This is my selection and ranking of the most complete and versatile fast bowlers of all time. They are not rated on the basis of statistics or sheer speed, but on all-round pace-bowling skill. I have given preference to technical mastery over raw talent, and versatility over raw pace.
Wasim Akram was the equivalent of a magician in fast bowling, taking wizardry to heights never before scaled and carrying the art of pace bowling to unexplored horizons. His versatility and mastery of reverse swing were unparalleled, literally making the ball talk. Dennis Lillee represented the epitome of all-round perfection, with complete mastery of the outswinger and leg-cutter, complemented by a ferocious bouncer. No paceman was as classically complete, his bowling a perfect fusion of movement, control and speed, though he was unfortunately not tested enough in subcontinental conditions.
Malcolm Marshall was the most inventive and arguably the most unplayable right-arm fast bowler of all time, who at his best could be lightning quick. No one used the crease better, disguised movement more subtly, or skidded the ball more alarmingly. When bowling short, he made the ball rise disconcertingly, more than any other fast bowler. Ray Lindwall introduced new parameters to the art of pace bowling by taking movement to unexplored realms, skidding the ball with unbelievable skill.
Andy Roberts was classically the most complete of all Caribbean pacemen, with a repertoire almost as wide as Dennis Lillee’s. He was the only paceman to possess both a fast and a slow bouncer. Roberts also had a brilliant late outswinger, off-cutter and slower ball, and could even make a 120-overs-old ball cut back. Michael Holding possessed the most perfect, rhythmic and graceful action among all pacemen. No one was better at extracting speed on a low track. He has to his credit the greatest fast-bowling spell at The Oval in 1976 and arguably the greatest over in Test cricket, against England at Kingston in 1981. When he combined movement with his incredible speed, he was among the most lethal of all fast bowlers.
Glenn McGrath was possibly the most intelligent of all pace bowlers. Though fast-medium, he possessed phenomenal control and had every component of bowling in perfect proportion—speed, movement, bounce and accuracy—forming a complete package. Richard Hadlee reminded one of a computer, with his almost mathematical analysis of an opponent’s weaknesses. He was the greatest ever on green tops, and in his day no bowler possessed greater control.
Curtly Ambrose was a perfect concoction of accuracy, bounce and pace. At full throttle, he could be more lethal than any fast bowler in history. No one was more effective in winning games in the fourth innings or in turning a lost cause into a victory, often blowing away the opposition almost single-handedly. Dale Steyn mastered even the most unhelpful subcontinental tracks, much like Malcolm Marshall, and could make the ball dart back sharply and turn matches in sensational fashion.
Imran Khan was one of the pioneers of reverse swing, who at his peak produced devastating pace and movement. He possessed one of the most lethal inswingers in the game and personified aggression. Waqar Younis was the epitome of reverse-swing mastery combined with lightning pace, capable of producing a shock effect at any moment, and owned the most lethal inswinging yorker ever seen.
Fred Trueman’s record speaks for itself, as he possessed every element that defines a great fast bowler. Joel Garner combined accuracy bordering on the mythical with genuine pace. With his incredible height, his rising deliveries were virtually unplayable, and no one possessed a yorker that was both as perfect and as effective. Allan Donald brought electrifying pace with the ability to move the ball in all conditions, creating a thunderbolt effect on batsmen at his best.
This order is debatable and subjective. I have tried to balance all factors—speed, control, accuracy and movement. There is only a very thin line separating bowlers such as Lillee, Marshall, Roberts and Lindwall, or further down the order McGrath, Holding, Ambrose, Hadlee, Steyn and Imran.
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*Freelance journalist
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