10 most feared fast bowlers in cricket history

#1 Harold Larwood (England)

Larwood was among the first bowlers to instill fear among batsmen

The chief antagonist of the Bodyline series, Harold Larwood, can be considered as one of the pioneers of fearsome fast bowling. Although he was among the most hated cricketers of his time, there is no doubt about the impact that he had on the minds of batsman, as most of them were known to shiver at the sheer mention of his name.

During the most infamous Ashes series in which Larwood gained prominence, he became responsible for ending the careers of at least two Australian batsmen and left some of the others badly battered and bruised. He made even the legendary Sir Donald Bradman look ordinary in the forgettable series as he dismissed him in 4 innings.

Harold Larwood’s tally in 4 Tests of the Bodyline series was a staggering 33 in addition to the injuries that he caused to the Aussie batsmen. Despite such impressive stats, he did not get another chance to represent his country due to the fact that he refused to apologize for his implementation of the Bodyline tactics, as he claimed to be following the captain’s orders.

But you can very well imagine the plight of the batsmen who would have faced him, had he been allowed to play on.