5 bowlers who did not have overwhelming success but bowled fast

Fast bowlers are considered to be the scariest characters on a cricket field. Over the years, the likes of Michael Holding, Jeff Thomson, Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee among others have terrorised batsmen from all over the world and given their respective teams many reasons to be pleased.

However, there have also been several cases of express bowlers who have not done much apart from bowling really fast. These cricketers broke on the scene with bundles of promise but did not manage to garner the success expected from them.

Here are 5 bowlers who did nothing but bowl fast:

5. Nantie Hayward (South Africa)

Former South African fast bowler Nantie Hayward managed to impress quite a few people with his raw pace and energy when he first emerged as a part of the South African team in the late 1990s. Although he struggled with his line and length at times, it was expected that he might resolve his issues in due course of time.

However, apart from a few good bowling performances in the longer format, Hayward could not make much of an impact. In 16 Tests, the Proteas quickie picked up just 54 wickets with one 5-wicket haul to his name whereas he claimed 21 ODI wickets in as many matches.

After failing to do well on his final tour to Sri Lanka, Nantie Hayward was quick to disappear from the international cricketing scene.

4. Mohammad Sami (Pakistan)

Mohammad Sami failed to establish himself in the Pakistan side

Having made his way into the Pakistani national team only a couple of years after the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami showed a lot of promise to carry forward his country’s legacy of producing great fast bowlers. It all looked on track for Sami as he picked up a 5-wicket haul in his first Test and also grabbed a hat-trick in his third.

However, things started to go south for the speedster pretty quickly as far as his performance was concerned even though he did manage to generate good speeds. Sami is already 35 and has played just 36 Tests for Pakistan, the last one being back in 2012, and taken 85 wickets at a poor average of more than 52.

Although Mohammad Sami did feature in the ICC World Twenty20 played this year, he failed to create an impression and it may hardly come as a surprise if he does not get any further opportunities in international cricket.

3. Fidel Edwards (West Indies)

Fidel Edwards played for West Indies quite regularly

Former West Indian fast bowler Fidel Edwards made a sparkling Test debut back in 2003 when picked up a five-wicket haul on debut against Sri Lanka at Kingston. This marked the beginning of the Barbadian pacer’s 9-year long international career which saw him go in and out of the team quite frequently.

Edwards represented his country in 55 Tests where he managed to get 165 wickets but at a pretty high average of around 38. He also played 50 ODIS for West Indies and could muster just 60 wickets and took another 16 wickets in 20 T20I games. However, the one thing that stuck around with the right-armer throughout was his pace.

Fidel Edwards’ last Test came in 2012 against Bangladesh and despite a 6-wicket haul in the first innings, he did not get further opportunities to play for West Indies.

2. David Johnson (India)

David Johnson had a brief stint in the Indian team

David Johnson is among the numerous Indian fast bowlers who made a very brief appearance for India on the international scene. However, the unique thing about the pacer from Karnataka was his ability to bowl genuinely quick and at one point of time, he was known to be one of the quickest in the country.

Johnson made his Test debut in the year 1996 against Australia but did not manage to create much of an impact as he picked up just a single wicket. He was included in the team for the Indian team’s subsequent tour to South Africa but only played in the first Test, which turned out to be his last as well.

During his short stay in the team, David Johnson was found guilty of spraying the ball all over the place despite generating good speeds.

1. Shaun Tait (Australia)

Shaun Tait is among the fastest bowlers of all time

Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait was considered to be the next big thing in world cricket when he made his way into the Australian Test team. However, he could not sustain the longest format of the game and ended up playing just 3 matches.

Tait did have partial success in ODIs as he managed to grab 62 wickets in the 35 ODIs that he played for Australia. The highlight of his career, though, proved to be his 161.1 kph delivery against England in a 50-over match and it was perhaps his quest for speed which hampered his progress dramatically.

Shaun Tait last played for his country in a T20I match earlier this year and though there was no lacking in the speed department, he conceded 46 runs from his 4 overs.