Top 5 Fast Bowlers in the World Currently

The game of cricket has always been perceived as a contest between bat and ball. A contest in which both facets have an equal chance of triumph.

However, in this day and age, cricket has come to be known as a game which is dominated by batsmen. The increased know-how of making better yet lighter bats, the new playing conditions and diminishing bowling prowess are all to blame for this.

Gone are the days when the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Brett Lee, and Dale Steyn instilled fear in the batsmen. Nowadays, fast bowlers are more content on containing the batsmen rather than going for wickets. Though there has been a general change in the mindset of the quicks, there are still some fast bowlers, who possess the uncanny ability to change games in the blink of an eye.

Through this article, we would look at such fast bowlers and determine who the best of the lot is, taking into consideration their adaptability and skill levels. Without wasting further time, here are the 5 best fast bowlers in the world at the moment:

#5 James Anderson (England)

The veteran Englishman hasn’t donned the coloured clothing for a while yet on the back of his Test performances, he remains one of the world’s best pace bowlers.

Anderson has been around the English set-up for a decade and a half. Despite being around the scene for such a long period, he is still able to surprise the batsmen with his supreme skill.

His biggest asset is his accuracy and his ability to move the ball both ways. With the help of late movement, Anderson has had the measure of several batsmen. Additionally, Anderson boasts the knack of knowing when to attack the batsmen and when to contain him. These attributes make him the ‘complete fast bowler’.

Having gone past Glenn McGrath’s tally of Test wickets, Anderson can count himself as one of the best quickies to have ever stepped onto a cricket field.

However, over the years, Anderson hasn’t been able to adapt to the rigours of limited-overs cricket. His last ODI came against Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup.

Anderson not playing white-ball cricket frequently is what brings him down in our rankings. Hence, he can only garner the No.5 spot on our list.

#4 Trent Boult (New Zealand)

Boult has been the bedrock of New Zealand's bowling attack

The left-arm bowler from New Zealand has been around the upper echelons of fast bowling over the past few years. After a breakthrough World Cup in 2015, he has gone from strength to strength.

Boult’s biggest weapon is swing. Blessed with the ability to swing the ball even in the most docile conditions, Boult has proven to be a wicket-taker everywhere across the globe. Though he would’ve liked to have a better T20 record, his ODI and Test statistics make for impressive reading.

In Tests, he averages 27 with 6 five-wicket hauls and 11 4-wicket hauls. Additionally, he is a proven match winner in Tests and has displayed the ability to tilt games in his side’s favour with the ball. His demolition of England at the start of the year quickly springs to mind.

The 50 over format sees Boult boast of an average of around 24 with an economy rate 5.09. However, he has found the going tough on occasions in the death-overs. His inability to tie the batsmen down at the death is the only chink in his armour.

Boult is one of the most talented bowlers going around but his failure to keep the batsmen quiet at the death gets him only the 4th spot on our list.

#3 Mitchell Starc (Australia)

Starc has performed well whenever he's been fit

The Australian has been a vital cog in Australia’s successes and Australia would wonder what heights they could’ve scaled had their premier fast bowler been fit.

Starc’s Achilles heel is his tendency to get injured very often. Numerous injuries have blighted his career which has stunted his progress to an extent. Despite his injury concerns, Starc has still been performing when healthy. His ability to turn up and flip matches on its head makes him indispensable to the Australian team.

Starc is an excellent limited overs bowler and was instrumental in Australia’s World Cup victory in 2015. The lanky fast bowler can bowl at speeds in excess of 145 kmph and can hit yorkers at will. In addition, he can make the new ball talk and is a nightmare for right-handed batsmen at the start of the innings.

Over the years, he has also evolved into a good Test match bowler. Though there are still a few things he needs to work on in the longest format, he is still a handful for most batsmen.

There aren’t many in world cricket who possess the deadly combination of pace and swing. Thus, it is a shame that Starc hasn’t played as much cricket as he should’ve.

Due to his injury-prone nature, Starc can only rank at No.3 on our list.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah (India)

Bumrah has taken the world by storm

Jasprit Bumrah has taken the world by storm since his introduction in 2016. Initially renowned for an awkward action, he has developed the other facets of his bowling, which make him one of the ace pacers in the world today.

Bumrah burst onto the scene as a limited overs specialist. His armoury included a deadly yorker and an indecipherable slower delivery. These assets made him a hard nut to crack in the end overs, which is where he made his name.

Over the course of his career, he has improved his bowling in the middle overs and has become a real wicket-taking option for India. However, the most pleasing aspect is his discipline and skill with the new ball. After a couple of years on the circuit, Bumrah can now swing the ball considerably, causing problems to the best of batsmen.

Additionally, he has made the switch to red-ball cricket seamlessly. After missing the first couple of tests in England, he was India’s best bowler in the last three Tests, which included a match-winning 5-wicket haul in Nottingham.

Bumrah is an exciting prospect and one can expect him to shoulder India’s bowling responsibility in the years to come. He could’ve taken the top spot but his limited exposure in the Test arena proved to be his undoing. Hence, he has to settle for the runner-up spot in our list.

#1 Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)

Rabada has been a revelation

After a close contest with Bumrah, the bowler at the top of our list is none other than the South African sensation, Kagiso Rabada. Ever since his debut, he has been a revelation and has been South Africa’s mainstay in the absence of Dale Steyn.

Rabada can get the ball to move both ways and is adept at reverse-swing: abilities which make him a complete Test bowler. To go with his ability to extract movement, Rabada bowls rapidly and consistently bowls upwards of 90 mph.

The South African has been impressive in all formats. In ODIs, he possesses an average of 26 while in T20Is, he averages only 21. However, his numbers in Test cricket are simply mind-boggling.

After 32 Tests, he averages 21.71 and has a strike rate of 39. These numbers pit him against the greatest fast bowlers ever. At 23 years of age, Rabada has time on his hands and if he continues in the same vein, he could land up as one of South Africa’s greatest.

For these reasons, Rabada takes the top spot in our list.