Ranking the Top 15 Fastest Ball in Cricket History – Updated 2025

Cricket has evolved greatly in recent years. With new rules and regulations, limited-over matches have shifted more towards the batters. Bowlers nowadays do not enjoy a good time bowling in limited-overs cricket. They do not get much help from the pitches and the conditions. However, pace bowling has been one of the most exciting aspects of cricket, with fast bowlers creating terror against the batters.

Even in today’s world, a fast bowler, bowling a bouncer and a yorker, remains one of the most pleasing sights. Their ability to bowl fast while maintaining control made them lethal weapons for their teams. Over the years, some of the best fast bowlers have pushed the boundaries of speed, delivering deliveries that have shocked the batters and mesmerised the spectators. To bowl the fastest ball in cricket history required not just immense physical strength but also perfect biomechanics and rhythm.

How We Ranked the Fastest Ball in cricket history - Ranking Factors

The ranking has been based on specific factors, ensuring that all the fastest balls in cricket history are ranked fairly and accurately. These are the ranking factors on which the fastest ball is ranked.

• Verified Speed: The main factor in ranking the fastest ball in cricket history is the verified speed of the ball. The priority is given to deliveries clocked using certified radar or tracking systems in international matches. The speed of the ball tells the ability of the bowler to clock the fastest ball in the match.
• Match Type & Level: The match type and level indicate which kind of match the ball is bowled in. The deliveries bowled in international matches (Tests, ODIs, T20Is) are weighted higher than those in domestic or franchise games, as the international games have better competitors in terms of skills in batting and bowling.
• Consistency of High Pace: The consistency of high pace helps in understanding the ability of the player to bowl fast balls on a regular basis, and not just bowl one fastest ball. This tells about the bowlers who regularly bowl over 150+ km/h, are more credible than one-off speed spikes, where consistency in bowling high-speed balls matters rather than bowling just once.
• Delivery Context: The delivery context is also an important one, where the situation matters when the ball is bowled. The fastest deliveries bowled in high-pressure moments like World Cups, finals, and death overs carry more weight than bowling in a normal match, where the impact of the fastest ball would not be much.
• Data Authenticity & Source Credibility: The data authenticity and source credibility of the fastest ball tell that the ball is recorded on an authentic system, and is not only an assumption of the ball being the fastest. It tells that speeds confirmed by official broadcasters, ICC data, or Hawk-Eye systems are prioritized over unverified social media claims.
• Legal Action Delivery: The legal action delivery of the bowler shows that the bowler has bowled the ball properly without any illegal action of delivery. This shows that only valid deliveries with a legal bowling action (no chucking or faulty release) are considered legitimate for the historical ranking of the fastest ball being bowled.
• Historical Era Adjustment: The historical era adjustment tells us about the time when the technology was not much advanced, and recording the speed of the ball was a difficult task. For older bowlers like Jeff Thomson, estimated speeds were recorded via video, and biomechanical analysis is adjusted and noted accordingly.
• Delivery Outcome: The delivery outcome of the fastest ball bowled shows the overall impact the ball has put into the game and the outcome of that ball. While it is not essential, factoring in the result, like wicket, dot ball, or even boundary, adds insight into the impact of raw pace. The fast ball can result in anything, where if the batsman gets beaten with the raw pace, he could be bowled or result in a dot ball, or even if the batsman judges the ball well, he can connect the ball well into the stands for a huge six.
• Bowling Conditions: The bowling conditions help in understanding the conditions of the play where the ball is bowled, which favors the bowlers or batters. The speed of the fastest ball achieved on flat, hard pitches is more impressive than those aided by altitude or wind, which shows that the bowler's ability to bowl high-speed balls in batting conditions is more valued.
• Equipment & Tech Era: As the game of cricket is becoming advanced in terms of technology in the game, it also tells us the equipment and technology era in cricket, which helps in understanding more measures and figures in the game properly. It takes into account the evolution of speed measurement tools, comparing a 1970s speed to a modern one may need calibration.

Fastest Balls in Cricket History - Updated List 2025-26

As the game of cricket is evolving with time, where batsmen are hitting sixes very easily and changing the course of the game, bowlers are also not behind in tackling this, where the bowlers can clock the high-speed balls with proper training and strength and give neck to neck competition to batsman in the game of cricket. Here is the list of the Top 15 fastest balls in cricket history.

Who bowled the fastest ball in cricket history?

In this era of cricket, there are many bowlers who can bowl the fastest balls consistently and trouble the batsmen with the raw pace and perfect line and length. Here are the bowlers who have bowled the fastest ball in cricket history, clocking the ball at 153.9 km/h to 161.3 km/h and beating the batsmen with their fast bowling.

15. Jason Gillespie: 153.9 km/h (95.6 mph)

Jason Gillespie, an Australian pacer, was known for his raw pace in the Australian bowling lineup. He used to bowl with a combination of proper accuracy and speed in the match, which usually made an impact on batsmen with dot balls and resulted in the fall of wickets by building pressure. He bowled one of the fastest ball in cricket history, clocking the speed of 153.9 km/h (95.6 mph) against South Africa in 2002 during an ODI series. He has an impressive international career as a bowler, where he has taken more than 400 wickets in 150+ international matches, which shows his accuracy and impact in bowling while bowling with proper pace.

14. Nantie Hayward: 154.4 km/h (95.9 mph)

Nantie Hayward, a South African bowler, was known for his shattering speed and for troubling the batsmen. He used to bowl with consistent high speed and bowling tight lines without leaking many runs. He bowled one of the fastest delivery in cricket, clocking at the high speed of 154.4 km/h (95.9 mph) against Indian in the test series in 2001. He had a small international career, where he played only 37 international matches and scalped 75 wickets, but he had created a fear in the minds of batsmen with his raw pace and fiery spells.

13. Anrich Nortje: 156.2 km/h (97.1 mph)

Anrich Nortje, a South African bowler who is known for his tremendous raw pace that he bowls consistently in each stage of cricket. He has been an integral part of the South African team for years in all three formats of the game. He gives an extra edge in the bowling lineup of the team, where others try to swing and seam the ball, he bowls with consistent raw pace on the same line and length, troubling batsmen with it. He bowled one of the fastest ball, which he bowled at a speed of 156.2 km/h (97.1 mph) in IPL against Rajasthan Royals when he was playing for the Delhi Capitals in 2020. In his international career, he has also shown his impressive spells and has taken 150+ wickets in more than 70 international matches, which shows his ability in bowling fast balls and getting the best out of it.

12. Shane Bond: 156.4 km/h (97.2 mph)

Shane Bond, a New Zealand bowler, is a fast, tall bowler known for his high-speed bowling in cricket for a very long time. He used to get an extra benefit from his height, which allowed him to bowl with extra pace and trouble the batsmen. He has bowled one of the fastest delivery in cricket with a speed of 156.4 km/h (97.2 mph) against India in the ICC World Cup 2003. He was known to be a destructive bowler who used to carry an aura in fast bowling in the 2000s. In his international career, he has taken more than 250 wickets in 120 international matches across the three formats of the game with a decent economy rate, showing his skills in fast bowling and accuracy as well.

11. Mohammad Sami: 156.4 km/h (97.2 mph)

Mohammad Sami, a Pakistani bowler, was known for his raw pace, which he used to bowl consistently. He had continued the legacy of fast Pakistani bowling, where every Pakistani bowler used to bowl with shattering speed on a regular basis. He bowled one of the fastest ball with a speed of 156.4 km/h (97.2 mph) against Zimbabwe in the ODI series in 2003. He had a lot of fitness issues and was very injury-prone, which affected his career. In his international career, he has taken more than 200 wickets in 136 international matches across the three formats of the game, which shows his fast bowling abilities on the field.

10. Mitchell Johnson: 156.8 km/h (97.49 mph)

Mitchell Johnson is known as one of the best fast bowlers of his generation. His 2013-14 Ashes series saw some of the fiercest bowling spells in the series. Dismantling and terrorising the batters with his speed and swing with the red ball. He won the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, and the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.

Johnson was a lethal threat to the batters, especially in test cricket. He clocked his fastest delivery in the same Ashes series against the Three Lions. He bowled at a speed of 156.8 km/h on Boxing Day of the test match.

9. Umran Malik: 157 km/h (97.55 mph)

Umran Malik is one of the fastest bowlers of this era. The Jammu-Kashmir pacer gained attention when he bowled five consecutive deliveries at over 150 kmph during the IPL 2021 game of Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals. Malik was also named the Emerging Player of the IPL 2022. Despite making his debut for India, he has not been a consistent player for the side due to his poor performances.

However, he has a long way to go with his career just starting. But he clocked one of the fastest overs in IPL history. He bowled at a speed of 157 km/hr on the fifth ball, breaking his record of 156 from the fourth ball.

8. Lockie Ferguson: 157.3 km/h (97.74 mph)

Lockie Ferguson is one of the fastest bowlers of this generation. The Kiwi pacer is known for his brutal pace and speed; he is able to bowl at speeds in excess of 90 mph. This makes him different from the other Black Caps pacers, who are more acquainted with swing bowling. Ferguson has been a regular member of the New Zealand side in limited-overs format.

Ferguson is the Kiwi pacer to record the fastest delivery for the side. He clocked at the speed of 157.3 in the IPL 2022 final against the Rajasthan Royals, while playing for the Gujarat Titans. Jos Buttler was the batter who faced the ball. He recently missed out on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to an injury.

7. Fidel Edwards: 157.7 km/h (97.94 mph)

Fidel Edwards, with his sling action, had a promising career for the West Indies. But he was struck with injuries, and his cricketing career was cut short for that. His inconsistent performance and a poor average of just under 40 in Test cricket have prevented him from fulfilling his early potential. However, he was one of the quickest Windies pacers of his era.

He gained instant success, achieving speeds of 155 and more consistently. Edwards’s fastest ball came against South Africa, where he recorded a 157.7 km/hr delivery. However, due to his poor form, he could not continue his career in international cricket.

6. Andy Roberts: 159.5 km/h (99.12 mph)

Andy Roberts was one of the deadliest bowlers in world cricket. He was one of the “quartet” of West Indian fast bowlers from the mid-70s to the early 80s, the others being Michael Holding, Joel Garner, and Malcolm Marshall. Roberts was known as ‘The Jawbreaker.’ He was named this as he was too mean, too quick, and too deadly for the batters.

Roberts helped the Windies win two World Cups in 1975 and 1979. He missed the 160 km/h mark but managed his career-best speed of 159.5 km/hr against Australia back in 1975. He picked up 202 wickets with an average of 14.94 in 42 test matches for the Caribbean nation.

5. Mitchell Starc: 160.4 km/h (99.57 mph)

Mitchell Starc is widely regarded as the best red-ball bowler of this era. His ability to swing the new ball with amazing pace makes him different from the others. He is also the best active fast bowler in ICC events. He is the fastest bowler in the history of ODI cricket to reach 150 and 200 wickets. Starc’s first ball-inswing yorker to Rory Burns in the Ashes is one of his great deliveries.

The speedster has reduced his speed a bit after some injuries. But he still bowls at 140km/h across all formats of the game. The big Aussie pacer has the record for the 5th fastest ball in cricket history. He bowled at a speed of 160.4 km/h against New Zealand.

4. Jeff Thomson: 160.6 km/h (99.66 mph)

Jeff Thomson is one of the fastest bowlers in the history of cricket. The Aussie pacer along with Dennis Lillee created a lethal bowling pair that was one of the most fearsome in Test cricket history. Jeff’s highly effective slinging delivery action helped him pick 200 wickets in just 51 test matches for the Kangaroos. But during his time, he was the fastest bowler.

He bowled then the fastest ball in cricket history, where he unleashed a shocking delivery that reached the speed of 160.6 km/h against the West Indies in 1975 at the iconic WACA, Perth. This is now the fourth fastest ball in cricket history.

3. Shaun Tait: 161.1 km/h (100.14 mph)

Shaun Tait is another bowler with a sling action and a fearsome pace. The Aussie pacer’s career had the most success in one-day internationals. Tait had a shortened season due to injuries. But he troubled a lot of batters in international cricket with his speed. He is tied with the fastest ball ever bowled in cricket history with his fellow Australian teammate Brett Lee.

In a 2010 match against England, he showcased his lethal bowling skill, which clocked in at 161.1 km/h, and it is still ranked as one of the fastest deliveries in the game’s history. Craig Kieswetter was the batter to be dismissed in the very same delivery of the match.

2. Brett Lee: 161.1 km/h (100.14 mph)

Brett Lee is one of the finest bowlers for Australia across formats. A prolonged career of 13 years for a fast bowler was sensational. He made his debut against India in 1999 and was a member of the mighty Aussie side, which created nightmares for opponents from the 2000s to the 2010s. He has a record for the second-fastest Australian ODI player to take 100 wickets.

However, Lee was known for his pace and the ability to swing the ball with a similar pace, which made him more lethal than others. He has the record for the second-fastest delivery in world cricket, which is also tied with his teammate Shaun Tait. He bowled against New Zealand at a speed of 161.1 km/h.

1. Shoaib Akhtar: 161.3 km/h (100.23 mph)

Shoaib Akhtar is the fastest bowler in cricketing history. The Pakistani fast bowler with long hair and slingy action terrorised the batters with his speed. He was known to be one of the fiercest bowlers in world cricket. He had a long career of 14 years playing in international cricket, despite all the injuries and bans he had in his career.

Akhtar recorded the fastest ball in cricket history during the 2003 ODI World Cup in South Africa. He bowled at the staggering speed of 161.3 km/h against England. This record is nearly impossible to break in modern-day cricket. Nowadays, bowlers prefer line and length more than working on speed.

Conclusion

The fast bowling is not an easy task as it requires proper strength and agility to bowl fast balls consistently and have a positive result out of it. Shoaib Akhtar is the fastest bowler in the history of cricket, where he has bowled the fastest ball in cricket history, clocking a high speed of 161.3 km/h against England. Shoib, who is known to be the "Rawalpindi Express", a name given to him for his shattering speed in fast bowling, which is compared to the speed of a train, usually stuns the batsmen and troubles them when playing against him. Shoaib has set a benchmark in bowling the fastest delivery in cricket, which is still not broken by any other bowler in the history of cricket.