A whirlwind delivery by a bowler can send someone from the crease to the pavilion even before the player realizes it. While it’s amazing to watch batsmen skinning the opponents, it’s equally fun to watch the bowler baffle everyone with speed. Let’s take a look at the Top 10 Current Fastest Bowlers in the World of Cricket.
Top 10 Current Fastest Bowlers in the World of Cricket 2019
Cricket now has nearly 2 Billion of its fans worldwide. Both bowlers and batsmen play an equal role in one of the most popular sports in the world, cricket. It is true that a powerful batsman is a good enough reason to fear a cricket team. But it is also true that a fast bowler is someone who can score even the best of batsmen. This list is based on the current performance of the bowlers and is updated according to the stats as of January 2019. So enjoy the entire list of current fastest bowlers to stay updated about the recent cricketing scenario.
10. Umesh Yadav vs. Sri Lanka – 146.6 Kph
Umesh Yadav, the right-arm fast bowler, happens to be India’s fastest bowlers today, with an average speed of 138.7 km per hour, which puts him in the same rank as Pakistan’s Wahab Riyaz among the fastest in the world. Yadav’s speediest delivery was at the rate of 146.6 kph on 26th July 2017 during the first Test, and the unfortunate team to face his wrathful bowling was India’s neighbor, Sri Lanka. During the test, Yadav managed to take two wickets, one of Dimuth Karunaratne and Danushka Gunathilaka.
9. Kagiso Rabada vs. England – 147 Kph
South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada might just be 22 years old, but he is already one of the fastest bowlers in the cricket world, having hit an average rate of 138.3 kph, which he pushed up to a stunning 147 kph during a match against England. It was the 3rd Test, played on 27th July 2017. The right-arm fast bowler, who stands in the same position as India’s Jasprit Bumrah on the international list of bowlers with the greatest speed, took 4 wickets in the 3rd Test, played at one of the biggest cricket stadiums, The Oval.
8. Liam Plunkett vs. South Africa – 147.3 Kph
Right-arm fast bowler Liam Plunket represents England and has an average speed of 137 kph. While this speed does not place him among the top ten fastest bowlers who are currently playing, he has still secured the 8th place among the top 10 fastest bowlers based on top speed achieved. He made a delivery at an incredible speed of 147.3 in a match on 10th July 2017. England faced South Africa in the 3rd T20I conflict, and Plunkett lived up to T20’s reputation of speed.
7. Adam Milne vs. Bangladesh – 147.7 Kph
Right-arm fast bowlers Adam Milne is one of the key players of New Zealand, noted for his amazing speed. His average rate of delivery is 138.4 kph, which puts him on the list of top ten. And, he pushed this number up to a stunning 147.7 kph in a Champions Trophy match, played on 9th June 2017. The team which had the misfortune of facing his faster-than-the-wind delivery was Bangladesh. He managed to take a wicket in this match, as well.
6. Jasprit Bumrah vs. Pakistan – 148.1 Kph
Cricket’s world’s biggest rivals, India and Pakistan, came face to face in the Champions Trophy final match at The Oval on 18th June 2017, when India’s Jasprit Bumrah made the fastest delivery of his career, at a rate of 148.1 kph, which made him one of the 10 fastest bowlers playing today. This right-arm fast-medium bowler has one of the fastest average speeds as well, at 138.3 kph. This super-fast delivery undoubtedly made its place among the best moments of India vs. Pakistan cricket rivalry. However, Bumrah failed to take a wicket in this thrilling cricket match.
5. Shannon Gabriel vs. Pakistan – 148.2 Kph
30-year old West Indian right arm fast bowler Shannon Gabriel is considered a key player of Trinidad and Tobago’s attack today and is among the most stunning bowlers. He is a force to reckon with, even as he has missed securing a place among the top ten bowlers with the highest average speed by just 0.1 kph, because of his pace of 137.9 kph. His highest delivery, however, was at 148.2 kph in the 3rd Test against Pakistan on 10th May 2017, when he gathered 2 wickets.
4. Tymal Mills vs. India – 149 Kph
At the age of 25, Tymall Mills has already set a record that might be hard to follow. He has managed to deliver a ball at 149 kph, making him the fastest player among the current cricketers, based on the top speed achieved. His average-speed might 131.5 kph, but managed to attain this massive rate in a match against India at Bangalore on 1st February 2017. It was the 3rd T20I confrontation between the two big names, and he also managed to take a wicket in the match.
3. Pat Cummins vs. England – 149.2 Kph
Australia’s right-arm fast bowler and bowling all-rounder, Pat Cummings, has two major records in the world of cricket – and he is just 24! First, he has the fastest bowling speed in the world, with an average rate of 143.3 kph. Second – he made the second fastest bowling delivery, at a rate of 149.2 kph. England faced this Australian tornado at Edgbaston on 10th June 2017 for a Champions Trophy match. If Cummins, one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, had been just 0.4 kph faster, he would be at the top of this list!
2. Wahab Riaz vs. India – 149.6 Kph
Pakistan’s 32-year old left-arm fast bowler, Wahab Riaz leads the list of fastest bowlers with the top speedy delivery, with a delivery made at 149.6 kph. This fabulous performance was at Edgbaston on 4th June 2017 during a Champions Trophy match. The team that had to cope with Riaz’s angry delivery is Pakistan’s cricket enemy, India, in one of the greatest rivalries in the sports world. Riaz, who also features among the bowlers with the highest average speed with 138.7 kph rate, took wickets in the match, too.
4. Mitchell Starc vs. England – 160.4 Kph
Australia’s Mitchell Starc is a left-arm fast bowler, and has the second highest average speed among the current bowlers in the world, with an amazing rate of 143.2 kph, which makes him lose out on the top spot by just 0.1 kph. His highest delivery was at a rate of 160.4 kph when his team faced New Zealand. It was a Champions Trophy match that took place at Edgbaston on 10th June 2017. During this match, Starc also succeeded in taking a wicket! Besides being a super fast bowler.
Current Fastest Bowlers according to Top Speed
| Rank | Bowler | Delivery Speed (Kph) | Bowling Style | Match | Date |
| 1 | Mitchell Starc | 160.4 | Left Arm | Australia vs New Zealand | 10th june 2017 |
| 2 | Wahab Riaz | 149.6 | Left Arm | Champions Trophy | 4 June 2015 |
| 3 | Pat Cummins | 149.2 | Right Arm | Champions Trophy: England v Australia | 1 February 2017 |
| 4 | Tymal Mills | 149.0 | Left Arm | 3rd T20I: India v England | 10 June 2017 |
| 5 | Shannon Gabriel | 148.2 | Right Arm | 3rd Test: West Indies v Pakistan | 10 May 2017 |
| 6 | Jasprit Bumrah | 148.1 | Right Arm | Champions Trophy Final | 18 June 2017 |
| 7 | Adam Milne | 147.7 | Right Arm | Champions Trophy: New Zealand v Bangladesh | 9 June 2017 |
| 8 | Liam Plunkett | 147.3 | Right Arm | 3rd T20I: England v South Africa | 10 July 2017 |
| 9 | Kagiso Rabada | 147.0 | Right Arm | 3rd Test: England v South Africa | 27 July 2017 |
| 10 | Umesh Yadav | 146.6 | Right Arm | 1st Test: Sri Lanka v India | 26 July 2017 |
This list of fast, almost insane, deliveries by the current fastest bowlers, is a compilation prepared on the basis of recent international matches. With the Hawkeye data being the main source of such information, available on the ICC website. However, in some cases, the necessary data is unavailable. Besides, some host broadcaster or board might use other ball tracking methods like the Virtual System, as seen in the case of Australia. Either way, it’s a good enough reason to celebrate the scary bowlers for their performances on the field!
Current Fastest Bowlers according to Average Speed
| Rank | Bowler | Average Speed (Kph) | Fastest Delivery (Kph) | Bowling Style | Country |
| 1 | Pat Cummins | 143.3 | 149.2 | Right Arm | Australia |
| 2 | Mitchell Starc | 143.2 | 148.5 | Right Arm | Australia |
| 3 | Mohammad Amir | 140.9 | 145.1 | Left Arm | Pakistan |
| 4 | Wahab Riaz | 138.7 | 149.6 | Left Arm | Pakistan |
| 5 | Umesh Yadav | 138.7 | 146.6 | Right Arm | India |
| 6 | Mark Wood | 138.5 | 145.0 | Right Arm | England |
| 7 | Adam Milne | 138.4 | 147.7 | Right Arm | New Zealand |
| 8 | Jasprit Bumrah | 138.3 | 148.1 | Right Arm | India |
| 9 | Kagiso Rabada | 138.3 | 147.0 | Right Arm | South Africa |
| 10 | Mohammed Shami | 138.0 | 145.2 | Right Arm | India |
Several other players, such as Australia’s Josh Hazlewood and Pakistan’s Hasan Ali, deserve their place in the list. Both of them recently earned their places in the ICC ODI bowling ranking of 2018. We hope you liked the list of current fastest bowlers in the cricket scenario of 2018. Don’t forget to send us your opinion on this list.
