Top 5 fast bowling all-rounders in world cricket right now

Fast bowling all-rounders are premium assets of cricket. They are the rarest commodity in any format of the game. They give all the options that a team needs for success.

All-rounders are worth their weight in gold in all formats of the game. They play a vital role by giving the side some much-needed balance and extra options if needed.

Often in limited overs cricket, the fifth bowler becomes an area of concern for teams, and having one or two good all-rounders in the team can solve this problem. A strong performer coming in at No. 6 or 7 in the batting order can also work wonders for a team.

As modern cricket game grows, players are pushed to become more multi-dimensional. A tall fast bowler who can bat, or a batsman who can clock the 130kmph mark on a consistent basis, is really a go-to man in all formats of the game. He can bowl 10 overs on the trot in Test cricket when your premier fast bowlers are tired. Alternatively, he can come in to bat if the side is in trouble and bail them out with a quickfire 50.

Let us have a peek at the top-5 fast bowling all-rounders at the moment in world cricket.

#5. Chris Woakes

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The 6ft tall fast bowling all-rounder plays for the England team in all three formats of the game. He is 29 years old and has played an enormous amount of cricket (135 first class matches) for his county side Warwickshire.

Woakes has scored 5,342 first class runs at a healthy average of 34.91 with 9 centuries and 22 fifties to his name. He has continued to showcase his batting ability on the international scene, averaging nearly 28 in both Tests and ODIs with four fifties down the order and a highest score of 95 not out.

No one can doubt his bowling ability as he has the ability to clock the 140kmph mark consistently; he is one of England's premier fast bowlers in all formats.

Tests

Matches: 24, Runs: 863, Batting average: 27.83, Highest Score: 66, Wickets: 64, Bowling Average: 34.45, BBI: 6/70

ODIs

Matches: 76, Runs: 1034, Batting average: 27.94, Highest Score: 95*, Wickets: 109, Bowling Average: 30.77 , BBI: 6/45

#4. Jason Holder

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Holder is among the tallest players playing cricket at the moment. He was handed the West Indies captaincy at a very young age when their premier players were having a dispute with the West Indies cricket board. Since then he has been handling the pressure of the job very well.

He is one of the top fast bowling all-rounders at the moment who can play all three formats of the game.

His willingness to bat down the order as a captain is one of the best things he has done in his captaincy career. He is the one who handles the West Indian lower order batting and has 2 centuries and 7 fifties in his name in the longest format of the game.

In ODIs, he has scored six fifties down the order. He posses all the abilities that a fast bowling all-rounder needs.

This tall lad can hit 140mph consistently and can scare the batsmen with his steep bounce using his height factor. He has taken 376 wickets in all formats of the game at all levels combined.

Tests

Matches: 33, Runs: 1449, Batting Average: 30.18, Highest Score: 110, Wickets: 70, Bowling Average: 32.50, BBI: 5/30

ODIs

Matches: 77, Runs: 1229, Batting Average: 26.71, Highest Score: 99*, Wickets: 106, Bowling Average: 31.28 , BBI: 5/27

#3.Kevin O'Brien

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The veteran Irish cricketer has been in the International scene for over 12 years, and he is one of the integral parts of Irish cricket at present. His batting ability can never be doubted, as he holds the record of the fastest World Cup century - a feat he achieved when he smashed the like of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann to score a 50-ball century in 2011 World Cup.

Recently Ireland played their historic first ever Test, against Pakistan. O'Brien scored 158 runs in that match, although Ireland lost by 5 wickets.

It will be appropriate to call him a seam bowling all-rounder rather a fast bowling one, because of the lack of pace in his bowling. But he is a lot more effective compared to other fast bowling all-rounders at the moment, and his numbers more than justify his place in this list.

First Class record

Matches: 42, Runs: 1939, Batting Average: 38.78, Highest Score: 171*, Wickets: 44, Bowling Average: 28.43, BBI: 6/54

ODIs

Matches: 125, Runs: 3126, Batting Average: 31.57, Highest Score: 142, Wickets: 111, Average: 31.80, BBI: 4/13

#2. Hardik Pandya

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Hardik is the rare kind of player that India always wanted to have in their team. 'I want to the Kallis of India' he had said in an interview back in 2016, and he certainly seems to be on the right path to getting there.

Pandya has always been a person who has believed in his abilities. His hitting prowess is always pleasing to the eyes, and he can bat at No. 4 and even No. 7 with the tail if the team needs him to do so. He is a rare commodity who can play all three formats effectively.

In last match of the recently concluded T20I series against England, Pandya conceded 22 runs in his first over. But he showed great composure when he was brought back by Kohli to bowl his remaining three overs. He adapted to the nature of the pitch very well and bowled on good lengths - neither too full nor too short. He also varied his pace very well. He ended up making a superb comeback and went on to claim figures of 4-0-38-4 in the match.

Tests

Matches: 7, Runs: 368, Batting Average: 36.8, Highest Score: 108, Wickets: 7, Bowling Average: 40.14, BBI: 2/27

ODIs

Matches: 38, Runs: 628, Batting Average: 29.9, Highest Score: 83, Wickets: 39, Bowling Average: 37.38, BBI: 3/31

#1. Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes holds the record of fastest 250 in test cricket

The Kiwi, who plies his trade for the English side, is widely considered as the successor to Andrew Flintoff.

In 2016 at Cape Town, England were 167-4 with their first innings in the balance, two wickets falling on that score to bring Stokes’ hurried arrival. He went on to smash the quickest Test 250 in the 140-year history of the game, taking just 196 balls to reach that milestone.

Stokes has regularly performed with both bat and ball for the English side, and has also lit up the IPL with his talent - he was awarded the Player of the Series in the 2017 edition of the T20 extravaganza.

With his bowling, he has scalped 98 wickets in 42 Tests and 58 wickets in his 67 ODIs. He is undoubtedly the best fast bowling all-rounder in cricket right now.

Tests

Matches: 42, Runs: 2579, Batting Average: 34.85, Highest Score: 258, Wickets: 98, Bowling Average: 33.83, BBI: 6/22

ODIs

Matches: 67, Runs: 1791, Batting Average: 35.82, Highest Score: 102*, Wickets: 58, Bowling Average: 38.01, BBI: 5/61