Top 5 greatest fast bowlers of all time

3. Glenn McGrath (Australia)

Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath was a bowler of metronomic accuracy and single-minded focus. He was a fierce competitor who always wanted to win his battles against the batsmen. He also preferred to keep things simple and stick to the basics. He put the ball in the right areas consistently and waited for the batsmen to commit errors, which they did frequently.

McGrath was almost peerless in terms of statistics also. He took 563 wickets in 124 test matches which made him the most successful fast-bowler in the history of the game. He had an amazing average of 21.64 and an equally great strike rate of 51.90. His ODI record was stupendous too as he took 381 wickets at an economy rate below 4.

McGrath never relied on pace and his bowling speed hovered around the 85 mph mark. Being 6 feet 5 inches tall, he was very effective with his bouncers too. He formed a deadly partnership with fellow great Shane Warne and the pair won Australia numerous test matches. He was also a part of the most successful cricket team of all time as Australia dominated world cricket throughout the 1990s and 2000s. McGrath’s relentless accuracy and winning mentality was one of the reasons behind that success.