Indies at the international level. He is the most important part of the West Indies World Cup campaign in 1975 and 1979.
The fastest bowler grabbed two hundred and two wickets in the test series and eighty-seven wickets in the ODI during his playing for West Indies. He regards as stunning fast bowler in the cricket world.
⑦ Fidel Edwards
Fidel is a West Indies fast-pace bowler and made his appearance in 2003. He is a dangerous fast bowler in the West Indies squad in the cricket landscape. Fidel ruptures on screen that, marks with hype touting. This makes him the fastest bowler.
West Indies’ fastest bowler delivers his fast delivery against South Africa. He delivered the ball at the speed of 157.7 km/hr, which helped him to place on the list of fastest deliveries in the cricket. Apart from that, he is famous for round-arm action.
During his active bowling career, he achieved a hundred and sixty-five wickets and sixty wickets in ODI. He also got a call for a home series against Sri Lanka in 2021. Amid Caribbean pacer keeps a good record in cricket for highest bowling speed.
⑧ Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson considered as destructive fastest bowler in cricket history. He is a fearsome and fast bowler who gets complete control of the ball and control runs in a game. He is a runaway match-winner for Australia, which aids him in to list as the fastest bowler in cricket.
Left arm quick bowled made his fast delivery at the speed of 156.8 km/hr. He played an astonishing role with the ball against South Africa and England with aggression and high speed. The stellar performance helped fast bowlers to secure the prestigious Allan Border medal.
Mitchell obtained three hundred and thirteen wickets in the test series and two hundred thirty-nine wickets in the ODI for Australia. He guided the home team to remain to win with thirty-seven wickets. He is vital part in Australia’s world cup triumph in 2015.
⑨ Mohammad Sami
Mohammad Sami is undoubtedly a fast bowler in cricket. He is the second fastest bowler in Pakistan and is popular for swing and pace. Sami delivered the fastest deliveries at the speed of 164 km/hr unofficially during the ODI.
Later, cricket officials recognized it as a mistake in the speed meter. Pakistan’s fastest bowler made his fastest delivery at the speed of 156.4 km/hr. He delivered the fastest ball against Zimbabwe in ODI in 2003. He secured eighty-five wickets and a hundred and twenty-one wickets during his career.
⑩ Shane Bond
Shane Bond is a destructive and fearsome fast bowler in New Zealand. He comes under the list of the world’s fastest bowlers because of his unique bowling action. In a career, bond troubled with longevity.
Kiwi pacer is world renowned for sheer comfort and brutal pace when he delivered stunning yorkers to batter. His specialty is toe-crushing Yorker, and he gorged on the better batsman. He got Ricky Ponting a wicket in the first six ODIs.
Bond is popular with smooth and athletic action and lets him towards in-swing. He allowed the ball to swing late at the speed of 150km/hr. He achieved eighty-seven wickets in the test series and hundred, forty-seven wickets in the ODI and twenty-seven wickets in the T20I. During the World Cup 2003 against India, he delivered the ball at 156.4 km/hr.