Top 5 greatest fast bowlers of all time

4. Sir Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)

Sir Richard Hadlee

Sir Richard Hadlee was the most accurate fast bowler of all time. He was also probably the most intelligent of them all. He had a lethal out swinger and the ability to out think the batsmen. If there was ever a thinking fast bowler, it was Sir Richard.

Hadlee was the first bowler to break the 400 test wicket barrier and went on to take 431 wickets in 86 test matches. His destruction of Australia in the 1985-86 test series remains one of the finest ever performance by a fast bowler in a test series. The conditions in New Zealand allowed Hadlee to use his swing bowling prowess to the fullest extent. Although he did not have express speed, he was fast enough to trouble the bastmen.

Hadlee boasted a strike rate of 51 and a bowling average below 23. He also took 158 ODI wickets at an economy rate below 4. He was very difficult to score off as he could quite literally put the ball on a coin. Hadlee won quite a few test matches single-handedly for New Zealand in his illustrious career. The fact that he was the only world-class bowler in the Kiwi team did not deter him and he kept on improving as a bowler.