The beautiful game of cricket has several intricacies, and fast bowling is one aspect that offers it sheer brilliance and sensation. Seeing a bowler at his mark, loading up with the ball as ammunition, striding ahead towards the crease, and delivering fast is an electrifying sight. Stepping up, setting the speed gun on fire, and hitting the top mark, visible as speed on the big screen, is an incredible moment in the game. As exciting as it can get, the chill of pace bowling is an immense source of adrenaline among the players and viewers. 

To master the skills of fast bowling, it takes a great amount of hard work, practice, rhythm, momentum, and innumerable accurate run-ups. To bowl the fastest ball in the match and for the history books is a beholding sight and requires immaculate strategies, strength, and consistency. To be counted as one of the fastest bowlers in the cricket world is a matter of humongous pride and an indication of pure greatness. 

Creating dread among the batters and overpowering them in the modern formats of the game is quite tough. Speed bowling is one tool, if employed and executed at its best, can bundle out the opposition in a jiffy. The protagonists of these are a rare species of players who possess the ball like venom and have set records for the same. Here is a look at the top ten fastest bowlers in the world who are currently in the game and actively plying their trade. 

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Mitchell Starc

The tall and lanky left-arm fast bowling sensation from Australia often takes the cricketing universe by storm because of his sensational pace. He is currently the fastest bowler in the world, having clocked an unimaginable speed of 99.7 miles per hour in a test match against New Zealand in 2015. His average speeds are in the high 140s kph, and his smooth action makes him look aesthetic while delivering balls. When he spearheads the bowling attack of any team, a fear is instilled among the batters, and this attribute has made him one of the highest wicket-takers for his nation, currently at 382 wickets in tests. His potent fitness while being a pacer is a testament to his focused approach towards meticulous practice, planning, and workload management. 

Haris Rauf

The skiddy bowler from Pakistan is a white ball specialist. He began his international career as a T20 player and soon got opportunities in the ODI circuit as well. He is tall, bangs the surface hard, and extracts extra bounce off the pitch. In a match against England in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, Australia, he bowled at 99 miles per hour, sending rocket waves across the bowling fraternity. He is a regular player in his national side and has accumulated 206 wickets, so far, in limited-overs cricket. His average bowling speed nears 150 kmph on many occasions. 

Lockie Ferguson

The Kiwi bowler is a great customer of batters' wickets. His sheer pace, complemented by impeccable bounce, line, and length, makes it extremely tough to score against him. His rhythmic bowling action makes his task look effortless. He regularly plays in the IPL and is a great asset for any team. Once in the 2022 season, playing for the Gujarat Titans against the Rajasthan Royals, he produced a magical delivery worth 157.3 kmph and set the speed gun ablaze. For New Zealand, he has, so far, taken 163 wickets in white ball cricket.

Umran Malik

The speedster from Jammu and Kashmir was the talk of the town even before his debut in professional cricket. His raw pace, coupled with youthful energy, made him a fast bowling sensation. This put him in the category of a rare breed of pacers, an asset that could serve India and IPL cricket for years to come. In the 2022 IPL season, playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad against the Delhi Capitals, he bowled a superfast delivery, measured at 157 kmph in the speed metrics. It became the second fastest ball in that season and earned him a place in the National side. He, however, has been very unfortunate with injuries and has missed out on a lot of game time over the years, hoping to return very soon and produce similar goods for which he became popular. 

Mayank Yadav

Mayank Yadav rose in the ranks while playing for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2024 season of IPL. His impressive performances from the time he got an opportunity made the cricket pundits and viewers talk about him quite a lot on social media. In a match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he clocked a top speed of 156.7 kmph and took everyone by surprise. Delivering that fast at a tender age and also scalping a few wickets made him a player to watch out for ahead. He, too, has lacked the rub of the green in his strides and has dealt with injuries very frequently. 

Mark Wood

The English quick is one of the fastest bowlers in the world and among only a few who possess the ability to turn the tide in his team's favour purely by fiery pace bowling. He sprints like an athlete and delivers fire. At times, his absence from the England team make their attack look bleak and without any venom. Of late, his improved fitness has made him play a lot more matches than he used to in the past, and that is good for the game itself. During the test tour of Pakistan in 2022, he bowled a ball at 156.6 kmph and became the fastest bowler in England's history. He has taken 255 wickets across formats for his nation yet. 

Anrich Nortje

The South African right-arm speedster has an average bowling speed of around 150 kmph. His bowling resonates with business, and so does his serious looks. Playing for the Delhi Capitals and bowling to Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler, he sent waves across the world by recording a gobsmacking speed of 156.22 kmph. The Protea pacer, however, has been less economical over the years and has gone for a few in his overs on numerous occasions. Injuries have pegged him back quite a lot. He currently bowls quick but needs to be smart enough in disguising the batters to sustain himself further in the game. 

Kagiso Rabada

Another bowler hailing from South Africa is an all-format player for the National side. Known for his consistency, Rabada has been a go-to bowler for whichever team he has played in, at all levels. He might lack express pace when compared to other bowlers in the list, but if coupled with the right line and lengths, it apparently seems quite threatening. In IPL 2019, he produced a delivery having a speed of 154.23 kmph. Kagiso has 327 test wickets to his name. 

Jofra Archer

The Caribbean-born pacer became eligible to play for England in 2019 and was fast-tracked into the National side just before the ODI World Cup scheduled in the same year. This news sent seismic waves across the cricket world, and Jofra Archer has been associated with sheer pace since his inception. His raw speed and unparalleled accuracy make it a nightmare for opposition batters, and time and again, he has displayed that. 2019 was a glorious year for him, and he made his name by performing impressively well in the World Cup and the Ashes. 

Mohammad Shami

The Indian pace bowler is known to have the best seam position of the ball. He makes the ball talk at his own will, seaming and swinging notoriously. Delivered at a great pace, it becomes extremely difficult for the batters to negotiate his overs and spells, especially in the longest format of the game. His action is flawless and equivalent to poetry in cricket. His skills affirm the fact that fast bowling is all about rhythm. For India, Shami has struck 462 times across the three formats. 

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have recruited Chetan Sakariya as a replacement for Umran Malik for the next IPL 2025 season. Umran, who is famous for his express pace, has been injured and hence KKR was left with no choice but to find a substitute.

Chetan Sakariya's IPL and International Experience

Sakariya, a left-arm medium pacer, has played 19 IPL games before, taking 20 wickets. He has also played one ODI and two T20Is for India, demonstrating his potential to play at the top level.

KKR acquired Sakariya for INR 75 lakh, which brought solidity to their bowling department as they get ready for the upcoming season.

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What This Means for KKR

With the injury of Umran Malik as a setback, Sakariya's addition brings KKR an experienced left-arm pacer capable of swinging the ball and bowl in various parts of the match. His familiarity with the IPL and international cricket makes him a great asset for the team.

The KKR fans cannot wait to know how Sakariya will deliver in the purple and gold colors as the side prepares for the IPL 2025.

Do you consider Sakariya a good fit to replace Umran Malik?

Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has questioned Umran Malik’s exclusion from all recent Indian squads, including the India A sides. However, Umran is not a part of the 16-member Indian squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. He wasn’t even picked for the recently concluded multi-format tour of South Africa, not even the India A side or the intra-squad practice games as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “Till some time back, Umran Malik was everywhere. We took him to the West Indies as well and it seemed like he could be in the World Cup team too but now he is not there in any of the teams. He doesn’t even get selected for India A.”

The former India opener again shared: “What happened within three months that a guy first gets selected for the Indian team, gets very minimum chances there, and then goes totally missing? We don’t even know where Umran Malik is. Why isn’t he there? We should know why this is happening.”

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However, Umran Malik registered impressive figures of 2/9 in 2.1 overs in his last T20I against New Zealand in February last year. However, he had a poor run in IPL 2023 and proved expensive in the two ODIs he played on the West Indies tour as well, and he hasn’t been picked after that as well. And, Aakash Chopra was surprised by Shreyas Iyer’s non-selection for the T20I series against Afghanistan as well.

“When I look at theelectionelection, I see Shreyas Iyer. There was a five-match series immediately after the World Cup, so he was rested for the first two or three matches but then he joined the team as a vice-captain. He scored a fifty in the last match against Australia as well. It was a match-winning knock,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “Then he went to South Africa as well but now he is not in the team. Why is he not there? If he was a part of your team, what happened to him now, suddenly? What will you tell Shreyas Iyer, that why hasn’t he been picked?”

However, Chopra also said that the Indian Team are yet to finalize their premier spinners. He said that the selectors are confused between Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. He further added that they are yet to figure out their first-choice wrist-spinner between Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi as well.

Umran Malik and Haris Rauf have always been compared to one another, especially with the record of legendary bowler Shoaib Akhtar in sight. However, Pakistani great Aaqib Javed concludes the debate with a scathing remark about “Virat Kohli,” believing there is no point in it.

India’s young pacer Umran Malik and Pakistan’s fast-bowling star Haris Rauf are currently the two best bowlers in the world who consistently reach 150 kmph on the speedometer

Also, the two pacers have always been compared to Shoaib Akhtar, a legendary bowler, because of his record. However, Pakistani great Aaqib Javed concludes the debate with a scathing remark about “Virat Kohli,” believing there is no point in it.

Haris’s fastest delivery to date is his 159 kmph thunderbolt against England during the T20 World Cup last year. The 23-year-old Indian is the country’s fastest bowler. He reached 157 kmph in an Indian Premier League match, and 156 kmph was his fastest in an international match.

Javed was asked to comment on the Umran vs. Haris debate by Events & Happenings Sports. He said that it was like comparing Kohli to the rest of the world’s batters, comparing the India star batter to the Pakistan pacer in this context.

Javed believes that consistently crossing the 150 kmph mark during a match is more important than breaking Akhtar’s record. The World Cup-winning pacer noted that, in contrast to Haris, Umran typically begins at that speed but slows to 138 kmph by the seventh or eighth over.

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“Umran Malik is not as trained and fit as Haris Rauf. If you look at him in ODIs, in his first spell he bowls around 150 kmph but by the 7th or 8th over the speed drops to 138 kmph. The difference is the same as it is between Kohli and the rest of the batters. He (Haris) is very disciplined with his diet, training and his lifestyle. I have not seen a single Pakistan bowler who has a diet like Haris. No one has a clear lifestyle like him. Bowling 160 kmph is not a big deal for me, but bowling at the same speed throughout the match is very crucial,”

he said.

Eight overs into the second ODI, India had conceded six singles, three wides, and a leg-bye to New Zealand. In all, six of the 48 legal deliveries – fewer than a ball an over – had seen a run notched against the bowler. Mohammed Shami (4-1-5-2) and Mohammed Siraj (4-1-4-1) had taken out three wickets by then. This was not in windy Wellington where new-ball bowlers seem to beat the bat every time they do not take a wicket.

New Zealand fought back after being 15-5, but were still bundled out for 108. Shami finished with 3-18 and Siraj 1-10. Their fellow seamers, Hardik Pandya (2-16) and Shardul Thakur (1-26) accounted for three more wickets. India won at a canter. New Zealand’s collapse took place six days after India had bowled out Sri Lanka for 73. On that occasion, Shami had taken 2-20 and Siraj 4-32. Of course, one may argue that Sri Lanka had crumbled under ‘scoreboard pressure’ – a target of 391 can do that.

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Indian Pace unit very strong and vital for world cup, Bumrah’s fitness still a concern

But at The Oval in July, Jasprit Bumrah (6-19) and Shami (3-31) reduced England to 26-5 before they somehow reached 110. Since the start of 2022, India have played 29 ODIs – eight more than any other side in the world. Their stars had stayed away from many of these. Some of these absences were due to injuries. Others can be attributed to them being rested for Test cricket and the T20 World Cup. Shreyas Iyer and Siraj, the only others to have played in 20, were standbys at the World Cup.

What these experimental – it does not seem fair to call a team that has won 19 matches and lost eight ‘second-string’ – XIs have done is help India to build a cohort of fringe cricketers with experience at the top level. Jasprit Bumrah (108 wickets at 25.33) and Shami (148 at 25.62) stand out among India’s pace options. Shami’s strike rate of 27.5 means that he takes more than two wickets every 10 overs. Bumrah boasts of an economy rate of 4.65. Seldom have two fast bowlers of such quality assembled in an ODI unit.

India will be expecting more runs from the middle order and discipline in the death overs as they look for a series sealing win against New Zealand in the second ODI on Saturday. Umran Malik could be beneficial to take wickets with his pace and bounce. Hardik Pandya, who has not been at his belligerent best of late, will be expected to give final flourish to the innings. After being down and out at 131/6. New Zealand were allowed to score another 206 runs in the chase of 350 and that should worry India.

The visitors looked like getting a remarkable come-from-behind win but the individual brilliance of Mohammed Siraj stopped them. With the bat, Shubman Gill, who scored a scintillating double century, had singlehandedly taken India to a competitive total with the others falling by the wayside. Hardik Pandya, who has not been at his belligerent best of late. Will be expected to give final flourish to the innings.

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Umran Malik can replace Shardul Thakur, sheer pace over variation?

Accommodated in the middle-order following his double-hundred performance in Bangladesh. Ishan Kishan would be itching to make the most of the opportunity after an off-day in Hyderabad. India brought Shardul Thakur into the team at the expense of the super quick Umran Malik considering his batting abilities. But the management needs to decide quickly if it wants a bowler who can bat or a specialist. Who can rattle the opposition with extra pace and get wickets in the middle overs.

In the spin department, had a game to forget while Kuldeep Yadav continued his impressive run. The team also has the option playing Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep together. But it has stuck to one wrist spinner and one finger spinner policy. Shahbaz Ahmed is another option that the men in blue can look at. Hardik Pandya, who has not been at his belligerent best of late, will be expected to give final flourish to the innings.

India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI Probable Playing XI:

IND: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan(wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami

NZ: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner

Mehidy Hasan hit his maiden century as Bangladesh recovered from 69-6 to beat India by five runs in the second ODI and seal the three-match series on Wednesday. Mehidy helped Bangladesh to an unlikely victory in the first match by staring down a 51-run deficit with one wicket at hand. He followed that by striking for exactly 100 off 83 balls, with eight fours and four sixes, to help the side post 271-7. India then came up short despite a valiant 28-ball 51 from captain Rohit Sharma, who came in as the No. 9 batter after earlier injuring his left thumb.

With his side at 207-7 and on verge of another defeat, Rohit batted through injury to hit three fours and five sixes to give Bangladesh a massive scare. Needing 20 runs from the final over, Rohit smashed Mustafizur Rahman for 14 runs but couldn´t connect for a six on the last ball. Before Rohit´s heroics, it was Mehidy who paved the way for Bangladesh’s second successive home-series win over India.

Also Read: BAN vs IND: Malik’s 151 km/h rocket destroys BAN batter’s off stump

Bangladesh finished at 271/7 after being down at 69/9 inside the first 20 overs

India pacer Mohammad Siraj swung the ball admirably to dismiss Bangladesh openers Anamul Haque and captain Liton Das, who chose to bat first. Rohit was injured in the second over and went to the hospital for X-rays. He would then return to provide India with some late hope. With Bangladesh at 13-2 in the 10th over, Umran Malik, who replaced Kuldeep Sen as one of India´s two changes, intimidated the hosts with expressive pace. He clocked one over 151KM to scatter the wicket of Najmul Hossain before Washington Sundar ripped through Bangladesh´s middle order to leave the side at 69-6.

Mehidy got support from veteran Mahmudullah as the duo combined for a record 148-run seventh wicket to keep India at bay. Mahmudullah made 77 off 96, including seven boundaries, before Malik dismissed him. But Mehidy, who reached 50 off 55 balls, came down heavily on India bowlers as Bangladesh amassed 68 runs in the last five overs for just one wicket. Virat Kohli opened India´s innings with Shikhar Dhawn and hit a boundary in the first ball from Mehidy. But he dragged one onto his stump off pacer Ebadot to give Bangladesh a breakthrough.

Disciplined Bangladesh bowlers then reduced India to 39-3 and Mehidy, who also took 2-47, dealt a massive blow by dismissing KL Rahul for 14. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel batted confidently to add 107 runs for the fifth wicket before Mehidy again broke through by getting rid of Iyer, who scored a team-high 82. Ebadot, who took 3-45, then put Bangladesh in a dominant position by removing Axar for 56. But Rohit refused to give up and his six-laden innings scared Bangladesh for a while before Mustafizur held on to clinch another thrilling victory.

BAN vs IND 2nd ODI: The 151 km/h delivery from Umran Malik pitched long and just slightly straightened. The ball shattered Najmul Hossain Shanto’s off stump as he was rooted to the crease and brought his bat down very late.

In the second one-day international against Bangladesh, Umran Malik put on an exhibition of express fast-bowling that included accuracy, aggression, hostility, and pace. On Wednesday, the tearaway right-arm pacer, who is easily the fastest Indian pacer currently in use, sent Najmul Hossain Shanto’s off stump for a cartwheel with a 151 km/h thunderbolt in the first ball of his next over after giving Shakib Al Hasan, one of the best all-rounders in the world, a nightmare time in his first over.

Umran was named in place of Mohammed Shami, who was out with a shoulder injury and was not in India’s ODI squad for the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh. Because the speedster from Jammu and Kashmir had just arrived in Dhaka from Christchurch, India decided not to field Umran in the first ODI on Sunday. Kuldeep Sen, an exciting fast bowler from India, received his India cap. However, after he was ruled out with a stiff neck, Umran Malik was immediately drafted into the XI for the crucial match.

Right away, Malik had a significant impact on the match.

With his rapid pace, the 23-year-old mellowed Bangladesh’s senior pro Shakib Al Hasan. On the second ball of Umran Malik’s opening over, Shakib was hit in the back by a bouncer. Shakib was hit on the helmet by a couple more quick, low-pitched balls. Umran started his spell by bowling a maiden.

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Shanto, the other left-hander, watched Umran pound Shakib with short balls from the opposite end. When it came time for him to strike Malik’s next over, he clearly expected the ball to go over his head, but Umran went with a length delivery instead. The delivery at 151 km/h just slightly straightened after pitching on a length. The ball shattered Shanto’s off stump because he was rooted to the crease and was very late in bringing his bat down.

This was Malik’s fourth ODI. After returning to the Indian team for the New Zealand tour, he had a huge impact.

After losing a nailbiting contest against Bangladesh in the first of the three-match ODI series. Rohit and his men will be looking to review the batting options at his disposal. Axar Patel is to come in for Shabaz Ahmed to add more experience in the clutch moments and Kuldeep Sen is to be replaced by another young quick Umran Malik to add. With Rishabh Pant out of the series through an injury Sanju Samson has been added to the squad. KL Rahul has kept wickets in the first game so it is unlikely to see any changes in that department.

Iyer’s short ball continues. On Sunday he was out for the short ball again when Ebadot kept bowling an array of the short ball and piled pressure on Iyer. The right-hander eventually succumbed to the pressure. However, Iyer has been the most in-form ODI batter for India in 2022. He scored 639 runs at an average of 58.33 this year. He alsogside Virat Kohli and Rahul looks like a solid middle order. India needs to get good solid quick starts. Apart from the opening stand against New Zealand at Auckland Indian openings have been below par this year in the ODIs.

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India’s Loss To Bangladesh, It’s Not KL Rahul’s Dropped Catch

Shikar Dhawan’s strike rate is on a study decline in ODIs.He is striking at 75 in 20 ODIs this year with a mediocre average of 38. Skippers’ poor run of form for a long time. This makes India vulnerable at the top. India needs to sort out a combination that can work for the World Cup. KL Rahul, who was entrusted with keeping duties to fit him and another veteran Shikhar Dhawan in the same XI, dropped an aerial sitter from Miraj when Bangladesh still needed 32 runs.

“The bowlers did wonderfully well, to get themselves in a position where they were 136-9. And then Hasan Miraj came, they had a bit of luck with that drop catch, but he played really well. He played sensibly. They took the attack to the opposition and played some bold shots. “When you are ask to chase less than four runs an over. Bangladesh to chase, automatically, the pressure comes down. Bangladesh made it difficult for themselves by playing ultra-cautiously. That’s what got them into trouble. I think India didn’t score 70-80 more runs is the reason why they lost,” added Gavaskar.

Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the ODI series against Bangladesh starting Sunday. As of a shoulder injury, Umran Malik has replaced him in the ODI squad.

Shami is “currently under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team at the NCA, Bengaluru,”. A BCCI statement on Saturday morning said. It has been learnt that Shami had suffered the injury during a training session after he returned from Australia. Where India made a semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup last month. It is also understood that Shami could miss the two-Test series in Bangladesh, beginning in Chattogram on December 14.

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Mohammed Shami has been ruled out with a shoulder injury

While Malik, who made a decent start to his ODI career in New Zealand recently. India did have the option of calling up one of the quick bowlers who are on a shadow tour of Bangladesh with the A team currently. Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar are among the quicks there. While Saini took four wickets in the first four-day game, Mukesh took three.

Injury, in general, teaches you to appreciate every moment. I’ve had my share of injuries throughout my career. It’s humbling. It gives you perspective. No matter how many times I’ve been hurt, I’ve learned from that injury and come back even more stronger pic.twitter.com/EsDLZd30Y7— Mohammad Shami (@MdShami11) December 3, 2022

It is possible, though, that if Shami is ruled out of the Test series too, one of them could come into contention. While Mukesh is uncapped internationally. Saini has played two Tests, having made his debut on the tour of Australia in 2020-21. Apart from Shami, Ravinder Jadeja has also been forced to miss the ODIs since he hasn’t recovered sufficiently after undergoing knee surgery in September. His participation in the Tests also remains doubtful, with left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar- also with India A in Bangladesh – a possible replacement option for Jadeja.