5 fast bowlers who have never sledged

That sledging is threatening to mar the gentleman's game has been a cause for concern for quite a few years now. There is no harm in engaging in friendly banter but players should know where to draw the line.Not every act of sledging is done in ill-spirit. When a fast bowler has been steaming in on a long spell, he is bound to let his expression show at times if things do not go his way. Others believe it is an art form which if done in a subtle way can yield great results.Many consider sledging to go hand in hand with good, fast bowling and believe when that it is impossible that a few words will not be exchanged in the heat of the moment. For instance, no one has forgotten the larger than life character and the on-field chutzpah of the legendary Merv Hughes. And yet, impossible as it sounds, there are some fast bowlers who prefer to go about their job quietly and never say a word. Let us look at five fast bowlers who have never sledged:

#5 Jason Holder

Jason Holder

From a lanky fast bowler to a disciplined all-rounder and the ODI captain of the West Indies – the rise of Jason Holder has been phenomenal in the recent past. Many credit Holder for having given newfound direction to the team at a time when the West Indies team were going through a crisis.

Because of his height and action, Holder has become a leading bowler in his team now. Combine that with the runs he gets batting lower down the order and he becomes an integral part of the generation of cricketers who will be stalwarts of the sport for the next decade.

Holder's greatest strength is his calm head. He never loses his cool, nor does he try to exchange in verbal volleys with the batsmen when he is bowling. Even when the South African batsmen went berserk scoring 64 runs off his last 2 consecutive overs in the 2015 World Cup, Holder carried himself with unrivalled dignity and calmness.

#4 Trent Boult

Trent Boult

The rise of Trent Boult has been remarkable, its high point coming during the 2015 World Cup when he finished as the joint highest wicket-taker. With an elegant left arm action, Boult can extract good bounce and clock some serious pace in helpful conditions. Moreover, it is the angle he creates while bowling over the wicket makes him a very effective bowler.

But despite his meteoric rise as a promising fast-bowling talent, Boult is never seen exchanging words with the batsman he is bowling at. His apparently innocent expression, even when his unplayable deliveries whiz past the batsmen, makes him the new silent assassin of modern day cricket.

#3 Javagal Srinath

Javagal Srinath

After the retirement of Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath seemed to have taken on the mantle of leading the pace attack for the Indian team. The only Indian fast bowler to have more than 300 ODI scalps till date, Srinath is remembered for many fiery spells of fast bowling in the 90s.

Though Srinath lost his temper every time a slip fielder let him down, he was never seen sledging at batsmen. If Dravid is remembered as the picture of the ideal gentleman that the Indian cricket team have produced, Srinath along with Kumble can be remembered as the most gentlemanly bowlers of the modern game.

#2 Shaun Pollock

Shaun Pollock

Shaun Pollock is remembered as one of the finest fast bowlers of the modern era. He was one of the best exponents of swing bowling and led the South African fast bowling attack for many years.

But Pollock never believed in engaging in hostile confrontations with batsmen. Instead, he let his ball do the talking. He was such an ideal gentleman that when Sangakkara sledged him when he came into bat in the 2003 World Cup, Pollock just pretended not to hear him.

The fact that Pollock never resorted to underhand tactics to ruffle up the batsmen has also become part of his legacy now. That is how we remember him - one of the best fast bowlers who always played the game in the right spirit.

#1 Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga

When Lasith Malinga first burst onto the scene, he was considered to be one of those virtually unplayable mystery bowlers because of his unique slinging action. Those toe-crushing yorkers and his action give him a raw ability to pick wickets and turn matches in the matter of an over or two.

But Malinga is seldom seen to lose his temper or hurl abuses at the batsmen on a cricket field. Even when Virat Kohli figured out a way to play him by walking across his stumps and started flicking him on the leg-side continuously, Malinga's response was only a benign smile.

Malinga still remains one of the go-to bowlers for his captain in T20 Cricket as he is very difficult to score against. But even when his odd over does go for runs, he accepts the supremacy of the batsman with dignity and a smile. That's what makes him so likeable!