Bowling fast is a skill, and to be effective at that speed takes talent and a lot of practice. Pace bowlers, also known as speed guns or pace spearheads, bring more excitement in the sport with their outrageous pace and accuracy. A fast bowler in red-hot form is definitely a sight to behold on a cricket field.
Fastest Bowler in the World Cricket
At present, Shoaib Akhtar is widely consider as the world fastest bowler in the history of cricket, having bowled the fastest delivery in cricket at 161.3 km/hr.
Over the years, the likes of Waqar Younis, Brett Lee, Allan Donald, and Shaun Tait have taken the batters by surprise with speed and accuracy throughout their career. Australia’s Mitchell Starc, New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson, South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, and England’s Jofra Archer are few of the fast bowlers who trouble the batter with express speed in world cricket at the moment.
All-time Fastest Delivery in Cricket History
| Bowler | Fastest Delivery | Country | Against | Year |
| Shoaib Akhtar | 161.3 km/hr (100.2 mph) | Pakistan | England | 2003 |
| Shaun Tait | 161.1 km/hr (100.1 mph) | Australia | England | 2010 |
| Brett Lee | 161.1 km/hr (100.1 mph) | Australia | New Zealand | 2005 |
| Jeffrey Thomson | 160.6 km/hr (99.8 mph) | Australia | West Indies | 1975 |
| Mitchell Starc | 160.4 km/hr (99.7 mph) | Australia | New Zealand | 2015 |
Fastest Bowler in India 2022 : Top 5 List
Hyderabad’s fast bowler Umran Malik has been in the spotlight of the cricket world by becoming the fastest bowler in India. In the Indian T20 League 2022 season, Umran constantly bowled at over 150kph throughout the season. Umran Malik has taken over the title of the fastest bowler in India during the 2022 season of the Indian T20 League. He bowled at an average speed of around 150km/hr, with many deliveries crossing the 150 mark.
The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj have shown plenty of control and accuracy with the ball in hand. Indian fastest bowlers can now go against the quickest bowlers from Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand.
| Rank | Bowler | Fastest Delivery/Ball | Year |
| 1 | Umran Malik | 157 km/hr | 2022 |
| 2 | Irfan Pathan | 153.7 km/hr | 2007 |
| 3 | Mohammed Shami | 153.3 km/hr | 2014 |
| 4 | Jasprit Bumrah | 153.26 km/hr | 2018 |
| 5 | Navdeep Saini | 152.85 km/hr | 2019 |