7 Fast bowlers we would love to see bowl in the present time

There have been plenty of fast bowlers who have come and gone and have created a long-lasting impact. There have been breath-taking fast bowling spells against top batting sides which had single-handedly turned the match on its head.

While some excellent bowling figures couldn't quite seal the match, however, it doesn't erase their legacy. In this aura of cricket, where there is a minimum balance between bat and ball, we would love to see some more fearsome fast bowlers who can tilt the game slightly more in favour of the bowling side.

Here are seven fast bowlers who we would love to see bowl their hearts out in the present era. These bowlers have not been ranked according to their achievements since all are and will be the greatest of all times.

#1. Imran Khan

Pakistan Captain Imran Khan 1992 Cricket World Cup Final — Imran Khan

Imran Khan was one of Pakistan's most successful cricketers. He was one of the most successful captains of Pakistan and is counted among the greatest all-rounders in the history of the game.

Under Imran Khan, Pakistan tasted their biggest and first triumph in cricket in the form of 1992 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He had an excellent Test career. He scalped 362 wickets at an average of 22.81. He was a good batsman too, he amassed 3807 runs in 88 Tests at a decent average of 37.69.

In the year 1982, Imran Khan scalped 62 wickets in 9 tests at a phenomenal average of 13.29. It was the best average for any bowler in Test cricket with at least 50 wickets in a calendar year.

In the final of the 1992 World Cup, Pakistan got off to a shaky start with Aamer Sohail and Rameez Raja departing in quick succession. Imran Khan promoted himself to No. 3 as a specialist batsman and along with Javed Miandad, stitched together a partnership of 139. The late fireworks by Inzamam Up Haq and Wasim Akram propelled Pakistan to a fighting total of 249. Imran Khan top scored in the innings with 72 runs.

England were tottering at 69-4 while chasing. Neil Fairbrother and Allan Lamb had brought England's innings back on track with a partnership of 71. Imran Khan had no choice but to go back to his main pacer Wasim Akram to get the breakthrough.

Akram chipped in with a couple of wickets, including that of Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in successive deliveries. Neil Fairbrother perished soon putting England's last hope to rest.

Imran Khan put the final nail in the coffin when the last man Richard Illingworth was caught off his bowling to crown Pakistan as World Champions.

#2. Sir Ian Botham

Sir Ian Botham was at the heart of propelling England to some famous wins in the history of the game. However, amidst all these, a World Cup win always eluded Botham's career in spite of England making it to the World Cup finals thrice. This didn't undermine Botham's legacy as he had established himself as one of the best all-rounders in his playing days.

One of his career highlights was when he inspired England to a series win in 1981 Ashes. This series is famously known as “Botham's Ashes”, owing to a magnificent display by Botham with both bat and ball throughout the series.

England retained the Ashes when they beat Australia by a margin of 3-1 before trailing by a margin of 1-0 after the first two Tests. In the fourth test at Edgbaston, a low scoring thriller had left Australia needing 151 to win. Australians were comfortably placed at 105-5. Botham dragged England along with him by taking five wickets for a run in space of 28 balls as England won the thrilling match by 29 runs.

The fifth Test at Old Trafford was also won by England to take an unassailable lead of 3-1 with the sixth Test finishing in a draw.

Ian Botham was named as the man of the series for scoring 399 runs, taking 34 wickets and holding on to 12 catches.

#3. Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev is one of the best all-rounders to have ever played the game of cricket. He was also one of the greatest captains that India has ever had. Under Kapil Dev, India had their biggest achievement in ODIs when they won the World cup in 1983.

Kapil Dev, till date remains the only player to have taken more than 400 wickets and scored more than 5000 runs in tests.

Kapil Dev was India's main strike bowler for most of his career. A perfect all-round performance was exhibited by him against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup. Batting first, India had crashed to 17-5.

Kapil Dev, batting at No. 6, played a whirlwind innings of 175 off 138 deliveries to help India post an imposing total of 266. He also chipped in with 1 wicket while bowling. India won the match by 31 runs.

The final against West Indies saw yet another impressive performance from him. West Indies were all set to comfortably win their third consecutive World Cup after India were bowled out for a paltry score of 183.

Kapil Dev couldn't quite make a huge difference in batting, however, the two catches of Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd largely swung the match in India's favour and put West Indies on the brink of defeat.

A wicket of Andy Roberts taken by Kapil Dev had nearly sealed the cup for India. Mohinder Amarnath, who had been awarded the Man of the Match for taking three wickets took the last wicket of Michael Holding for the Indian fans to go berserk in Lord's.

His Test career is far more impressive. He took 434 wickets and scored 5248 runs. The record of 434 Test wickets was a long-standing one before being broken by Courtney Walsh.

#4. Sir Richard Hadlee

Sir Richard Hadlee was one of the finest fast bowlers the world has ever seen. He is one of New Zealand's all-time great cricketers. His unmatched contributions made New Zealand an unprecedented force which catapulted them to great heights.

He is placed among the four greatest all-rounders of 1980s along with Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Sir Ian Botham. Hadlee was the first bowler to cross the 400 wickets mark. In his 86 matches long Test career he took 431 wickets at an average of 22.29.

He was more than a genuine batsman too. He 3124 Test runs included two centuries. However, his batting average is the lowest among three other all-rounders with a mere 27.16. Nevertheless, he had the best bowling average over the other three.

The 1985/86 tour of Australia saw Richard Hadlee evolve as a great fast bowler. In the first innings of the first Test in Brisbane, Hadlee took nine wickets for 52 runs. An innings of 54 along with six more wickets in the second innings sealed an innings victory for New Zealand.

Australia bounced back and levelled the series in the 2nd Test. However, New Zealand came back to win the third Test and eventually the series. This was New Zealand's first Test series victory in Australia with Richard Hadlee taking an astounding 33 wickets in three Tests.

Undoubtedly, any team would be gifted to have a player like Richard Hadlee who brings in a wealth of talent and a plethora of experience along with him.

#5. Malcolm Marshall

Malcolm Marshall was one of the finest and the fastest bowlers to have played. In spite of being relatively short than his peers, he used to bowl a dangerous bouncer and bowled with great speed.

Marshall was more than a handy lower order batsman. He scored ten Test fifties and seven first-class centuries. He came to the limelight in 1980 when he chipped in with the wickets of Mike Gatting, Brian Rose, and Peter Willey to orchestrate an England collapse. The match ended in a draw although.

Along with Joel Garner, Marshall played a key role in thwarting England during their 1984 tour. This was the first and the only time till date when a visiting team in England had completed a 5-0 triumph in Test cricket.

Joel Garner was at the top of the wicket-takers table with 29 wickets, followed by Marshall with 24 wickets. West Indies again toured England in 1988 which saw Marshall's best career performance in the 3rd Test at Old Trafford. All in all, he ended the series with 35 wickets at a sensational average of 12.65. He ended his Test career with 376 wickets in 81 tests at an average of 20.04.

At a relatively lower age of 41, Malcolm Marshall passed away on 4th November 1999. He was suffering from colon cancer which was revealed during the 1999 World Cup. He was the head coach of West Indies team at that time.

#6. Michael Holding

A crucial piece of the puzzle in one of the fearsome bowling attacks in the world, Michael Holding was one of the best fast bowlers produced by West Indies. Holding, along with Joel Garner, Colin Croft, and Malcolm Marshall, formed a deadly pace quartet.

He used his height to great effect to generate a good amount of bounce off the pitch. He holds the record for the best bowling figures attained by a West Indian bowler in a Test match with 14 wickets for 149 runs. He took 249 wickets in 60 Tests at a stunning average of 23.68.

Holding possessed the nickname of “Whispering Death” owing to a quiet approach to the bowling crease.

#7. Dennis Lillee

Dennis Lillee was probably one of the best and the fastest bowlers of his generation. Hailing from Western Australia, Dennis Lillee had suffered various back problems at the start of his career which threatened to end the same.

However, after following a strict fitness regime, Lillie made a successful return to international cricket. By the time of retirement, he had 355 wickets in 90 Tests at an average of 23.92. He has a good ODI bowling record too. In 63 ODIs, he took 103 wickets at an average of 20.82.

The pair of Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee was well known for decimating the oppositions. Together, they unravelled misery on the English batters in 1974-75 Ashes series.

Thomson and Lillee shared 58 wickets between them in that series. Australia thrashed England by 4-1 in that series.