Top ten fastest bowlers in modern history

Dale Steyn

8. Dale Steyn (South Africa)

The 30-year-old powerfully-built pacer from Transvaal has been one of the greatest strike bowlers to have played the game. Like Bond, he also clocks speeds of around 145-150 km/hr, his fastest being 156.2 km/hr, recorded at IPL 2010. In international cricket, Steyn’s quickest delivery is 155.7 km/hr, which he sent down against New Zealand.

One of the most impressive characteristics about Steyn is his ability to maintain control over his pace and the high rate of accuracy with which he bowls. At the kind of speeds he generates, his mastery over both line and length makes him even more lethal. In the limited-overs format, however, he has proven to be expensive and a bit wayward at times, but he has always struck back with a vengeance, using a mixture of slower balls and short-pitched stuff to keep batsmen hopping about the crease.