Top 5 greatest fast bowlers of all time

2. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies)

Malcolm Marshall

There was nothing that Malcolm Marshall could not do with a cricket ball. He could swing the ball both ways, bowl devastating cutters, bounce the batsmen out, terrorize them with raw pace and bog them down with his accuracy. He was successful on all kinds of pitches and playing conditions. He was also a part of the fearsome pace quartet of the great West Indian side.

Marshall’s strike rate was below 47 and bowling average less than 21. He took 376 test wickets in 81 matches and no other fast bowler can boast of such phenomenal record. He also took more than 150 ODI wickets and was one of the major reasons behind West Indies’ dominance throughout the 1980s.

Many fast bowlers are not able to perform well on the dry and lifeless pitches of the sub-continent but Marshall was an exception in this regard also. He was instrumental in destroying India 3-0 in a test series played in India just after the 1983 World Cup. Marshall also ran through the English batting line-up several times in his career and boasted a wonderful record against all test playing countries. He could bowl at more than 90 mph but reduced his pace in the latter part of his career to depend more on his versatility.