Legendary Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar holds the record for the fastest ball in cricket history.
During the 2003 ODI Cricket World Cup in Cape Town, Shoaib Akhtar produced the fastest ball in cricket history as clocked 161.3 kph against England in his second over of the game.
Bowling to England’s opening batter Nick Knight, the Pakistani speedster recorded speeds of 153.3 km/h, 158.4km/h, 158.5km/h, 157.4km/h, 159.5km/h and 161.3km/h to bowl a maiden over.
Former Australia speedster Shaun Tait recorded the second-fastest ball in cricket history.
Considered to be one of the fastest bowlers of all time, Shaun Tait became the second bowler to breach the 100 mph barrier against England at the iconic Lord’s in an ODI clash in 2010.
Tail produced a 161.1 km/h (100.1 mph) delivery while bowling to England opening batter Craig Kieswetter in his first over.
The Australian pacer later scalped four wicket wickets to guide the visitors to a 42-run victory.
Apart from Tait, the likes of Brett Lee, Jeffrey Thomson and Mitchell Starc feature on the top five list for the fastest ball in cricket history.
Popularly Known as "Thommo", Jeffrey Thomson produced a 160.6 kph delivery to record the fastest ball in cricket history at that time against the West Indies in Perth in 1975.
Almost three decades later in 2005, former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee etched his name in the elite list.
Lee clocked 161.1 kph delivery against arch-rivals New Zealand in 2005 to break Jeffrey Thomson’s record.
Among Indian bowlers, Umran Malik holds the record for the fastest ball in cricket history.
While representing the Hyderabad franchise in the Indian T20 League, Umran Malik produced a 157.0 kph thunderbolt against Delhi to become the fastest Indian bowler.
In international cricket, former left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan recorded the fastest ball in cricket history by an Indian bowler. Pathan recorded a 153.7 kph delivery against Pakistan in 2007. Get list of fastest ball in cricket history.
Fastest ball in cricket history
Fastest ball in international cricket
|
Player |
Fastest ball |
For |
Against |
Year |
|
Shoaib Akhtar |
161.3 kph |
Pakistan |
England |
2003 |
|
Shaun Tait |
161.1 kph |
Australia |
England |
2010 |
|
Brett Lee |
161.1 kph |
Australia |
New Zealand |
2005 |
|
Jeffrey Thomson |
160.6 kph |
Australia |
West Indies |
1975 |
|
Mitchell Starc |
160.4 kph |
Australia |
New Zealand |
2015 |
|
Andy Roberts |
159.5 kph |
West Indies |
Australia |
1975 |
|
Fidel Edwards |
157.7 kph |
West Indies |
South Africa |
2003 |
|
Mitchell Johnson |
156.8 kph |
Australia |
England |
2013 |
|
Mohammad Sami |
156.4 kph |
Pakistan |
Zimbabwe |
2003 |
|
Shane Bond |
156.4 kph |
New Zealand |
India |
2003 |
Fastest ball in Indian T20 League
|
Player |
Fastest ball |
For |
Against |
Year |
|
Shaun Tait |
157.7 kph |
Rajasthan |
Delhi |
2011 |
|
Lockie Ferguson |
157.3 kph |
Gujarat |
Rajasthan |
2022 |
|
Umran Malik |
157.0 kph |
Hyderabad |
Delhi |
2022 |
|
Mayank Yadav |
156.7 kph |
Lucknow |
Bengaluru |
2024 |
|
Anrich Nortje |
156.2 kph |
Delhi |
Rajasthan |
2020 |
Fastest ball in cricket history by an Indian bowler
|
Bowler |
Fastest ball |
Against |
Year |
|
Umran Malik (Hyderabad) |
157.0 kph |
Delhi |
2022 |
|
Mayank Yadav (Lucknow) |
156.7 kph |
Bengaluru |
2024 |
|
Irfan Pathan (India) |
153.7 kph |
Pakistan |
2007 |
|
Mohammed Shami (India) |
153.3 kph |
Australia |
2014 |
|
Jasprit Bumrah (India) |
153.3 kph |
Australia |
2018 |
Photo credit: Alamy
