5 FASTEST BOWLS IN CRICKET HISTORY – TYPES OF VARIATIONS IN FAST BOWLING
TYPES OF VARIATIONS IN FAST BOWLING:
As far as bowling is concerned, the most difficult among all is to master the art of fast bowling because to be a good fast bowler you have to be a master in many variations a fast bowler can use to deceive batsman otherwise it will be very difficult for you to survive as a fast bowler in international cricket, there are different variations a fast bowler can learn and apply in the game so that he can be successful in cricket, no bowler has the luxury of these types of variations to bowl to a batsman.
VARIATIONS IN SPINNERS:
There is not much variety in fast bowlers, fast bowling is just bowling with pace whether you are left-arm or right-arm bowler, and the following are the types of fast bowlers that are basically seen in the game of cricket;
| RIGHT-ARM FAST BOWLER | LEFT-ARM FAST BOWLER |
| RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM-FAST BOWLER | LEFT-ARM MEDIUM-FAST BOWLER |
VARIATIONS IN FAST BOWLING:
Here are the following variations a fast bowler can learn and can use in crucial situations to win the match for his team;
- IN SWINGER –
The most important type of swing bowl used by fast bowlers is the INSWING delivery which is the most lethal delivery a fast bowler can use against a batsman, this type of delivery moves toward the batter after pitching and cramps the batsman for room and if the bowler can generate last moment swing it can deceive the batter and the stumps can be disturbed.
- OUT SWINGER –
Another type of swing delivery is known as the OUTSWING delivery, in this delivery, the bowler sets up a batter for this bowl and when a bowler bowls this delivery it moves away from the batter and which can result in creating doubt in batter mind while playing and he can be cleaned up if a bowler is a master in this bowl.
- REVERSE SWING –
The reverse swing is the most difficult aspect of the fast bowling, and also works as the opposite of conventional swing bowling. This delivery was first invented by the Pakistani pacer ‘’ SARFARAZ NAWAZ ‘’ and was then used by the famous Pakistani duo Wasim & Waqar in their career. When a bowler has mastered the art of REVERSE SWING bowling, the ball swings in the directions of the smooth side rather than the rough side and at high pace this is unexpected and any batter can be beaten with this delivery.
- SLOWER BALL –
Even though fast bowling is all about bowling as fast as you can, and that is what can be a weapon for a fast bowler because as a batter you are always expecting high pace by a fast bowler but a batter can be deceived with bowling slow balls at the right moment which can result in getting the wicket of the batter, SLOW BALL is a mental game all-together.
- YORKER –
If you ask any batsman, the difficult delivery to hit out is the Yorker length and if you ask any bowler, the most difficult delivery to bowl is also the Yorker length bowl. This type of delivery is bowled right in the base of the stumps and there is no room for the batter to play this ball where he wants and as a result the batter can throw his wicket away. YORKER is the most important delivery every fast bowler should master so he can use that in death bowling.
- BOUNCER –
The BOUNCER is the most important weapon of a fast bowler, especially if you can bowl at high pace it can be your wicket taking delivery in which you can surprise the batsman and can put him on back-foot which can result in his wicket at the end.
A bowler can also bowl this delivery to make batsman uncomfortable so that he can create a doubt in his mind and can deceive the batter, usually some batters also have weakness against the short ball which can be exploited by the bowler in any game.
- WIDE YORKERS –
Another very important aspect of the game is to keep inventing new things as a bowler so you can be ahead of the game, WIDE YORKERS are nowadays used by many fast bowlers in which the fast bowler throws the ball away from the batter outside the off-stump so that a batter feels it difficult to reach and hit the ball and this is very much successful especially when you have pace as a fast bowler.
- OFF CUTTER –
This type of delivery is very much used when there is assistant from the pitch while bowling, OFF CUTTER is a bowl in which the pace of the bowler isn’t decreased that much but the ball moves more like an off-spin and comes sharply towards the batter by simply just rolling fingers on the ball, a fast bowler can bowl this delivery to cramp batsman.
FASTEST BOWLS IN CRICKET HISTORY:
As I have already mentioned, fast bowling is just about bowling with high pace and that’s what viewers want from fast bowlers as well, here are the top 5 fastest balls ever bowled in the history of cricket;
- SHOAIB AKHTAR (161.3 KPH) –
When we recall the fastest-ever bowl, no doubt the fastest-ever bowl in international cricket will be bowled by the fastest-ever bowler, Shoaib Akhtar from Pakistan is regarded as the fastest-ever bowler to play the game, his pace, bounce, and slinging action proved to be a nightmare for the batters.
Shoaib Akhtar even though with all his injuries still managed to pick up around 500 wickets in international cricket which speaks up for his volume. He broke the 100 MPH barrier in international for the first time when he bowled the fastest-ever delivery of 161.3 KPH in a match against England at Cape Town.
- SHAUN TAIT (161.1 KPH) –
The fast bowler from Australia had a very short international career, but not before showing the world what he is capable of in international cricket. Brett Lee bowled one of the fastest-ever delivery of the game and breached the 100MPH barrier against Pakistan in a T20i game when he bowled a 161.1 KMPH delivery at Melbourne, even though he didn’t played much of international cricket and hasn’t got many wickets still he was one of the fastest bowlers to play the game.
- BRETT LEE (161.1 KPH) –
Brett Lee was another fast-bowler from Australia and the bowler who has bowled the second joint-fastest in international cricket after Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee bowled a delivery of 161.1 KMPH in a game against New Zealand in 2005, his sheer pace made it difficult for every batter to play him with ease and that’s why he is regarded as one of the top bowlers to play the game.
- JEFFREY THOMPSON (160.6 KPH) –
Jeff Thompson, another Australian fast-bowler who was a nightmare for the batters in his playing days delivered a bowl of 160.6 KMPH bowling against West Indies which is still the fourth fastest-ever bowl bowled by any pacer.
He was one of a kind when he played international cricket in the 1970s, even in his short career he picked up around 250 international wickets for his team.
- MITCHELL STARC (160.5 KPH) –
Only the fifth bowler in the history of international cricket who has bowled over 160 KPH, Mitchell Starc is one of them who bowled the fifth fastest-ever delivery in an international match when he bowled a delivery of 160.5 KMPH in a TEST match vs New Zealand, he is the only active fast-bowler in the world right now among this list.
