Fast bowling is one of the hardest skills to master in Cricket, as it takes a lot of hard work and toil in the body to generate the pace in the ball, and International Cricket is blessed to have a few tearaway fast bowlers in the modern era, who makes the game very interesting.
Shoaib Akhtar has been one of the best bowlers in the world and played for Pakistan for 14 years. The former Pakistan pacer holds the record for bowling the fastest delivery in international cricket. Akhtar was the first bowler to breach the 100 mph mark in international cricket.
The record for the fastest ball in world cricket is held by Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar as he holds the reputation of being a dangerous bowler against any quality batters in world cricket. Akhtar achieved the feat against England in the 2003 World Cup match at Cape Town in South Africa when he delivered a 161.3 kph (100.2 mph) thunderbolt, which is still a record pace clocked by a fast bowler.
1. Mark Wood
Mark Wood has been a key player for England in all three formats of the game. The English quick played a vital role in the title-winning campaign in the 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup, as he outfoxed many top-quality pacers with his sheer pace in white-ball cricket.
Despite his career being stalled by injury, the England pacer has made a stunning comeback every time he returns from injuries, the Right pacer consistently clocks around 150kmph in different formats intimidating the high-quality players in different conditions, and situations. If he can work more on his fitnessWood can potentially break the record of Shoaib Akhtar in International Cricket in the near future.
2. Umran Malik
Umran Malik has sensational performer in the last couple of years in domestic and International cricket, as made the headlines with his ability to bowl at a high pace in any format of the game. In International Cricket he clocked 156 kmph and in IPL he went past 157 kmph, as he showed glimpses of breaking the record of legendary Shoaib Akhtar.
Many cricket experts believe that Umran Malik has a bright future ahead and already has impressed some legends of the game with his performances in the limited opportunity for the Indian team in international cricket. He made his debut for the Indian team in 2022 in T20I and ODI cricket. He has picked 13 and 11 wickets respectively in the white-ball formats for the Men in Blue. With the age on his side, the youngster has a great chance of breaking the record of Pakistan pacer.
3. Lockie Ferguson
New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson has a sheer pace that disturbs the top batters in the world and his pacer helps him unsettle the batsmen in the middle. The Right arm pacer usually operates in the middle over for the Kiwis in White ball cricket, as he brings in some vital breakthroughs for his side in Crunch moments of the game.
The 32-year-old bowls in tandem alongside Trent Boult and Tim Southee, as he offers a different variation in the Black Caps bowling attack, as he makes it difficult for the settled batters to take on him, especially on the wickets that offer some pace and bounce. He consistently clocks around 145kmph and has gone past 150 Kmph on several occasions. If the big built, Ferguson can maintain fitness, he has got a good chance to bowl the fastest ball in cricket.
4. Anrich Nortje
Anrich Nortje has been a valuable asset for the South African cricket team, making his presence felt in the big moments of the game. In the recently-concluded edition of IPL, the South African was plying his trade for Delhi Capitals, the DC pacer has clocked more than 150kmph on several occasions.
Anrich Nortje is extremely quick and impressive but he is also highly accurate in all three formats of the game. Nortje’s express pace made it difficult for the batters to pick him from the surface. He has established himself as a key member of the Proteas outfit across formats. Nortje can also bowl deadly yorkers and well-directed bouncers at high pace rattling high-quality batters in International Cricket. The Proteas pacer has a good chance of breaking the record of Akhtar if conditions favour him.
5. Ihsanullah
Ihsanullah is an emerging fast-bowling sensation from Pakistan as he made a name for himself since the start of 2023. He won both the PSL 8 Player of the Tournament award as well the Bowler of PSL 8 award, for his 22 wickets at an economy rate of 7.59.
The quickly recorded speeds of 150kph+ during his first over of the match and bowled quickly and regularly across his four overs. His spell against Quetta Gladiators is also considered the fastest in PSL’s history, with an average speed of 144.37 kph. The Pakistan youngster has drawn attention from fans worldwide for his fierce pace. Former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq has said that he has the potential to clock 100 m/hr and break the record of his fellow country mate in the future.