There have been several bowlers in cricket who have almost touched the 100-mph barrier in the game, putting them in a special list.
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For a fast bowler, bowling at pace is considered one of the greatest assets that they can have. A fast bowler who bowls in excess of 90 or 95 miles per hour is a feared proposition. Any bowler who touches 100 mph which is 161 kmph is a rare breed of aggression and intimidation. With the introduction of the speed gun and several other technologies, it now becomes easier to measure the pace with which a fast bowler can bowl. The advantages of bowling fast and with control is that the pitch conditions are taken totally out of the equation and that batsmen are intimidated by sheer speed.
In order to classify who are the fastest bowlers, the cut-off criteria is 95 miles per hour which is in excess of 155 kmph. For women bowlers, the cut-off is 120 kmph. In this list, it is no surprise that Pakistan and Australia bowlers dominate. However, in the current modern era, there are many pace bowlers who are touching the 95 mph mark from several countries.
161.3 kmph. That is more than 100 mph. For a fast bowler, exceeding this limit is the symbol of extreme endurance. But, this is what Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan managed during the 2003 World Cup match against England in Cape Town. Akhtar regularly bowled in excess of 95 miles per hour in his career. That is what made him a sight to watch in world cricket.
During an ODI in Lord’s in 2010 against England, an Australian bowler with the nickname of ‘The Wild Thing’ clocked speeds in excess of 155 kmph. However, in one ball, Shaun Tait managed to break the 100 mph barrier. He clocked a delivery with a speed of 161.1 kmph. Tait repeated the performance in the same year during a T20I against Pakistan in Melbourne. His one delivery to Imran Farhat clocked 160.4 kmph.
Brett Lee hurled a 99.9 mph thunderbolt against Sri Lanka in the 2003 World Cup semi-final. The sight of Marvan Atapattu’s off-stump being detonated out of the ground was a sight. Apart from Tait and Lee, Jeff Thomson was the first speed demon from Down Under. In the 1975 series, his sling shot action saw him clock a speed of 99.8 mph in Perth. At the same venue in 2015, Mitchell Starc bowled a 160.4 kmph delivery to Ross Taylor.
Starc was not the only left-arm pacer who clocked close to 100 mph. Mitchell Johnson, during that magical Ashes summer of 2013/14, constantly clocked speeds in excess of 90 mph. One ball in the Melbourne Test apparently registered 97 mph on the speed gun.
In the 80s, the fearsome West Indies quartet of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall struck terror. Among the four, Roberts was the quickest of the lot. His one delivery in the 1975 series against Australia was 99.1 mph. In the modern era, Fidel Edwards has been carrying on the speed trade. Even at age 38, Edwards regularly clocked in excess of 90 mph. In one match in the recent Abu Dhabi T10 League, Edwards clocked 92 mph. However, he bowled a 97.9 mph delivery against South Africa in 2003.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Sami is the only bowler to take a hat-trick in all formats. But, he also matched Akhtar for pace. During one game against Zimbabwe in Dubai in 2003, Sami bowled a 97.1 mph fireball to intimidate batsmen.
The name is Bond, Shane Bond! Apart from having a famous surname, New Zealand’s Bond was also one of the quickest in the business. He always reserved his best for Australia, taking regular five-wicket hauls as well as a hat-trick against them. In the 2003 World Cup clash against Australia, Bond bowled a delivery in excess of 97 mph.
When one thinks about women bowlers, many are under the assumption that they cannot bowl at pace. There are various instances of bowlers clocking in excess of 70 mph, which is very high for a women bowler. Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick bowled in excess of 75 mph but due to lack of technology at the time, there is debate over the situation.
South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail is the fastest bowler with a speed of 128 kmph. New Zealand pacer Leah Tahuhu has a bowling speed of 126 kmph. Even Australia’s Ellyse Perry once touched 110 kmph during the 2010 ICC World T20 final between Australia and New Zealand.
