Best over ever bowled by a fast bowler in test cricket in order of merit?

[Harsh Thakor]

This is my selection of the best overs ever bowled by pace bowler in test cricket

 

1.Shoaib Akhtar in Colombo v Australia in 2002

 

Sliced of the flesh of the Australian  middle order in a single over with prize scalps of Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh.No better illustration of why he was classed as a Hurricane express .Produced speed reminiscent of defying the bio mechanics of pace bowling .No better proof that there is nothing to substitute express pace.Resembled a combing operation.No adjective could do justice to the venom n his bowling.

 

 

 

2.Wasim Akram versus West Indies in 1990 at Lahore

 

 

Never seen a cricket more reminiscent of a demolition operation .Skill in regions of the sublime,like a magician performing.Not at the top because  it was gain st the tail enders and not top order batsmen.

 

 

 

3.Michael Holding at Barbados on 1981

 

Extracted speed and bounce in metaphysical proportions and took perfection in art of fast bowling to regions rarely explored.Never seen such a perfect synthesis of speed,bounce and length.Pace bowling perfection personified.The delivery that sent Boycott's stump cartwheeling is close to the best ever in test cricket.

 

 

 

4.Imran Khan at Karachi in 1982-83.

 

Bowled arguably the 2 bests ever successive deliveries in test cricket when dismissing Gavaskar and Vishwanath with thunderbolt inswingers..First ripped through the gate of Gavaskar and then rattled the stumps of Vishwanath with a ball he shoulder arms to.

 

 

 

5.Andy Roberts at Adelaide in 1979-80

 

 

Rarely seen such a perfect combination of speed,bounce and length  or bowling with such a high degree of intelligence.Had the Chappell brothers fending balls rising from a good length ,which were almost unplayable.

 

 

 

6.Wasim Akram to Michael Slater in 2nd test at Hobart in 1995-96i n Australia

 

 

Pace bowling art in regions of a musical composer producing element of mystery as few ever did.

 

 

 

 

7.Bob Willis at Headingley in 1981

 

Ferocity or agression at its zenith.On a pitch with unveven bounce made the ball lift viciously  to have Kim Hughes caught  at slip and Graham Yallop at Short Leg.Arguably no over so dramatically turned the plot of a test match.

 

 

 

 

8.Mitchelle Johnson in 2nd test at Adelaide in  2013-14 Ashes

 

Rattled Englishman Ben Stokes and Matt prior with speed and disconcerting bounce combined with perfect length.Every ball seemed reminiscent of part of an offensive operation of an army.

 

 

 

I must concede that maybe an over of Curtly Ambrose's spell at Perth in 1992-93 or at Barbados against England in 1994 could have been right up there .Per hap's also Malcolm Marshal's spell at Kanpur in 1982-83 in the 1st innings when he dismissed Gavaskar.However I cant trace a specific over.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by Harsh Thakor

[Tattieboy]

Best over I ever seen was that Michael Holding one to Geoff Boycott 

 

If Ricky Pointing says the best over he ever faced in International cricket  was the Andrew Flintoff one in 2005 Ashes when he got Justin Langer and Pointing out then it must deserve to be on this list !!

[Sandeep99]

My answer -

 

1. Youtube ranter

2. Kaali Dal Dim

3. Kaali Dal Dim 

4. Waz Vikram

5. Waz Vikram

[Norman]

Bilawal Bhatti's wonderful over against sri lanka where he bowled 6 beautiful half volleys in a row against Prasanna Jayawardene is quite underrated I think. Pretty good list overall. 

[Jay]

irfan pathan vs pakistan 2006 

[zen]

When I think of best overs, usually, Warne comes to mind with his spin making batsmen appear clueless. A fast bowler’s equivalent of that would probably include Holding’s over to Boycott (have only seen it in clips). Among the once’s I recall watching are Akthar v Ind in 1999 when both Dravid and Tendulkar looked clueless. And then there is his spell v Aus where he looked like taking a wkt of almost every ball 

[Vilander]

Mmaajid Khans over to mulla mohd in the gully league when he was 15 years is the bheshht over ever to be bowled in history of human existence i think..

[Vilander]

2 hours ago, Tattieboy said:

Best over I ever seen was that Michael Holding one to Geoff Boycott 

 

If Ricky Pointing says the best over he ever faced in International cricket  was the Andrew Flintoff one in 2005 Ashes when he got Justin Langer and Pointing out then it must deserve to be on this list !!

This poster is a troll from Pakistan who writes elaborate posts and puts some innocuous event involving pakistani players at the top. Just some sorry revisionist attempt. Keep saying lies and they will become truth eventually or something on those lines. 

[SK_IH]

You are a classic shooter & scooter. You have the gall of mentioning this 3-4 Pakistan spells, some of them not even talked about big but you conveniently forget the following : 

Flintoff against Ponting 2005

Srinath against Aus in Kolkata 1998

Donald against Atherton 1998

Bumrah against WI 2019 (hattrick)

Jimmy Anderson against Sachin 2006 Mumbai

 

and I can go on, these are just off the top of my head. You need to go beyond your fetish for Pakistan this & Pakistan that.

 

[Tattieboy]

1 hour ago, Vilander said:

This poster is a troll from Pakistan who writes elaborate posts and puts some innocuous event involving pakistani players at the top. Just some sorry revisionist attempt. Keep saying lies and they will become truth eventually or something on those lines. 

I believe he is around my age and does post some sense regarding 70s cricket but I do laugh at his Pakistani bias , take it from me  Majid Khan was a decent player but he wasn't the second son of God as he makes out . 

[Global.Baba]

Don’t let the haters bring you down @Harsh Thakor

 

I personally enjoy some of your essays on cricket  even though it’s  your personal  choice and not everyone has to  agree with you.

 

However at this point, I think some of us have gotten to you because I clearly see you want to give it back by trolling. More power to you though

 

 

[zen]

@Harsh Thakor enjoy reading your posts  ... Ignore the garbage on the internet 

 

Pak was one of the top 3-4 test sides in 80s-90s. One of the main reasons for it was its bowling, so not surprised if their bowlers feature on your list esp. if you followed that team closely (nothing wrong with appreciating Pak cric). Many of us have felt, at some point during that period, if Ind could have such bowlers 

 

PS below is a sensational ball from Akram, don’t recall how he bowled the entire over though 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by zen

[Tattieboy]

8 minutes ago, Global.Baba said:

Don’t let the haters bring you down @Harsh Thakor

 

I personally enjoy some of your essays on cricket  even though it’s  your personal  choice and not everyone has to  agree with you.

 

However at this point, I think some of us have gotten to you because I clearly see you want to give it back by trolling. More power to you though

 

 

As a cricketer I enjoy his stuff too , don't always agree with it but much I do . I think he got carried away with his favourite player and escalated to all things Pakistan from there BUT I personally would rather read his posts than ....IF Sachin had played in the ODI what would the score be ... IF Sewag had opened instead of blah blah blah how many more sixes  would he have hit ..

To me all that rubbish is the same as if my grandmother had been born with a d*ck then she would have been my grandfather 

[raki05]

[MechEng]

@Robelinda doing god's work here!

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by MechEng

[sage]

They all pale in comparison to Wahab Riaz vs Shane Watson 

[putrevus]

Where are Flintoff, Irfan Pathan, Srinath?

[Vijy]

It was Majid Khan's bowling. silken smooth and furiously quick.