Many a times fast bowling has been a misunderstood art, it's not all about bowling fast..well sometimes it can be but only when it is accompanied by accuracy & sometimes swing or seam. In the 19th century Bowlers merely had a run-up, they bowled as if they are throwing the ball...Frederick Spofforth of Australia was the first known fast Bowler whose action could be somewhat compared with the actions we see now..however the art of Batting was yet to be developed completely. So judging the bowlers of that generation is an impossible task. So these 25 men are from the 20th & the 21st Century Only. I Intended to have a list of 10, but then some of my personal favorites would have missed out & moreover This All-Time List looks more exhaustive now.
25) Graham McKenzie (Aus) (1961-1971)-Right Arm Fast
246 Wickets at 29.78
Wickets/Inning: 2.17
Innings/5 Wkt Hall: 7.06
Matches/10 Wkt Hall: 20
Graham Mckenzie led the Australian bowling attack after the Likes of Lindwall, Davidson & before Lillee & Thommo. That period has been described as the era of benign pitches, Some would describe it as the worst decade for fast bowlers, but 'Garth' as he was fondly called was probably the best in world cricket after Fred Trueman retired in 1965. However Garth played his last test in 1971 when he was only 29 years old, as he was sacked by the selectors for no particular reason. But he went on to play for Leicestershire in county cricket & played a crucial role in his team's championship victory.
"Being a pace bowler is not easy. It's great if you can get good support. You can be lucky and have a couple of other good bowlers with you. A couple of times in my career it was a bit hard. I didn't have a great deal of support."
- Graham McKenzie
24) Neil Adcock (Saf) (1953-1962)-Right Arm Fast
104 Wickets at 21.10
Wickets/Inning: 2.26
Innings/5 Wkt Hall: 9.2
Matches/10 Wkt Hall: -
Adcock was South Africa's first star fast bowler, Though he was never privileged with strong partners like Peter Pollock-Procter, Shaun Pollock-Donald or Steyn-Morkel he ended with great numbers. With his height & sharp pace Adcock was good enough to beat the best. When South Africa toured England in 1961 he took 26 wickets in the 3 match series but South Africa lost the series 3-0. however he took 108 wickets at an magical average of 14 in that year's overall tour which included matches against different counties & was thus named as one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1961.
"At that time England had Trueman, Statham and Tyson; Australia had Lindwall, Miller and Davidson; and the West Indies had Hall and Gilchrist. Neil was right up with the best of them."
- Cricket South Africa's acting chief executive Jacques Faul said when Adcock died of cancer on Jan 6 2013.
23) Alan Davidson (Aus) (1953-1963)-Left Arm Fast Medium
186 Wickets at 20.43
Wickets/Inning: 2.26
Innings/5 Wkt Hall: 5.85
Matches/10 Wkt Hall: 22
186 Wickets at 20.43
Surviving injuries throughout his career & playing under the shadow of One of Australia's Most Loved Fast Bowler Ray Lindwall was not an easy task for Davidson. But he created his existence as an all-rounder who can win matches with any skill the captain demands, but it was his bowling which made him an important part of the squad. His Performances in the 1957-58 tour of South Africa was the highlight of his career. As Ashley Mallett described, he bowled from a 15-paced approach and eased into a lovely side-on position just before delivery. While he didn't have the bustle or rapid bowling arm of Wasim, Davidson had a nice rhythm. He used his front arm to good effect and had the ability to swing in late to the right-handers or angle the ball away. It was his ability to swing the ball that made his away angle so dangerous. He was without any doubt the greatest left arm fast bowler before Wasim.
"I think of the grip as a kangaroo - two fingers at the top of the ball are the kangaroo's legs, the thumb at the bottom of the ball is the kangaroo's tail. When a kangaroo wants to change direction, he stops squats and his tail points the way. My thumb became the kangaroo's tail."
- Alan Davidson
22) Fazal Mahmood (Pak) (1952-1962)-Right Arm Fast Medium
139 Wickets at 24.70
Wickets/Inning: 2.62
Innings/5 Wkt Hall: 4.07
Matches/10 Wkt Hall: 8.5
The very first poster boy of Pakistan along with the little master, Hanif Mohammad, could have well made his debut for India in 1946 as the Nawab of Pataudi wanted him too, but he was considered too young at that time & was ignored. He went on to become a legend & an hero for the future generations of Pakistan. Apart from the traditional late swing Fazal had variations to go with, varying his swing with a mixture of leg-cutters and breakbacks. When the art of reverse Swing was yet to be invented on the dry wickets of Pakistan, Fazal destroyed his opponents without that quality. His numbers of 4.07 Innings/5 Wkt Hall shows how much the Pakistan team relied on him.
"Fazal could make the ball talk."
- Neil Harvey about Fazal Mahmood on matting wickets in Pakistan.
21) Ray Lindwall (Aus) (1946-1960)-Right Arm Fast
