Top 10 fastest deliveries ever bowled in international cricket

Fast bowling is an exciting sight to watch. The bowler running in at top speed, taking that perfect jump and letting that red/white ball go at speed of light towards the batsman who has less than a second to decide what shot to play and how to avoid getting hurt.

There have been many quick bowlers like Fred Spoforth, Fred Trueman, Wayne Daniel, Sir Wes Hall, Albert Trott but they were before the speeds of their deliveries could be measured. Nowadays in modern cricket, the speeds of the balls can be easily measured and we can find out who is/was the fastest bowler in modern times.

Here is a list of the top 10 fastest balls ever bowled in international cricket:

10. 155.7 kmph Dale Steyn (South Africa) and Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)

Dale Steyn will surely go down as one of the most lethal pace bowlers of all time. He had the gifts of speed, swing and accuracy with which he used to terrorise every batter in the world.

His fastest delivery is 155.7 kmph, bowled against New Zealand. When Dale Steyn came on to the scene most batters struggled to counter him. His quick action coupled with his skills was enough to generate a good amount of pace.

Lasith 'Slinga' Malinga got his speed from his slingy action, which would send the ball at sheer pace. He was known to have a great slower ball as well and an excellent to-crushing yorker to boot for.

His fastest delivery of 155.7 kmph was bowled against New Zealand in a 2011 World Cup match in Mumbai. Malinga, in this period, was a major threat to batters no matter the reputation. His bowling action was the unique selling proposition of his, deceiving many batters.

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9. 156.4 kmph Shane Bond (New Zealand)

The cop turned fast bowler Shane Bond was one of the premier fast bowlers during his playing days. His whippy action was the cause of discomfort to many batsmen all around the world. His ability to swing the ball away at such high speeds and bowl toe crushing yorker bought him many wickets in his career.

His career was plagued with back injuries due to the exertion caused on his body due to his speed, and he was forced to retire from the game in 2010 after constant pain and discomfort.

His fastest delivery of 156.4 kmph came against Australia in a 2003 World Cup game.

8. 156.4 kmph Mohammad Sami (Pakistan)

Mohammad Sami was touted as fast as former Pakistan great Shoaib Akhtar, and he lived up to that reputation with high bowling speeds and dangerous yorkers doing damage with that speed. He is one of the few bowlers to have taken hat-tricks in both Tests and ODIs.

Although his career was cut short due to the infamous spot-fixing scandal against England in 2010, cricketing fraternity still speaks highly of his bowling prowess.

He bowled his fastest ball at 156.4 kmph against Zimbabwe in Sharjah in 2003.

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7. 156.8 kmph Mitchell Johnson (Australia)

Mitchell Johnson is the first Australian bowler to feature in this elite list. He had a slingy bowling action, which generated pace and bounce to trouble the batters at his will. He had equally dangerous toe-crushing yorkers and nasty bouncers, which gave the batters nightmares before facing him in the middle.

Johnson had to fine tune his action due to health reasons and that has allowed him to come back fitter, faster and more dangerous. He bowled his fastest delivery against arch-rivals England at 156.8 kmph in 2013.

6. 157.7 kmph Fidel Edwards (The West Indies)

Fidel Edwards had a career, which was filled with injuries because of his unusual bowling action and follow-through. However, his approach towards the popping crease before delivering the ball gave him the needed acceleration to deliver fast balls swinging both ways.

Edwards was also a handy seamer who had the art of reverse-swinging the old ball. He bowled his fastest delivery at 157.7 kmph in 2003 against South Africa.

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5. 159.9 kmph Andy Roberts (West Indies)

One of the genuinely fastest and scary bowlers and leader of the famous West Indian pace quartet of the 1980s, Andy Roberts was also known as Ice Man because he didn’t show any emotions when he hit any batter.

One of the chief reasons that the West Indies dominated the world cricket for so long was their fast bowling quality. Roberts bowled his fastest delivery at 159.9 kmph during a speed bowling competition in Australia.

4. 160.4 kmph Jeff Thomson (Australia) and Mitchell Starc (Australia)

Australian terror Jeff Thomson also known as ‘Thommo’ formed one the greatest opening bowling combinations along with equally dangerous Dennis Lillee in the 1970s. Thomson had a very unique action, bowling off a wrong foot and a lethal action, he could generate pace like lightning in the days before helmet was invented. He knew he could hurt the batters, and he did without any remorse.

Jeff Thomson bowled his fastest ball at 160.4 kmph on arguably the fastest pitch in the world at Perth against the West Indies during a home series in 1975.

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has always been a bowler who can generate hurrying pace. He bowled the fastest ball of his career during the 2nd Test against New Zealand at the WACA in 2015. On the 4th ball of the 89th over as he ran in to bowl to Kiwi batter Ross Taylor, the speed gun displayed 160.4 kmph, it was a Yorker on off stump and Taylor could only manage to defend the ball.

Starc has been a tremendous bowler over the years. His average pace has gone down a notch but he still hurries batters with his simple and smooth action. His searing yorkers are a treat to watch. Ask Ben Stokes.

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3. 160.7 kmph Shaun Tait (Australia)

Shaun Tait was a unique entity. He had a slow run-up to the bowling crease, but the way his bowling arm contorted into a slingy action, he could generate pace like fire.

Constantly bowling over 150 kmph, he mainly used to play shorter formats of the game since his body could not take the rigours of his fast bowling in longest format of the game. Tait bowled a 160.7 kmph delivery against Pakistan in a T20I at the MCG.

2. 161.1 kmph Shaun Tait and Brett Lee (Australia)

Shaun Tait again features in the list with a quicker delivery which broke the 100 mph barrier against England at Lord’s 2010. This delivery by Shaun Tait is joint-second on the list, a record that remains untouched even after thirteen years.

Joining him on the list is another Aussie paacer Brett Lee. One of the true competitors for the fastest bowler in the world title, Lee was not just fast, he was also skilful and used swing, seam along with the pace to dismantle any opposition.

He bowled his fastest at 161.1 kmph against New Zealand at Napier in 2005.

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1. 161.3 kmph Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan)

The Guinness Book of World Records officially recognizes Shoaib Akhtar as the bowler to bowl the fastest delivery in cricket. Akhtar broke onto the world scene in 1997 with the ability to be genuinely quick. Though there were doubts raised against his action, but it was termed as medical deformity, and he went on to become a force to be reckoned with in world cricket.

Quick, exciting and dangerous, 'The Rawalpindi Express' became the first bowler in cricket history to break the 100mph barrier officially in the 2003 ODI World Cup. He bowled his fastest ball at 161.3 kmph against England, and the unlucky batter to face him was Nick Knight. He quietly tucked it onto the leg side for a single.

Speed stats credit: Sporteology

FAQ for Fastest Balls in Cricket:

1. Who holds the record for the fastest ball in cricket?

Shoaib Akhtar bowled the fastest delivery in cricket at a speed of 161.3 kmph.

2. Has anyone broken Shoaib Akhtar’s record?

Former Pakistan pacer, Shoaib Akhtar holds the record for delivering the fastest delivery in cricket. His record of 161.3 kmph remains untouched.

3. Who is the fastest bowler in cricket today?

At present, Mitchell Starc (Australia), Jofra Archer (England), and Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand) are among the fastest in the world,  clocking regularly at speeds above 150 kmph.

4. How is the speed of a cricket ball measured?

The speed of a cricket ball is measured using a radar gun. The device is positioned behind the bowler's arm and uses Doppler radar technology to calculate the speed of the ball till it reaches the batsman after being delivered.