Who were the 3 greatest pace bowlers of all time?

[Harsh Thakor]

There is a long list of pace bowling legends and each era had it's pace bowling superstars who to the art of fast bowling  to its supreme height.Some had incredible speed some were phenomenally hostile,some mastered the art of moving the ball and were incredibly versatile and some who could perfectly pitch the ball in the blockhole.

 

However at the end of the day if I had to pick my best 3 they would be

1.Malcolm Marshall

2.Wasim Akram

3.Dennis Lillee

 

 

I have not only considered statistics but the sill or mastery over the art of fast bowling.All the 3 chosen posessed every ingredient of a great pace bowler.They posessed considerable pace,great accuracy and control  ability to move the ball both ways and very versatile and agression at it's highest zenith.

 

Marshall was not as classical as some great pacemen or the quickest but could do things with a cricket ball few paceman could even dream off.No paceman was a better exponent of the skidding bouncer ,banana swing or better at disguising the ball swinging in and out.Mastery in bio-mechanics at its supreme depth.Statistically a giant with regards to strike rate at 46.7  and average at 20.94.In many ways Marshall was a more creative or unorthodox  form of Dennis Lillee.More than his versatility it was the sheer way he bowled a particular delivery that made him unique.Above all Marshal proved his great skill on the sub-continent when capturing 33 wickets in India at 18.94 in 1983-84.Reminiscent of a boxer,poet and technician rolled into one.

 

Wasim was simply the magician of fast bowlers taking the art of fast bowling to  regions of the divine.No paceman displayed such mastery in executing reverse swing or was as versatile.Simply a MIchelangelo amongst of fast bowling.The greatest batsmen like Lara and Viv considered Wasim the hardest bowler they ever faced.Chosen in more world xi's than any pace bowler by cricketers.Statistics never did him true justice as he was a more daunting proposition than Ambrose or Mcgrath.Average of 23.62 and strike rate of 54.6 hardly do him justice.Still statistically the best pace bowler from 1990-98 with a strike rate of around 46 and average of less than 21.Overshadowed statistically by Mcgrath and Ambrose or even Alan Donald  but hardly got support from the field side and half his scalps were on the flat sub-continent pancakes.Performed better than partner Waqar Younus against the best teams of his era .No doubt Ambrose was more lethal on bad wickets or bouncy surfaces and Mcgrath possessed more control but in an all-round pacakge Wasim surpassed them.

 

 

Dennis Lillee was the ultimate epitome of perfection in pace bowling.Classically more complete than anyone and probably the most hostile or agressive of all pace bowlers.The best ever exponent of the leg-cutter who posessed the biggest conventional repertoire of any fast bowler.Morally captured 455 scalps in 80 tests adding Packer supertests and matches v rest of the world.Averaged around 5 wickets per game in WSC supertests which speaks for itself.Chosen in more all-time xi's by great cricketers than even Marshall.Above all took competitivity in sport to its highest intensity.

 

My selection may be controversial as Richard Hadlee,Glen Mcgrath ,Imran Khan,Dale Steyn or Curtly Ambrose statistically are better than Wasim or Lillee .However I doubt Hadlee,Ambrose or Mcgrath posessed the all-round skill on unhelpful surfaces as the bowlers I selected .Imran and Steyn were very successful on the sub-continent but not as diverse or skilled as the 3 I chose.I can't envisage Imran surpassing Wasim or equalling his diversity nor the classical skill of Lillee.

 

Challenging Marshall,Wasim and Lillee the likes of Ray Lindwall,Glen Mcgrath,Richard Hadlee,Curtly Ambrose,Imran Khan,Dale Steyn,Fred Trueman Andy Roberts ,Alan Donald and Michael Holding are at the top of the tree .For pure bowling skill in my view Lindwall and Roberts would be the closest followed by Mcgrath.

 

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by Harsh Thakor