Top 10 Best Pakistani Bowlers – (Updated 2025)

Pakistan’s bowling history is filled with unforgettable moments and legendary names who have left a huge impact on the cricket field. It all began with Fazal Mahmood in the 1950s. He possessed the ability to swing the ball and made life difficult for many top batsmen of his time. Then came the iconic duo of Imran Khan and Sarfraz Nawaz in the 1980s. They brought sheer pace and reverse swing that changed the game for Pakistan.

The '90s saw the rise of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. They were a duo that took fast bowling to a whole new level with their dangerous yorkers and late swing deliveries. Meanwhile, Shoaib Akhtar’s raw, threatening pace struck fear into the hearts of even the best players around the world.

There have been some quality spinners. Abdul Qadir brought leg-spin qualities, while Saqlain Mushtaq introduced innovations like the doosra, which added a new dimension to the art. Today, the legacy lives on through bowlers like Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. Whether it's in Test matches, ODIs, or T20Is, Pakistan's bowlers have built a reputation for being both unpredictable and lethal. It can be said that bowling has always been Pakistan's unique identity.

How We Ranked The Best Bowlers in Pakistan - Ranking Factor

Pakistan's bowling has always been upfront, with the exceptional skills of the bowlers who are still known for their deadly fast bowling. We have ranked the best Pakistani bowler based on some ranking factors to rank them accurately and fairly. The ranking factors follow as:

• Career Wickets: The career wickets tell the total number of wickets taken by the bowler during his international career across the three formats of the game, which shows the overall impact and longevity of the bowler. This helps in understanding the skills of the bowler in taking wickets and has a match-winning impact on the game.
• Bowling Average & Strike Rate: The bowling average and strike rate of the bowler are measures of the bowler leaking average runs per wicket taken and how frequently the bowler takes wickets. The lower average and strike rate indicate more efficient wicket-taking, which is crucial for comparison across eras among the best Pakistani bowlers.
• Match-Winning Spells: The match-winning spells of the player tell the number of performances that directly contributed to match or series wins, especially in pressure situations. This also shows the abilities of a player in taking wickets and contributing to the team's winning cause, like scalping five or four-wicket hauls in the match.
• Performance in ICC Tournaments & Big Matches: The performance of the player in the ICC tournaments and big matches like the World Cups, Champions Trophy, or high-stakes matches helps in understanding the skills of the bowler in handling the pressure well and performing much better in the important matches. This also involves the performances of the best Pakistani bowlers in the high-pressure match of IND vs PAK.
• Versatility Across Conditions: The versatility of the player across conditions helps in understanding how well the player performs in each and every pitch condition and has the ability to take wickets in batting-friendly wickets too. This includes the ability of the player to succeed in diverse playing environments, and bowl differently, like reverse swing in UAE, seam in England, pace in Australia, etc.
• Skill Specialization & Innovation: The skill specialization and innovations show how the player thinks put of the box and applies something new into the game of cricket, which has not been in use before. It includes the contributions to bowling evolution like Wasim Akram’s swing mastery, Saqlain’s doosra, or Shahid Afridi’s fast leg-spin, where these were specialized in something they do best. This also involves the reverse swing, where the Pakistani bowlers are credited for the innovation of the reverse swing into the game of cricket before anyone.
• Longevity & Fitness: The longevity and fitness of the player tell the fitness level of the player, which allows the player to play for a long time and contribute well to the game of cricket. It involves the consistent performance over the years and the ability of the player to maintain form across changing cricket eras or formats.
• Impact Against Top Teams: The impact against top teams helps in understanding the level of game played by the player against the top team, which gives neck-to-neck competition rather than performing well against weak teams and improving overall stats through them. The dominance of the player against strong sides like Australia, India, South Africa, or England carries more weight.
• Domestic and League Success: The domestic and league success of the player involves the performance of the player in cricket, except in an international setup, which shows how well they can play at different levels of the game. This involves the notable performance of the player in Pakistan’s domestic circuit or international leagues like PSL or county cricket.
• ICC Rankings & Global Recognition: The ICC Rankings and global recognitions of the player help in understanding the overall game of the player, which has made them win such rankings and recognition. This involves the peak ICC ranking positions, Player of the Match/Series awards, and accolades from international media or peers.

Top 10 Best Pakistani Bowlers - Updated List 2025

There are a number of Pakistani bowlers who have left a legacy behind in bowling in both fast bowling and spin bowling. The Pakistan team was known for its consistency in bowling in the 1990s and even in the 2000s. Here is the top 10 Pakistan bowlers list of all time.

Who is the Best Pakistani Bowler of All Time?

Pakistani bowling lineup was considered to be one of the destructive and deadly ones, which has troubled the batsmen across the world over the years. They were known for their extra bounce, swinging deliveries, and raw pace, which they could generate easily. Here are the best bowler of Pakistan of all time who have made their name in the world of cricket.

10. Abdul Qadir

Abdul Qadir, the leg-spin maestro, revived wrist-spin in the 1980s. He was one of the best bowler of Pakistan whose googlies and flippers troubled the batsmen. He was known for his mastery in spin bowling and has played exceptionally well as a part of the spin department of the Pakistan team. In his international career, he has played 171 matches in Tests and ODIs, where he has scalped 368 wickets with an average of 29.48 and an economy rate of 3.38, and he has also taken 5-wicket hauls 17 times in his career. His quality and guile inspired future spinners, which is the reason why he is counted among the best Pakistani bowler of all time.

9. Abdul Razzaq

Abdul Razzaq, a quality all-rounder, has been an integral part of the team with both bat and ball for the Pakistan team. Razzaq’s knack for breaking partnerships with clever variations was key in limited-overs cricket. He has contributed well enough in many wins for Pakistan in major tournaments as well as important series. In his international career, he has played 343 matches across the three formats of the game, where he took 389 wickets with an average of 29.50 and an economy rate of 4.81. He has taken 5-wicket hauls four times in his career, and his career best bowling is 6/35 in ODI cricket, which shows his bowling abilities in the limited format of the game.

8. Umar Gul

Umar Gul, the yorker specialist, who is a tall fast bowler of the Pakistani bowling lineup, has performed exceptionally well for the team with his swinging balls at a good pace. He was considered to be a threat in limited-overs cricket, and his ability to swing the ball at pace, especially in death overs, made him a T20 pioneer. In his international career, he has played 237 matches across the three formats of the game, where he took 427 wickets with an average of 26.79 and an economy rate of 5.29. He has taken 5-wicket hauls eight times in his career, and his career best bowling is 6/42 in ODI cricket, which shows his ability and skills, especially in the limited format of the game.

7. Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar, the Rawalpindi Express, is known for his breathtaking pace, often exceeding 150 kph consistently. Akhtar’s aggression and bounce terrorized batsmen, as he used to bowl well with raw pace, which he generates naturally through his bowling. He has bowled the fastest ball in cricket history, clocking at the speed of 161.3 km/h against England in 2003, which is unbeaten till date. He faced a lot of injury issues throughout his career, which made him play less number of matches according to his caliber. In his international career, he has played 224 matches across the three formats of the game, where he took 444 wickets with an average of 24.46 and an economy rate of 5.42. He has taken 5-wicket hauls sixteen times in his career, and his career best bowling is 6/11 in Test cricket, which makes him one of the best bowler of Pakistan.

6. Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal, the off-spin wizard, is known for his exceptionally well spin bowling, which can't be read by the batsmen easily and causes trouble to them while facing him. His crafty variations and deceptive flight made him one of the top spinners in Pakistan's history. During his prime, he was the best Pakistani bowler as he had the ability to bowl well in tough situations. In his international career, he has played 212 matches across the three formats of the game, where he took 447 wickets with an average of 22.88 and an economy rate of 4.37. He has taken 5-wicket hauls twelve times in his career, and his career best bowling is 7/55 in Test cricket, which makes him one of the best bowler of Pakistan.

5. Saqlain Mushtaq

Saqlain Mushtaq, the doosra’s inventor, which was not easily read by the batsmen around the world. He used to bowl subtle variations and was known for dismantling lineups very easily. He was an exceptional bowler in the middle overs and probably the best Pakistani bowler among the spinners. In his international career, he has played 218 matches across the three formats of the game, where he took 496 wickets with an average of 25.80 and an economy rate of 3.46. He has taken 5-wicket hauls nineteen times in his career, and his career best bowling is 8/164 in Test cricket. Saqlain’s 69 wickets in the ODIs played in the year 1997 set a record.

4. Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi, the flamboyant all-rounder, who used to play so well in both departments of bat and ball. Afridi’s quick sliders and googlies disrupted batting orders where he stood up in big moments, which made him a fan favorite all across the globe and was known as “Boom Boom Afridi”. In his international career, he has played 524 matches across the three formats of the game, where he took 541 wickets with an average of 31.51 and an economy rate of 4.82. He has taken 5-wicket hauls ten times in his career, and his career best bowling is 7/12 in ODI cricket. With his skilful leg-spin bowling, he makes it to the best Pakistan bowlers list.

3. Imran Khan

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s legendary captain, is known for his fast bowling and taking wickets whenever the team required. Khan’s leadership was exceptional, along with bowling lethal yorkers and reverse-swing, especially in the 1980s, inspired a generation that helped the upcoming generation of Pakistan fast bowlers. He perfectly highlighted the impact that he had with his bowling and was one of the famous Pakistani fast bowler. His 1992 World Cup triumph cements his status as an all-time great. In his international career, he has played 263 matches in Test and ODI, where he took 544 wickets with an average of 24.71 and an economy rate of 3.21. He has taken 5-wicket hauls twenty-four times in his career, and his career best bowling is 8/58 in Test cricket.

2. Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis, the toe-crushing yorker king, claimed 789 wickets in 349 matches. He has 373 Test wickets and 416 ODI scalps, with 13 ODI five-wicket hauls. Waqar’s late swing and raw pace, alongside Wasim Akram, formed the “Two Ws” and terrorized batsmen. Both of them were absolutely lethal with their skills on subcontinent wickets, which assisted reverse-swing. His 7/36 in ODIs remains a benchmark. Waqar is still the best Pakistani bowler of all time among the right-arm pacers and one of the famous Pakistani fast bowler.

1. Wasim Akram

If Pakistan's fast bowlers are the best in the world, Wasim Akram is one of those reasons. The Sultan of Swing tops the list with 916 wickets in 460 matches. His 414 Test and 502 ODI wickets, including 31 five-wicket hauls, make him Pakistan's best bowler in the history of the game. Akram’s reverse swing and unplayable yorkers made him a menace to deal with for the batters.

Akram had the ability to trouble the batters at any stage of the game, irrespective of the conditions, which makes him the best Pakistani bowler of all time. Pakistani left-arm fast bowlers have created a big name for themselves in world cricket, and Akram was the biggest reason for that.

Who is the Best Pakistani Bowler Right Now?

Shaheen Shah Afridi is the best Pakistani bowler right now, as he has continued the long-term legacy of Pakistan bowling. He has shown his worth in the bowling department in all three formats of the game. He has been an integral part of the team in many major ICC tournaments and other series. He was part of the U-19 batch of 2018, where many players flourished in the cricketing world, like Shubman Gill. He has troubled the greatest batsmen like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and even Rohit Sharma with his fast left-arm bowling. He is the son-in-law of the famous former Pakistan player, Shahid Afridi. In his international career, he has played 174 matches across the three formats of the game, where he took 345 wickets with an average of 24.88 and an economy rate of 4.61. He has taken 5-wicket hauls seven times in his career, and his career best bowling is 6/35 in ODI cricket. He will be looking forward to becoming one of best Pakistani bowler in the coming years by playing a lot of cricket and taking wickets consistently.