These magicians are truly among the best, and more than one of them is capable of winning an entire match on their own. On a good day, almost all these bowlers eat up the batting line one by one, and set up easy victories.
01 Muttiah Muralitharan — Sri Lanka
Murali is arguably the best off spinner of all time and has taken 735 wickets, the highest of any list. His highest average is 23. The infamous doosra is just one among his arsenal of fearsome weapons. He played many ODI’s for Sri Lanka and could capture 464 wickets in ODI matches. Muralitharan is the first wrist spinning off spinner in the history of the game. He bowls marathon spells, yet it forever on the attack. The highest number of International Wickets in Test and ODI’s combined (1187wickets). The most 5 wicket haul’s in an innings at Test level (63) and the most 10 wicket hauls in an innings at Test level (20). He is only player to take 10 wicket/match against every Test playing nation. Most “Man of Series” awards in Test cricket (11). The only bowler to take 75 or more wickets in a calendar year on 3 occasions achieving it in 2000, 2001 and 2006.
02 Sydney Barnes — England
Barnes played a total of only 27 test matches, and he took 189 wickets for an average of 16.43 runs each. He was six feet one inch in height, lean but muscular, with long arms and long fingers with two or three long, springing strides in his run-up. He delivered the ball when it was at the highest point above his head. His armoury included the leg break, the off break, in-swingers, out-swingers, top-spinners although his chief asset was the leg-break. In all class of cricket, Barnes took 6225 wickets at an average of only 8.31 runs each.
03 Shane Warne — Australia
Shane Keith Warne who is largely looked upon as one of the finest leg spin bowlers in cricketing history is a former Australian international cricketer. He is also one of the most popular sports personalities around the world. He is a right-arm leg break wrist spinner and a handy lower order batsman. Shane Warne had more than 700 test match wickets and was voted as among the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century.
In the late 1990s Warne came to be known as the God of Spin. Warne was able to turn the ball exceptionally even on pitches that did not assist spin with unfaltering precision. He had many deliveries in his armory such as the Googly (which turns the other way), the flipper (which goes straight and fast) and the top spinner (which climbs onto the batsman). Warne has performed excellently during the Ashes series. A major credit goes to Warne and the “Gatting Ball” that spun sharply to dismiss Mike Gatting during the 1993 Ashes series is very famous.
04 Malcolm Marshall — West Indies
In case Dennis Lillee was the best feared bowler of the 1970s then Malcolm Marshall took over that mantle in the 1980s. He was the best of a set of excellent West Indian fast bowlers. He was short for a fast bowler, but put to use this to his benefit by bowling the ball at a low flight at the batsman’s stumps.
Malcolm Marshall was an aggressive pace bowler, and was feared for his bouncer. His average was 20.94 and had 376 wickets in test matches. Marshall was one of the stars of the West Indies team which dominated international cricket for more than a decade from the mid-1970s. At just over 5ft 10in, Marshall was small for a modern-day fast bowler, but combined great accuracy and cunning to claim his wickets.
05 Sir Richard Hadlee — New Zealand
Sir Richard Hadlee idolized Dennis Lillee, and eclipsed his own idol with 431 wickets in test cricket, and an average of 22.29. He was a finest cricketer New Zealand has produced, Richard Hadlee was a bowler of devastating control and intelligence. He was the first bowler crossing the 400 wicket mark in test cricket. He was one of the four great allrounders of the 1980s.
06 Dennis Lillee — Australia
Lillee was not a bowler to mess with any time of the year. Almost all batsmen in his time knew and respected Lillee as a fearsome fast bowler. He retired in 1984 with 355 test wickets and an average of 23.92. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1973.
07 Curtly Ambrose — West Indies
Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose is a former right arm fast bowler who played for the West Indies. As he had a height of 2.01 meters (six feet seven inches) he could extract bounce from the pitch with more than a thousand maidens in just 98 tests and although his pace decreased with age he had a precise line and length.
Ambrose has played 98 Test matches in which he has taken 405 wickets at a bowling average of 20.99 in which he has taken 5 wickets in an innings 22 times and 10 wickets in a match 3 times. His best bowling figures have been 8 for 45 and he has taken 18 catches. As a lower order batsman he has scored 1439 runs inclusive of 1 fifty.
In One Day International matches Ambrose has participated in 176 matches wherein he has taken 225 wickets at a bowling average of 24.12 and 5 wickets in an innings 22 times. The best bowling performance has been 5 for 17 and he has taken 45 catches. He has scored 639 runs with the top score of 31 not out.
08 Glenn McGrath — Australia
McGrath was one of the key players of Australia and the reason for the team to reach great heights since the middle of the nineties. McGrath is the most prolific fast bowler in Test cricket history and the spearhead of Australia's bowling attack for over a decade. Third on the all-time list of wicket-takers behind spinners Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. Not the quickest fast bowler of all time, but specialises in unerring accuracy around off stump and good bounce and has achieved virtually every honour in the game. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1998 and was a member of the Australian team that won the 1999 World Cup. He became only the fourth bowler to captured 500 Test wickets when he dismissed Marcus Trescothick in the first Ashes Test at Lord's in 2005. His world cup wickets are the highest among all players. He has an average of 21.64 and this from 124 tests.
09 Courtney Walsh — West Indies
Courtney Walsh was one of the most destructive fast bowler in 90’s. He had a debut in test arena vs Australia at Perth in November 1984 ,where the ODI debut has comes up at Hobart v Sri Lanka in January 1985. He was very strong both mentally and physically, which has given him the strength to reach 519 Test wickets which was the world record before it was broken by Shane Warne & Muralitharan.
Additionally, he has achieved great success with Curtly Ambrose taking 421 wickets between them in 49 Tests. However, his batting was also very enthralling which includes a record 43 ducks in Test cricket and not outs for 61 times which is also a record.
10 Wasim Akram — Pakistan
Wasim Akram is known for taking 414 test wickets and a record number of 502 test wickets in ODIs. His average is 23.62 from 104 games. He has bowled two hat tricks in Test Cricket, and is one of only three bowlers having done so, and has recorded the same in ODI’s as well, again one of only three bowlers.
Wasim Akram is a former Pakistani National Cricket Team player, who led Pakistani Team in One Day Internationals and Test Cricket. He is often named as one of the best fast bowlers in the history of cricket. This cricketer was born on 3 June 1966 in Pakistan. In 1988 he begun playing as an International player and has shown his excellence many times in several matches and made his nation proud of him. Wasim Akram was a prominent player in 1992 World Cup when Pakistani Team won the tournament under the captaincy of Legendry cricketer Imran Khan. He was also successful during his time of captaincy. He captained Pakistani Team during 1999 World Cup when Pakistan reached the final. After ruling World of cricket for 19 years he announced his retirement at the age of 36 on 18 May 2003.
1. What is computer aided design (CAD)
