The fastest bowler in cricket history is Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan. He holds the record for the fastest ball ever bowled, clocking 161.3 km/h (100.23 mph) during a match against England in the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Akhtar's pace and aggressive bowling style made him a fearsome opponent for batters worldwide
Other notable fast bowlers include:
-
Shaun Tait (Australia) – 161.1 km/h (100.1 mph) in 2010
-
Brett Lee (Australia) – 161.1 km/h (100.1 mph) in 2005
-
Jeff Thomson (Australia) – 160.6 km/h (99.8 mph) in 1975
-
Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 160.4 km/h (99.7 mph) in 2015
Among Indian bowlers, Umran Malik holds the record for the fastest ball bowled by an Indian, reaching 157 km/h in the IPL 2022