Some experts and cricketers such as Rod Marsh, who kept wickets to Thomson frequently, say that Thomson’s fastest ball is at 180 km/h! Incredible as it may sound but he was capable of demoralizing the batting side within a span of few overs.Īfter all, he said once ‘I like to see blood on the pitch’. In 1978, Thomson clocked a staggering 147.9 km/h, ahead of the likes of the dangerous Michael Holding and Imran Khan. They were so fearsome, it was as if both of them were competing as to who bowls faster at a consistent rate which proved to be extremely healthy for Australia. Thomson formed one of the finest new-ball partnerships in Test cricket with Lillee. Jeff Thomson (Australia) – 147.9 km/h Jeff Thomson – Blood thirsty pacer One of the most infamous incidents of cricket involved Javed Miandad almost hitting Lillee with his bat, after he was said to have deliberately attempted to stop Miandad from taking a second run in a Test at Perth in 1981.ĭespite all this, Dennis Lillee remains one of the most respected figures in the game and it does not come as a surprise that he has lent out support since the last two decades at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, helping develop young Indian fast bowlers. Lillee could also considered as the man who promoted sledging in the Australian side, with his aggressive attitude with the ball combined with his short temperament. He managed to finish with 355 wickets at the end of his career in 1984, a world record at that time by far. Yet, his pace was humungous enough that he suffered from stress fractures on a regular basis throughout his career. Lillee had the advantage of only playing Tests since he made his debut in 1971 at a tender age of 22. He could be considered as the pioneer of ‘real’ fast bowling in Test cricket, although in his times West Indies were developing a strong pace battery which would go on to rock world cricket for a decade and a half. This fiery Kangaroo remains one of the legends in world cricket, and this is due to the pace he generated with almost every ball he bowled till the end of his career.
1) Dennis Lillee (Australia) Dennis Lilllee – The Pioneer of Fast Bowling So, the focus will be on which cricketers actually qualify in the category of being the fastest bowlers of all time and in all formats of the game. He is the one responsible to provide a stiff challenge, and as a result make cricket a lovable sport to many. There has to be atleast one extreme quick in a team. Cricket is said to be a batsman’s game, but a batsman cannot score runs if there is no contest between him and a fast bowler. Fast bowling is on a decline, and this is a tribute to a few good men who have entertained over the years with their raw pace.įast bowling is the prime reason why cricket has survived over a century now.