At their best in a single spell who were the 5 best fast bowlers ever in order of merit?

[Harsh Thakor]

Here I am not rating the 5 best fast bowlers ever overall in order of merit,.My criteria is how they ranked at their best in a single spell.

 

 

1.Curtly Ambrose

 

Unimaginable intensity and hostility.Reminiscent of a cowboy mowing down his opponents or an army competing  a combing operation.Who could surpass Ambrose at Perth when taking 7-22in 1992-93 or at Trinidad when taking 6-24. Curtly would make the ball rise so rearingly from a good length that opponents would be dumbfounded.Bounce was literally vertical.No bowler was better in ressurecting a team from the grave when defending  a low score.

 

 

 

 

2.Wasim Akram

 

Equivalent of Rembrandt or Beethoven to pace bowling with artistry of magical or mythical proportions.His reverse swing was unreadable leaving batsman perplexed.Best ever on docile surfaces.Difficult to visualize any better delivery than his dismissal of Rahul Dravid at Madras in 1999.

 

 

 

 

3.Malcolm Marshall

 

The ultimate master of bio-mechanics who created virtually unplayable banana swing and skidding bounce.Lethal even on a spinners track like in Sydney in 1984-85.In England in 1988 arguably bowled better tan any paceman ever where at fast-medium he rattled the batsman.

 

 

 

 

4.Michael Holding

 

Resembled an antelope  with astonishing speed through the air and the most fluent action ever.Has to his credit the bets over in test cricket bowling to Boycott in 1981 at Bridgetown and the best bowling spell ever when taking 14-149 at the Oval in 1976.He would bounce the ball very near the bat  and could move the ball either way.

 

 

 

 

5.Imran Khan

 

Determination and agression personified.At his fastest matched strides with Jeff Thomson,combining prodigious swing.His spells versus India in 1982-83 at Karachi and Hyderabad where he captured 5 wickets apiece in around 25 balls revealed pace bowling skill in regions rarely traversed.Arguably till then no paceman ever combine sustained pace with such movement.

Edited January 6, 2021 by Harsh Thakor

[dilliboy]

Ambrose for me.... Could run through the best of the lineups in a single spell when he was hot.. Haven't seen Marshall live but he seemed a genuinely all round bowler capable of swing and pace

[Harsh Thakor]

31 minutes ago, dilliboy said:

Ambrose for me.... Could run through the best of the lineups in a single spell when he was hot.. Haven't seen Marshall live but he seemed a genuinely all round bowler capable of swing and pace

We agree.well put.What about Wasim and Imran?

[Real McCoy]

majid khan

[MechEng]

1 hour ago, Harsh Thakor said:

We agree.well put.What about Wasim and Imran?

 

 

Edited January 6, 2021 by MechEng

[Adamant]

My top 5 will be (not in any order) 

1.Waqar Younus

2.Curtly Ambrose

3.Shane Bond (you missed him) 

4.Stuart Broad (Should have been there in your list) 

5. Mitchell Johnson 

 

Will admit that I didn't see much of Marshall and Immy when they were at their peak. 

 

Waqar at his best was  something. 

When i imagine a bowler bowling his best spell, the kind of dismissals i would expect him to take are:

1.Bowled

2.Bouncer

3.Squaring up a batsman and managing a knick with an excellent outswinger. 

4.Beaten for pace

Waqar at his best excelled in all of the above. 

Lbw and using corridor of uncertainty are the most efficient ways of dismissing a batsman but they are not as beautiful as the above methods.. Are they? 

[putrevus]

Best spell brings to mind the reverse swing obtained by Pakistanis, How come their current bowlers are not able to generate reverse swing. Too many cameras? The problem I have in declaring any past Pakistani fast bowler as great as other great bowlers, they were never able duplicate those feats overseas whereas all great bowlers have done well in most countries.Pakistanis seem to have done well mostly at home that too on those docile pitches.

 

Only Wasim Akram from Pakistani bowlers seems to have mostly same home and away stats.

Edited January 6, 2021 by putrevus

[Gollum]

Why do our fans overrate ball tamperers 

[Vk1]

we have seen Mitchell do it but Akthar with his pace and yorkers is peaks ( NZ faced it once ). Pity he couldnt replicate it often. 

[RajBan]

I will put Donald ahead of Holding and Imran as a bowler. Donald used to create horror in the minds of very best , very similar to Ambrose.

[sage]

Why can't I pick Wahab Riaz? 

[Swag]

For me Alan Donald steaming in was the most fearsome sight.  Pace, swing, aggression - all in one.

[putrevus]

6 minutes ago, Swag said:

For me Alan Donald steaming in was the most fearsome sight.  Pace, swing, aggression - all in one.

I don't think he ever had the mental toughness of Mcgrath.

[Swag]

22 minutes ago, putrevus said:

I don't think he ever had the mental toughness of Mcgrath.

Agree.  It was purely from a viewpoint of fearsome spells.  Donald running at our batsmen used to give me the jitters, Mcgrath was a different 'softer' feeling:)  

[Tattieboy]

I would probably say Curtly Ambrose but the most fearsome , dangerous, watching it through fingers over eyes spell I ever saw  , was Michael Holding to  John Edrich and Brian Close in 1976 . It was brutal and everyone feared for those two guys lives . 

[Harsh Thakor]

7 minutes ago, Tattieboy said:

I would probably say Curtly Ambrose but the most fearsome , dangerous, watching it through fingers over eyes spell I ever saw  , was Michael Holding to  John Edrich and Brian Close in 1976 . It was brutal and everyone feared for those two guys lives . 

So true.We completely agree.Holding at fastest was close to best ever.

[Harsh Thakor]

55 minutes ago, Swag said:

Agree.  It was purely from a viewpoint of fearsome spells.  Donald running at our batsmen used to give me the jitters, Mcgrath was a different 'softer' feeling:)  

Very well expressed and true.

[Harsh Thakor]

1 hour ago, Swag said:

For me Alan Donald steaming in was the most fearsome sight.  Pace, swing, aggression - all in one.

Almost true.Donald was a giant.

[Harsh Thakor]

3 hours ago, RajBan said:

I will put Donald ahead of Holding and Imran as a bowler. Donald used to create horror in the minds of very best , very similar to Ambrose.

At his best more lethal than Imran or Holding?Remember the best of them in unhelpful conditions.

[Harsh Thakor]

3 hours ago, Gollum said:

Why do our fans overrate ball tamperers 

The Pakistani bowlers were the greatest geniuses resembling magicians.Traversed regions none did.