6 best fast bowling captains of all time 

It is often said cricket is more a batsman’s game. And we have seen it’s the batsmen who captain their team more often than not. Also, the longest serving captains have been batsmen.

Mike Brearley (former England captain) in his book ‘The Art of Captaincy’ had stated that fast bowlers need to be the last option as far as captaincy is concerned. One of the reasons may be because of the workload of a bowler (whether it is fast or spin) is large and it may become a little demanding if that player has to captain the side as well.

But there have been a few bowlers who’ve led their respective teams to glory. In particular, there have been fast bowlers who have enjoyed the captaincy role and their performances haven’t been affected. So, we look at 6 best fast bowling captains of all time.

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#6 Heath Streak

A lion-hearted fast bowler who had the ability to extract seam movement even on docile pitches, Heath Streak is certainly one of the best bowlers to have played for Zimbabwe. He could bowl at a very good pace with great control and often carried a weak bowling attack single-handedly.

Heath Streak was appointed as captain for the first time in 2000 when he became Zimbabwe’s 4th Test and 6th One-Day captain, but the first bowler from his country to captain his side. He captained the side beautifully as he became the second Zimbabwean captain to win a Test against India (he took 7 wickets in the game as well) after a 2-0 series win against Bangladesh. But he soon resigned due to the tension with the board which affected his performances. He was reappointed for a second stint in 2002 which continued until April 2004 after Zimbabwe board refused to give him guarantee over selection.

But, Streak is still the most successful Zimbabwean Test captain (4 out of 11 Test wins for Zimbabwe have come under his captaincy) and also has 18 ODI wins as captain. With 216 Test and 239 ODI wickets, Streak is also the highest wicket-taker for his country.

#5 Imran Khan

Imran Khan with the 1992 World Cup title.

Imran Khan is arguably the finest cricketer Pakistan has ever produced. A bowler who could bowl his heart out in any conditions and on any pitch. He has represented Pakistan for almost 20 years decades out of which he captained them for almost a decade.

As captain, he was inspirational and energetic, leading Pakistan in 48 Tests (14 wins) and 139 ODIs (75 wins), which makes him Pakistan’s most successful one-day skipper. In 1992, after a disastrous start to Pakistan’s World Cup campaign, he led them to the title as they won 5 consecutive games after winning just 1 in the first five.

He retired at the end of the World Cup, but will go down as one of the best captains and one of the best all-rounders in the world.

#4 Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev was a man for all occasions

The 1983 World Cup winning captain, Kapil Dev will always be remembered as one of India’s finest cricketers. He was a lower-middle order batsman who could change the course of an innings in a few overs. And with the ball, he was one of the most energetic bowlers who could often bowl marathon spells.

Kapil Dev first led India on the 1982-83 tour to West Indies which was followed by the 1983 World Cup. It was that World Cup which led to a cricket revolution in India as the victory had an enormous impact in the country.

India’s premier all-rounder captained the side brilliantly and his own performance remained unaffected. Post World Cup, Kapil’s form slumped which led to Gavaskar returning as captain for a brief period. However, he regained captaincy and led India in the 1987 World Cup where India as co-hosts reached the semi-finals and lost to England. Kapil took the entire responsibility and never captained India again, but continued to play international cricket till 1994.

Kapil Dev will always remain as one of the best all-rounders in the history of the game as he is the only player to take over 400 wickets and score over 5000 runs in Test cricket. In short, Kapil Dev was India's best fast bowler, best all-rounder and one of India's best captains to have played for India.

#3 Mashrafe Mortaza

Mashrafe Mortaza

Commonly known as ‘Narail Express’, Mashrafe Mortaza was the first real quick bowler to come out of Bangladesh. He had a nice, strong action which helped him generate uncomfortable bounce. Mortaza’s strengths are hitting the deck hard, getting appreciable seam movement and surprising the batsmen with his sheer pace. But constant injuries have plagued his career.

He became captain for the first time in 2009 where he led Bangladesh to only their second Test victory and their first overseas Test win (in West Indies). That was the only game where Mortaza captained the Test team as constant injuries never allowed him to play another Test in his career. But he returned to captain the one-day in 2010 before injuries and poor form led to his axing before the 2011 World Cup.

But, when he took over a struggling Bangladesh ODI side in 2014, he was bold and strong as what followed was truly remarkable. Bangladesh started producing results they were capable of. Reaching the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup, clean sweeping Pakistan, and series wins over India and South Africa in three consecutive home series apart from beating New Zealand and Zimbabwe. Again, this year in the Champions Trophy, he led Bangladesh to their first ever ICC-event semi-final.

In 43 ODIs, he’s led his side to victory in 26 of those, being the only skipper from Bangladesh to have a win percentage of more than 50 (60.46%). With 232 wickets, Mortaza is still Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in ODIs and is still going strong in the only format he plays (ODIs).

#2 Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram is perhaps the greatest left-arm bowler to have stepped onto a cricket field. From a bloke who never played first-class cricket before making his international debut, to becoming ‘The King of Swing’, Akram started as an out-and-out fast bowler who learnt a bag full of tricks only as he played more games. He also played a vital role in Pakistan’s victorious 1992 World Cup campaign where he finished as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 18 wickets.

After Imran Khan’s retirement, Akram was made the captain in both formats (Tests and ODIs). He has pretty good numbers as captain. In 25 Tests, he has led Pakistan to 12 wins. His numbers are even better in ODIs, where he has a win percentage of 61.46 with 66 victories in 109 games. He also led Pakistan to the final of the 1999 World Cup in England.

When he retired in 2003, he finished with staggering numbers as a bowler. 414 Test and 502 ODI wickets (most by a bowler in ODIs) are some mind-blowing figures which Akram managed in his almost two-decade-long career.

#1 Shaun Pollock

Shaun Pollock

Hailing from a family of cricketing legends, it was no surprise that Shaun Pollock went onto to become one himself. He is one of the finest all-rounders to have played for South Africa. Having scored more than 3500 runs in both formats and taken more than 800 international wickets, Pollock was one of the rare genuine all-rounders in world cricket who could be equally effective with both bat and ball.

After the shocking exit of Hansie Cronje when the mixing-fixing saga dominated the talk in world cricket, Shaun Pollock was entrusted as the captain. His captaincy tenure was very positive as he brought credibility back into South African set-up with convincing performances. But he was sacked after hosts South Africa failed to reach the Super 6 stage during the 2003 World Cup. Even after he was sacked, he was an integral part of South Africa’s side, leading the bowling attack.

But with 14 wins in 26 Tests and 59 wins in 92 ODIs as captain, Pollock is third-most successful South African skipper after Graeme Smith and Hansie Cronje.