Fastest balls in cricket history: Top 5 List

Speed always thrills. And if it is on the cricket field, it becomes more exciting.

Bowlers who can bowl fast have always been the X factor for their teams. But only a few in the history of cricket have been able to thrill everyone with their pace and aggression.

Here in this article, we will talk about the fastest balls ever bowled in cricket history.

#1 Shoaib Akhter | 161.3 kmph

The 'Rawalpindi Express' is the fastest bowler ever, with a 161.3 kmph ball bowled during the 2003 ICC World Cup against England.

The Pakistani speedster was known for his rapid pace, and many batters during his era have remarked on him as the fastest they ever faced.

Not only with his 150kmph+ deliveries, but Shoaib Akhtar was faster than anyone with his average bowling speeds as well. Akhtar broke the 100mph barrier multiple times in his career. For your information, a cricket ball scientifically does not get bowled faster than that.

#2 Shaun Tait | 161.1 kmph

Nicknamed the "Wild Thing", Australian pacer Shaun Tait was indeed wild. With a slingy action, he was very hard to pick and could bowl at more than 150kmph at will.

Due to the presence of other Aussie legends in the bowling lineup, Tait had to wait a long time before making his debut. But when he debuted, he made sure he caught everyone's attention with his speed.

Tait clocked 161.1 kmph (100.1 mph) during an ODI match against England at Lord's in 2010. He bowled the ball to Craig Kieswetter during the second innings.

#3 Brett Lee | 161.1 kmph

There would be very few 90s kids who have not tried Brett Lee's bowling action once in their lives. Brett Lee was fast, accurate and aesthetic.

That long run up, perfect loading and braced front leg - everything was perfect about Lee.

During an ODI match in 2005 against New Zealand, in which he bowled every ball of the over over 95 mph, Lee clocked 161.1 kmph.

Apart from his pace, Lee was very accurate and took 718 international wickets, among which 380 came in ODIs. From 2002 to 2009, he took the second most wickets in ODI cricket. Lee was also part of the 2003 and 2007 World Cup-winning sides.

#4 Jeff Thomson | 160.6 kmph

Another Aussie legend on the list. Jeff Thomson was the perfect example of a 'Whippy' side-on action, who generated pace from his hip-shoulder separation.

Thomson and Dennis Lillee formed one of the most feared bowling partnerships during the 70s and 80s. Due to their incredible bowling in the Ashes test series, batters used to hear - 'Ashes to Ashes / Dust to dust / If Lillee don't get ya / Thommo must'

Thomson clocked 160.6 km/h (99.8 mph) against the West Indies in 1975 in Perth.

#5 Mitchell Starc | 160.4 km/h

Now here comes the modern-day legend - Mitchell Starc. More than 400 test wickets, World Cup titles, WTC success and whatnot - Starc has it all.

Along with that comes a super appealing bowling action, which can make you gaze at it for a long time.

Starc recorded his fastest ball at 160.4 kmph against New Zealand in 2015 in Perth.

This is the fastest ball in test cricket history. More astonishingly, it was Starc's 21st over of the inning, and he was able to generate that much pace even after bowling that long.