Legendary Fast Bowlers

By Author: ram kausik
Total Articles: 126
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Bowlers are what batsmen’s nightmares are made of. If there is a pecking order of cricket positions, then bowlers would rule the roost with their ultimate power over the batsmen who are the run scorers. They can make or break a game. They hold the fate of the any match at any point. The faster they are the better. Batsmen are mere trembling souls with a just a wooden dagger in front of these fast paced dragons. And they savor every moment that they could instill the fear of God into these poor venerated souls. Not everyone gets to the rank of a fast paced bowler. But this article is about the fastest and the fiercest of them all.

There have been quite a number of fast bowlers since the dawn of the 21st century. A notable few among them happens to be Michael Holding, Shoaib Akhtar, Jeff Thompson, Zaheer Khan and Malcom Marshall etc. Of these Michael Holding is the most famous of the lot. His name is synonymous with fast bowling. Aptly named the ‘Whispering death’, his moves are likened to a cobra’s strike- quick and deadly. Then we have Brett Lee of Australia who managed to reach a record of 160.8 km/h. His style ...
... was pretty straightforward with a bounce to his pitch. From the Pakistan side we have two fast bowlers- Imran Khan and Shoaib Akhtar. The latter has surpassed the former when it comes down to just the speed of bowling. Imran relies more on his experience and movement to take wickets than rely completely on his pace. Shoaib on the other hand is vouched by many as the fastest bowler they have had the misfortune to face. Though his methods might seem a little controversial, he still holds the record for the fastest ball ever bowled.

Next in line would be Malcom Marshall of the West Indies. He is regarded as true fast bowler in terms of speed, agility and technique of execution. His consistent performance has projected him to a legendary status. Last but definitely not the least we have Indian Cricket team’s own Zaheer Khan who is slowly on his way to becoming a legend of his own. In 2011, Zaheer recorded an unbeaten 170 km/h during the World Cup match of India against Bangladesh Tigers. Unfortunately there was no speed gun to prove the speed tracker. Still Zaheer Khan profile as a fast paced bowler is a celebrated one.