On This Day: February 22, 2003 - Shoaib Akhtar bowled the fastest ball ever (161.3 kph)

[Abdullah719]

The highest electronically measured speed for a ball bowled by any bowler is 161.3 km/h (100.23 mph) by Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan) against England on 22 February 2003 in a World Cup match at Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa. Quote from World Cup communications director: "ICC has always said there is not enough uniformity in the various speed guns around the world for any one performance to be designated official". However many believe this to have been the fastest ball bowled.

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-bowl-of-a-cricket-ball/

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[Bewal Express]

One of the least important landmarks in cricket.

 

[Syed1]

One of the least important landmarks in cricket.

IMO the least important landmark in cricket..... also the fact that Nick Knight played it with relative ease goes to show how useless the record is.

 

[Plumb]

And since then we have no pakistani fast bowler who bowls 150 consistently

 

[Savak]

IMO the least important landmark in cricket..... also the fact that Nick Knight played it with relative ease goes to show how useless the record is.

Lol Knight did not play that with relative ease, he was hurried. Taylor played that ball from Starc with ease.

 

[Markhor]

And then Jimmy Anderson skittled us out under the lights.

 

[Bewal Express]

IMO the least important landmark in cricket..... also the fact that Nick Knight played it with relative ease goes to show how useless the record is.

Totally agree. There is no doubt that the guy was amongst the quickest ever to play, its such a shame that he wasted his talent because of the shear lack of professionalism.

 

[smoothcriminal]

Was Shoaib Akhtar's World Cup 2003 161.3 kph ball that fast?

Hi. Wanted to brainstorm a thought that has been lingering all these years. Now, this is all based on personal opinion, and perception/observation of the game, not rooted in fact(s).

During 2003 WC, I felt that the speed guns elevated speeds by 5-6 kms/hour for various bowlers.

Case in point: Waqar Younis, who by the tail end of the career, was barely managing to strike 137-138 km/h, was stretching to the 140 km barrier on several occasions. Similarly, the likes of Andy Bichel, who were bang-on 'medium pacers' personified, were also striking up to the 140 kms. Heck, I remember even Heath Streak struck up 140 during WC 2003.

I felt that the speedometers were in some capacity not error prone per se, but had altered algorithms, and reflected a more liberal reading of bowlers' pace.

Watching Shoaib throughout the WC 2003, was he in great conditions? Yes, for the most part. Do I believe that over to Nick Knight was equivalent to 100 mp/h. Not really. To this day, I keep watching the highlights trying to convince myself still, but I just cant.

It's because in 2002 I believe he was at his mighty fastest (during New Zealand series in Pakistan especially). Those spells were way faster (I saw at the stands and via tv as well). Sami and Akhtar both cracked serious pace during that time, but the local speed guns (which to me were a fair reflection of their paces), were not recognized by the ICC. I felt that during that time, Shoaib may have been crossing the 100 mp/h barrier, but during the WC 2003 World Cup? I sincerely don't think so.

Shoaib's over to Ponting during the 99/2000 Test Series seemed faster than his officially fasted recorded ball. I'd give Shoaib's ball to Nick Knight a 155 km/h.

Would anyone like to comment on this, based on their viewing of Shoaib as well during those years?

NOTE: This is not an attack against Shoaib. This is a non-empirical gut observation i've always had, and wanted to share. I am not here to stir wars, or de-legitimize his record either.

 

[gazza619]

I disagree. If that was the case that Akhtar would have hit 100 mph dozens of time during that WC.

SA wickets have bounce and encourages fast bowlers to bend their back, hence naturally you always see higher speeds in those conditions.

 

[Savak]

Knight was on his back foot and was hurried. All the bowlers who played in that WC really cranked it up on the big stage, Brett Lee was at his brutal fastest in that WC.

 

[Mamoon]

Purely from the perspective of the naked eye, Brett Lee knocking Atapattu’s stumps in the semifinal was the fastest delivery of the 2003 World Cup. It was recorded at 99.5 mph.

The fastest delivery I have personally seen - irrespective of the reading of the speed gun - was Akhtar’s yorker to Fleming in the 1999 World Cup semifinal.
I refuse to believe that it wasn’t 100 mph. Unfortunately, the clips on YouTube are grainy and don’t do justice to the delivery.

 

[Mamoon]

2003 World Cup was a great spectacle for genuine pace bowling. Akhtar, Lee and Bond were frighteningly quick.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnThisDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnThisDay</a> in 2003. Shoaib Akhtar registered his name in the record books by bowling the fastest ball officially recorded at 100.2 MPH in the World Cup match against England at Cape Town <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/7UNfLYzHbN">pic.twitter.com/7UNfLYzHbN</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1496063353571192835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[sweep_shot]

I saw this game live. Shoaib was a beast back in those days.

 

[BouncerGuy]

It's been more than 2 decades, and still, there is nobody who can match his speed. The one and only "Rawalpindi Express" Shoaib Akhtar. On this day, the man broke the 100-mile barrier.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1760581001263071535

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Actually he broke the record earlier than this one in Lahore, but that ball was never considered legal due to some issue with the speedometer. I still remember in that test match Shoaib was bowling bullets against NZ.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Still unmatchable... Shoaib was a beast when it comes to pace.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1893200891970269453

 

[Bhaijaan]

Shabby bhai, the one and only.

He fought through pain and injuries to deliver all these thunderbolts bro.

 

[Vikram1989]

As per his autobiography, Akram ridiculed shoib that he always bothered about his speed in that wc than the team or output. Shoib always used to watch the ball speed in the newly introduced speedometers at that time.Akram have castigated akthar several times due to that.

 

[Varun]

I mean, if it resulted in a wicket that would have meant something.

 

[Kianig89]

Nick Knight made it look easy unlike his commentary

 

[charlie007]

What a sight it used to be: fast and furious. That long run up added even more aura to the blistering pace he bowled with. The batsmen he bowled, hurried, or hurt - all beaten by raw pace. In his pomp, Shoaib was a sight to behold!

 

[tahir_dj]

For some reason shobi bowling even 140 145kph looked alot faster than bowlers these days bowling even 150kph