Who were the top 6 fastest bowlers of all time? It’s actually a tougher question than you might think as most lists online only take into account bowlers where speeds were measured easily (so, recently). I will attempt to cross all eras to find the fastest ever. Before we begin I should also clarify what I mean when talking about ‘the fastest’, as there seems to be much conflict online – simply the fastest deliveries, not taking into account consistency.
So, onto the analysis – I often talk cricket with my 86 year old Dad who remembers these pre-measurement quick bowlers and swears the fastest and best was from then, but is he right? I’ve tried to combine as much evidence as I could find, along with videos and the speed gun measurements where we have them, in order to get a balanced assessment. Read on to find out who I think was the quickest!
#6 Harold Larwood
I wasn’t sure where to put Larwood, or whether to include a number 6 at all. Supposedly in Australia his pace was measured at 99 mph, but this was by a bloke with a stopwatch basically. It was also measured at 96 mph in England using similar methods, which wouldn’t make the list, although anecdotally it’s thought that this method actually undercut the real speeds. Measurements by high speed photography ranged between 90 and 130mph, which is a pretty broad range! We can be fairly certain he was the fastest of his time from comments by players and also according to George Hele (umpire), who said in the book Bodyline Umpire “Larwood was not only the fastest bowler I have watched, he had the most beautiful action. While he was running in behind me, I never heard him. He glided towards the wickets until the last three yards. It was copybook, classic and utterly direct.” Those with a discerning nature may realise that I’ve knocked an Australian out of the official measured list in order to include an ‘unproven’ Englishman, unashamedly so 😏
#5 Jeff Thomson
Fastest measured delivery 160.6 kph (99.8 mph)
The great Jeff ‘Thommo’ Thompson. What a beautiful, yet brutal, looking action. Richie Benaud considered him the fastest since Frank Tyson (more on Frank later). Australian wicket-keeper Rod Marsh who kept wicket to Thomson for most of his Test career has claimed that Thomson bowled upwards of 180 km/h (112 mph), an opinion also held by fellow Australians Ian Chappell and Ashley Mallett. Though this seems extremely unlikely considering no-one has got anywhere near that in the last 50 years since, it’s worth noting that bowlers speeds were not recorded very often then. I could have put him further up the list, trusting that he probably bowled faster deliveries than were recorded, but ultimately I think he was measured enough to give an accurate picture. At least some of the impression of speed is very likely because of his short run-up and unorthodox action. It’s not expected the ball is reaching you that fast compared to someone with a long run-up and action like Shoaib, where you expect some serious pace. As a final word on Thommo both incredible cricketing batting greats Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar both claim he was the fastest they faced (and Viv of course faced the fearful 70’s and 80’s West Indian pace attacks in practice regularly), so it’s clear he was the fastest of his time too. Enjoy this brutal over from back in the day…
#4 Brett Lee
Fastest measured delivery 161.1 kph (100.1 mph)
It seems a bit weird having Brett Lee above a legend like Jeff Thomson, but this is pure speed so the gun does not lie! He was rapid, no doubting. I can remember watching him in my youth bowling considerably quicker than the English quicks of the time. In his own words “I build myself up with confidence with aggression, and confidence to control the game. If you’re the bowler and you’ve got the ball in your hand you’re controlling the game, so you’ve got to make sure the batsmen knows who’s boss.”
#3 Shaun Tait
Fastest measured delivery 161.1km/h (100.1mph)
The enigmatic ‘Wild Thing’. His was a tale of injuries, and his nickname was not really for his off-field antics but his accuracy on it, with wild deliveries sometimes going in all directions. I can only assume whichever ‘wag’ gave him that nickname was a fan of that baseball film starring Charlie Sheen (Major League). Despite his ability to be very erratic and inconsistent there was no doubting his sheer pace. Retiring at the age of 25 he never really fulfilled the cricket promise of his early years, and perhaps he would’ve been top of this list had he continued. I for one am glad we didn’t see him and Mitchell Starc as regular opening bowlers in many ashes series though.
Here is the famed ball – just look at that swing in the rest of the over too!
#2 Shoaib Akhtar
Fastest measured delivery 161.3 kph (100.2 mph)
The Rawalpindi express, a player whose quest for pace took a serious toll on his body after cricket (as well as during), most recently having to have his knee rebuilt. Following in the great tradition of Pakistani fast bowlers (I grew up watching Wasim and Waqars pace and swing) Shoaib’s is the fastest officially measured delivery, but not number one in my list (shock, controversy!). He is worthy of it though for his dedication to his art, despite his off-field misdemeanours, of which there were many!
# 1 Frank ‘Typhoon’ Tyson
Possibly a controversial pick at #1 – though to me it appears my Dad was right in his pick of fastest ever if you consider the following evidence.
- Both greats Richie Benaud (even in later years) and Don Bradman claim he was the fastest they had ever witnessed. Bradman being present for the bodyline tour and Larwoods heroics in the 20s, and having led the young duo of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller in the late 1940s. Fred Trueman also conceded that the ‘Typhoon’ was faster than him at his fastest.
- The Wicketkeepers had to stand up to 72 yards away, which gave rise to his nickname, as one sub-editor commented on the sheer pace it took to cover the large distance so quickly : ‘It takes a Typhoon…’
- Most impressively Tysons speed was measured accurately and pretty fast, but in very unfavourable conditions. On a damp morning at the Aeronautical College in Wellington, New Zealand in 1955, wearing three jumpers just to keep warm and with a ball which had metal plates attached to it (so it could be measured by a sonic device), Tyson bowled 89 mph with minimal (perhaps no) run-up! If he could bowl that speed not warmed up, with a heavy ball having metal plates attached, AND from little or no run-up, god only knows what his quickest was.
- He wrecked his body bowling so fast too, with many injuries that shortened his cricket career and plagued him into later life. Bowling fast was all that mattered. In his own words “to bowl fast… to revel in the glad animal action, to thrill in physical power and to enjoy a sneaking feeling of superiority over the mortals who play the game”
- Just look at the video – goddamn he looks fast.
Where is Michael Holding? I hear you ask… I was surprised he’s not up there in this list too when I was looking for the fastest balls bowled. He was certainly one of the fastest consistently, if not appearing in the very fastest deliveries – enjoy this lethal over to the terminator Brian Close which I found whilst searching for his stats.
You have to love that extreme pace. Here’s hoping a certain Mr Wood gets on this list pretty soon…