Ranking the top 5 pacers of all-time based on their fastest deliveries

Fast bowlers are remembered by the bruise they leave on a batsman’s ego and the number on the speed gun. If you measure “greatness” by the single fastest delivery a bowler ever produced, a very particular list emerges — one that mixes modern radar precision with old-school fear. Below are the top five pacers of all time by their fastest recorded deliveries.

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1. Shoaib Akhtar - 161.3 km/h

Shoaib’s 161.3 km/h delivery to Nick Knight in the 2003 World Cup is the single fastest officially recorded ball in international cricket. It belongs in the same sentence as his nickname, the Rawalpindi Express: explosive, often erratic, and electrifying to watch. That one reading is a clear explanation for what he offered across his career, which is a terrifying combination of toe-crushing pace, aggressive intent and a short fuse that made batsmen hurry their judgment. 

Beyond the headline speed, Shoaib’s sustained ability to trouble top international batters at key moments (World Cups, Asia Cups, bilateral series) is what made the figure credible rather than fluky. He repeatedly produced high-end pace under match pressure, not just in the nets.

2. Brett Lee - 161.1 km/h

Lee sits immediately behind Shoaib in many speed lists, and for good reason. He combined raw pace with repeatability. Long spells at very high speeds, plus fitness and rhythm that let him bowl long, penetrating shifts. 

Lee’s fastest readings, widely reported around the 161 km/h mark in 2005, came on surfaces that rewarded bounce and carry, but those bursts were part of an overall profile of accuracy, hostility and an ability to target weaknesses consistently. Where Akhtar terrified, Lee punished; where Akhtar sometimes threatened control, Lee backed up speed with skilful short and full bowling plans. That mix made his high-speed moments both real and effective.

3. Shaun Tait - 161.1 km/h

Tait’s raw velocity was almost unmatched at his best. His action was compact and violent, meaning he could unleash sudden bursts of absolute pace, and in July 2010 at Lord’s, a delivery was recorded at 161.1 km/h. 

Tait’s career was handicapped by injury and rhythm problems, so the window where he bowled like that was narrow, yet those flashes were terrifying for opposition batters. He wasn’t just a speed merchant, but when his lengths landed, his pace produced wickets. But Tait’s story is also a reminder that sheer speed without sustained fitness and control rarely turns into long-term dominance.

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4. Jeff Thomson - 160.45 km/h (1975 test measurement)

Thomson’s raw pace was the stuff of legend long before modern radar guns became standard. Scientific speed tests done at the WACA in the 1970s measured him at roughly 160.45 km/h — numbers that, given the era and testing methods, are staggeringly high. 

Witness testimony from contemporaries (Richie Benaud, Michael Holding, Viv Richards) consistently places Thomson among the fastest they faced. What separates Thomson is context, i.e. he bowled his quickest in an era of uncovered pitches and heavier bats, and the fear he inspired arguably had more influence than any single speedometer reading.

5. Mitchell Starc - 160.4 km/h

Starc is the modern left-arm speedster who blends genuine pace with lethal accuracy and swing. His 160.4 km/h yorker at Perth in 2015 is a marker of how fast he can go in Test conditions and, crucially, how effectively he uses that pace. 

Starc’s fastest deliveries aren’t raw one-offs, but they slot into a bowling craft that includes reverse-swing, lethal angles to right-handers, and the ability to land unplayable yorkers at the death. In short, his speed translates directly into match-winning weapons rather than spectacle alone.

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