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When I was asked to pick my greatest fast bowlers of all time, I rattled the names off in less than two minutes.
Then I sat back and thought about who I had missed!
I have left out some big names.
The likes of Courtney Walsh, Stuart Broad, Richard Hadlee and Bob Willis could have all walked on to my list.
But it is subjective, and I have just gone off my own experiences – those I have played against and those I have watched.
Here goes…
15 – SYLVESTER CLARKE (West Indies, Tests – 11, Wickets – 42, Average – 27.85)
This is a real leftfield selection because he only played 11 Tests for West Indies. But make no mistake, he was rapid.
He was a real stalwart for Surrey and as quick as anything I ever faced. He was an absolute handful in county cricket.
His pace came from nowhere. He used to bowl in a pair of batting boots. He was a big unit, but he somehow didn’t make any marks on the crease when he delivered the ball.
Clarke hated batsmen and he hated fielding. He worked out that the quickest way to get off the field was to bowl as fast as he could to bowl the opposition out!
He was a very quiet man, but I found him a real engaging character.
14 – SHOAIB AKHTAR (Pakistan, Tests – 46, Wickets – 178, Average – 25.69)
Shoaib had searing pace with a playboy image.
He would have downtime when he’d enjoy himself. But when he got himself in shape, he could be unplayable.
He is reputed as being the first 100mph bowler. Fred Trueman would refute that! But for a short space of time, Shoaib would cause batsmen in that era sleepless nights.
13 – ALLAN DONALD (South Africa, 1992-2002, Tests – 72, Wickets – 330, Average – 22.25)
He was as quick as any of them and mentally strong. He would bowl any end, any time.
A real nice bloke and unbelievably quiet… until he put whites on.
He was part of the most epic duel between a bowler and batsman I’ve ever seen. His contest with Michael Atherton was pure drama, with neither giving an inch. He also had a formidable bowling mate in Shaun Pollock.
He could get very thirsty, Allan. He loved a pint and was brilliant fun after the game.
When he was at Warwickshire, he once said he was aiming for 1,000 that season. They thought, ‘That’s a bit optimistic, he bats at No10’. He said, ‘No, not runs, 1,000 pints this year!’
12 – MICHAEL HOLDING (West Indies, 1975-87, Tests – 60, Wickets – 249, Average – 23.68)
Whispering Death is one of the great men. He was a former 400 metres runner and was absolute poetry in motion as a bowler.
He was as quick as anything I have seen. A very studious Jamaican and a wonderful advocate of Test match cricket. Any other form was not cricket in Mikey’s book.
11 – CURTLY AMBROSE (West Indies, 1988-2000, Tests – 98, Wickets – 405, Average – 20.99)
Curtly had unerring accuracy and could change his pace. He tended to bowl a little bit within himself until the moment arrived.
He would never move away from off stump, off stump. He would make you play all the time.
Curtly and Courtney Walsh were two giants and formed a formidable combination.
10 – DALE STEYN (South Africa, 2004-19, Tests – 93, Wickets – 439, Average – 22.95)
He always reminded me of the actor Donald Pleasence, a sinister looking chap who starred in all the horror films. I never had the privilege, but Steyn must have been a horror to bat against.
There is rapid and there is extreme. He was up in the extreme category because he bowled mid-90s, with outswing to boot. His record speaks for itself.
Another modern-day South Africa great is Kagiso Rabada and he’s unlucky to miss out on my top 15.
I saw his first Test and everyone in the commentary box could see he was the real deal. He’s going to cause batsmen problems for years to come.
9 – WAQAR YOUNIS (Pakistan, 1989-2003, Tests – 87, Wickets – 373, Average – 23.56)
He was rapid and bowled devastating late inswing from that slingy action. He was the absolute daddy of reverse swing. He bowled toe-crushers at will.
When they come as a double act, like Waqar and Wasim Akram, you’ve got a serious problem as a batsman because they are coming at you from both ends.
Waqar was also a County Championship winner with two counties, Surrey and Glamorgan.
8 – ANDY ROBERTS (West Indies, 1974-83, Tests – 47, Wickets – 202, Average – 25.61)
Of the battery of West Indies fast bowlers, Michael Holding would enthuse affectionately about the daddy of them all, Andy Roberts. He was the one that they all looked up to.
He was one of the very few bowlers who could disguise the shiny side of the ball.
As a batter, you would see the shine and think, ‘He’s set that up for outswing’. But in his bowling action, he could flip it round the other way in his hand and bowl inswing. That is an unbelievable skill.
Another fun fact about Roberts is that he worked as a groundsman in Antigua after he retired.
7 – GLENN McGRATH (Australia, 1993-2007, Tests – 124, Wickets – 563, Average – 21.64)
He always hit that length and he had the thing that disturbs batsmen the most – bounce.
The great batsmen can cope with a bit of movement, but when you’ve got movement and bounce, that’s when you become a real handful.
Off the field, McGrath was one of the quietest, nicest men you could ever wish to meet. But on the pitch, he was an absolute gorilla! A real nasty piece of work with whites on.
He genuinely hated batsmen and genuinely hated going for four.
6 – JIMMY ANDERSON (England, 2003-04, Tests – 188, Wickets – 704, Average – 26.45)
Would you class Jimmy as a quick bowler? My answer to that is – he is quick enough.
He can keep you guessing with a bouncer up his sleeve, but he has fabulous away swing and accuracy.
He has a God-given talent to be able to bowl the length that a batsman has nightmares about. The batsman doesn’t know whether to play or leave, or to go forward or back. He just hits that mark.
He’s got more Test wickets than any other fast bowler. That’s how good he is. He’ll probably still be playing in 20 years’ time!
5 – JASPRIT BUMRAH (India, 2018- , Tests – 46, Wickets – 210, Average – 19.33)
A modern-day great. Michael Vaughan said on a podcast with me last week he was the greatest-ever and I said he was getting carried away. But he is right up there.
Bumrah has a unique action and a comical run-up. But when he gets to the crease, the business area, I marvel at his pace. He is always around 90mph.
To play on such placid pitches and to have the record that he has so far in Test cricket is remarkable.
He is also a really nice bloke. You can see in his interviews, he is so matter of fact and down to earth. Just a lovely fella.
4 – WASIM AKRAM (Pakistan, 1985-2002, Tests – 104, Wickets – 414, Average – 23.62)
I could easily put this bloke at No1 because I know him very, very well from when I was coach of Lancashire.
Left-armers are always worth their weight in gold, but you don’t get many of them who are rapid like Wasim. Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc are another two.
He was a colossus of a bloke. Absolutely huge. And he had unbelievable late swing.
Wasim was an absolute gem of a guy too. In the changing room, his nickname was ‘King’. That tells you all you need to know.
3 – MALCOLM MARSHALL (West Indies, 1978-91, Tests – 81, Wickets – 376, Average – 20.94)
The GOAT of the West Indies fast bowlers. Unlike some other quicks, he would not get his wickets through brawn.
He was a real thoughtful and skilful bowler. He would work a batsman out and use the crease to change the angle.
Marshall could also change his pace. He could be rapid or bowl within the conditions.
He was an absolute artist. And not only was he a world-class quick bowler, he was also well capable of scoring hundreds.
2 – DENNIS LILLEE (Australia, 1971-84, Tests – 70, Wickets – 355, Average – 23.92)
Lillee led a great Australian attack, which included Jeff Thomson. He had a fabulous action and was more than quick enough.
They said he would never play again after he suffered a crippling back injury, but he proved everyone wrong and came back.
He was that good that India used him to help them find fast bowlers. He was the real deal.
1 – FRED TRUEMAN (England, 1952-65, Tests – 67, Wickets – 307, Average – 21.57)
I cannot move away from Fred as my No1. Partly out of loyalty and respect, but he was fast as lightning and the first bowler to ever take 300 Test match wickets.
He played 67 Test matches and in that period he missed 60 Test matches because of misdemeanours and being banned. Immediately he’s my type of bloke! He says what he likes and he likes what he says.
He was a proper archetypal Yorkshireman and a great character for the game. He was box office.
