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Best Fast Bowlers

Interesting Hun post from Craddock, listing his Top Ten Fast bowlers of all time;

Crash's best quicks of all time

1 Malcolm Marshall (West Indies 81 Tests. 376 wickets at 20.94)
2 Wasim Akram (Pakistan. 104 Tests. 414 wickets at 23.62)
3 Dennis Lillee (Australia 70 Tests. 355 wickets at 23.92)
4 Glenn McGrath (Australia. 124 Tests. 563 wickets at 21.64)
5 Curtly Ambrose (West Indies. 98 Tests. 405 wickets at 20.99)
6 Dale Steyn (South Africa. 93 Tests. 439 wickets at 22.95)
7 Richard Hadlee (New Zealand. 86 Tests. 431 wickets at 22.29)
8 Waqar Younis (Pakistan. 87 Tests. 373 wickets at 23.56)
9 Imran Khan (Pakistan. 88 Tests. 362 wickets at 22.81)
10 Fred Trueman (England. 67 Tests. 307 wickets at 21.57)

I realise these lists are generational and personal, you can really only judge those you have seen, but I think there are a couple of potential omissions. Andy Roberts, Bob Willis, Kapil Dev, Joel Garner, James Anderson to name a few, on the above list I would probably have Hadlee and Khan higher in the list.

Fred Trueman I wouldn't rate above Willis, and having talked to some past test players many would rate John Snow ahead of them all but to be a great you also need longevity I suppose. But the title says best, and best is subjective.

Can't see how Marshall gets in ahead of Roberts or Garner, to me Roberts is the clear leader.

Khan in my eyes was better than Akram and Younis, maybe he gets a kicking for being a politician.

Kapil Dev is mighty unlucky not to be on the list, especially given he spent a career bowling on pitches that were doctored for spinners.

I'd probably have Roberts and Lillee the Top 2 slots in any order, the rest is a coin toss.
The Force Awakens!

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #1 –
"Best fast bowler ever was a woman..... Lillian Thomson." ;)
Eric Morecombe.

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #2 –
Just an addendum to this, a lot of those olden days players never got to play many or any tests against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan or Ireland, they might not contribute much but they do boost some of the modern day players figures a little.
The Force Awakens!

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #4 –
I agree that you can't leave out Andy Roberts, Bob Willis, Kapil Dev and Joel Garner, and Michael "Whispering Death" Holding has to be included, as does Frank Tyson, the fastest bowler of all time.  Jeff Thomson is another can't be left out.

Mike Procter didn't get to play many Tests but he was an outstanding quick who terrorised Australian batsmen.

Those lists are always fraught; apart from more Test playing nations of variable standards, there's the old timey playing conditions, different balls, bowling combinations, helmets, different rules, better pitches, longevity vs impact, and countless other factors that make it anything but objective.
“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?”  Oddball

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #5 –
I'd have Marshall as No 1, Imran was a terrific cricketer given he averaged 38 with the bat and had to captain Pakistan.
Dale Steyns strike rate was excellent but Dennis Lillee though always remained the most exciting quick I have seen...
A little remembered  NZ quick named Shane Bond could have broken a lot of records if he could have stayed on the park, was quick, accurate and had a great strike rate.

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #6 –
I was a bit of a cricket tragic as a kid but went off it a bit after the World Series cricket.
Nowadays I hardly watch it.
As a youngster I enjoyed watching the 'Demon' Fred Spofforth :D
But the player who had the most impact was Lillee.

John Snow terrorised us in one series early in the 70s and was probably the most impressive opposition player while I was watching.


Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #7 –
I know SFA about Cricket compared to many here. For me there's best (wickets, strike rate etc) and there's scary fast (intimidation, make the batsmen fill their undies). For me when I think of "fast bowlers" I always think scary fast. For mine its Thomo, Holding, Marshall, Ambrose and ol mate Shoaib  "The Rawalpindi Express" Akhtar. I reckon Thomo was the scariest of the lot, Holding was my favourite (smoothest mover and action), Ambrose and Shoaib were the most intimidating/menacing.
2017-16th
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2019-16th
2020-dare to dream? 11th is better than last I suppose
2021-Pi$$ or get off the pot
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Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Lods on
I was a bit of a cricket tragic as a kid but went off it a bit after the World Series cricket.
Nowadays I hardly watch it.
As a youngster I enjoyed watching the 'Demon' Fred Spofforth :D
But the player who had the most impact was Lillee.

John Snow terrorised us in one series early in the 70s and was probably the most impressive opposition player while I was watching.



Agree on Snow, I had a copy of his book " The Art of Bowling"  when I was a kid and it was the most practical useful cricket book I ever read in terms of grips on the ball, getting your runup right and having your body in the right position to bowl every type of delivery whether you were a spinner, medium pacer or fast bowler.
He had a deadly bouncer, was hated by Aus crowds with one spectator grabbing Snow on the boundary and then tried to remonstrate with him .He was a nasty bloke with a cricket ball in his hand. I think he hit Terry Jenner in the head from memory and finished Bill Lawry's career. Jimmy Anderson might go down as maybe the greatest English quick in terms of wickets, tests played etc but he wasnt/isnt half as good as Snow was imho.

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #9 –
Our fast bowlers, like Connolly, McKenzie and the unfortunate Meckiff, were generally fairly benign until Lillee arrived.  Together with Thomson, Pascoe, Froggy and McDermott, Lillee changed that.

If I was picking the late 20th century, early 21st century fast bowlers who had the most impact on the game, Merv Hughes would be right up there 🙄
“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?”  Oddball

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #10 –
Wow, so many impressive names; champs.

I confess to having lost a lot of interest in cricket over the past decade, or two. Kind of coincided with the decline of the West Indies.

The fast bowlers I loved watching, not only for talent but also for uniqueness of character: Lillee, Holding, Steyn and Hadlee. I'd give a special mention to Rodney Hogg, he had the knack of holding down an end and frustrating batsmen into taking risks against whoever bowled at the other end!
Only our ruthless best, from Board to bootstudders will get us no. 17

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Baggers on
Wow, so many impressive names; champs.

I confess to having lost a lot of interest in cricket over the past decade, or two. Kind of coincided with the decline of the West Indies.

The fast bowlers I loved watching, not only for talent but also for uniqueness of character: Lillee, Holding, Steyn and Hadlee. I'd give a special mention to Rodney Hogg, he had the knack of holding down an end and frustrating batsmen into taking risks against whoever bowled at the other end!

Forgot about Hogg.  If I remember correctly, it was Rodney who screamed as he ran in to bowl to Derek Randall, “I’ll knock your f…..g head off, you f…..g Pommy c..t!”

He certainly had the gift of the gab 🙂
“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?”  Oddball

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #12 –
Just for uniqueness....Alan 'Froggy' Thomson.

Not express pace but...
His windmill type action was quite efffective.
I actually tried to copy it and found it was pretty good for controlling and generating swing.
But I had two paces....slow and none.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq0yA1xS4-4

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #13 –
Although not express or overly fast, Ian Botham was a terrific bowler and quite a character, oft times, polarising.
Only our ruthless best, from Board to bootstudders will get us no. 17

Re: Best Fast Bowlers

Reply #14 –
Quote from: DJC on
Forgot about Hogg.  If I remember correctly, it was Rodney who screamed as he ran in to bowl to Derek Randall, “I’ll knock your f…..g head off, you f…..g Pommy c..t!”

He certainly had the gift of the gab 🙂
Good Thornbury High School lad is R Hogg.
2017-16th
2018-Wooden Spoon
2019-16th
2020-dare to dream? 11th is better than last I suppose
2021-Pi$$ or get off the pot
2022- Real Deal or more of the same? 0.6%
2023- "Raise the Standard" - M. Voss Another year wasted Bar Set
2024-Back to the drawing boardNo excuses, its time