What's new

Who are the 'Fab Five' of bowling?

Cummins

Rabada

Bumrah

Boult

Archer (as of now) is unproven in Tests.

Starc post CapeTown is bog average.

Hazelwood is below par in LOI.

Mark Wood and Shaheen Shah Afridi have the potential and talent respectively to force their way in....
 
Tests :-

Anderson
Ashwin
Cummins
Rabada
Bumrah


ODIs/T20s:-

Bumrah
Archer
Starc
Rabada
Boult
 
Cummins

Rabada

Bumrah

Boult

Archer (as of now) is unproven in Tests.

Starc post CapeTown is bog average.

Hazelwood is below par in LOI.

Mark Wood and Shaheen Shah Afridi have the potential and talent respectively to force their way in....

Boult also has been bog average in tests.
 
Jeez I'm unable to find one current spinner that is atleast decent in at least two formats. Infact there aren't many that even play....

Ashwin, Lyon ,Yasir, Maharaj and Leach are unlikely to wear colored clothing anytime soon.

The closest we have are Shakib, Jadeja and Moeen.
 
Jeez I'm unable to find one current spinner that is atleast decent in at least two formats. Infact there aren't many that even play....

Ashwin, Lyon ,Yasir, Maharaj and Leach are unlikely to wear colored clothing anytime soon.

The closest we have are Shakib, Jadeja and Moeen.

Rashid Khan.
 
For all formats:
Bumrah
Rabada
Cummins
Boult
Nortje (can't think of a 5th all format bowler)


ODIs:
Bumrah
Starc
(bumrah has only 2 wickets in his last 7 odis, starc was hammered in his last few odis. But they are still the best despite their current form)

Boult
Woakes(underrated)
Chahal (same problem, difficult to pick a 5th).


Tests:
Cummins

Anderson (the best test bowler currently imo, was phenomenal in india)

Bumrah

Kyle Jamieson (monster of a bowler. im very confident he will do well overseas)

Ashwin (one of the smartest bowlers to exist. was brilliant in australia)
 
Tests :-

Anderson
Ashwin
Cummins
Rabada
Bumrah


ODIs/T20s:-

Bumrah
Archer
Starc
Rabada
Boult

Fab 4 term was created to identify young upcoming talent, not for proven performers. So Ashwin or Anderson dont belong.
 
Suprised to see Starc on so many of these lists. he is quite an ordinary bowler in tests.
 
Easy

Shinwari
Saini
Tom Curran
Kesrick Williams
Junior Dala
 
Not sure about 5, but I consider Cummins,Rabada,Bumrah, and Archer as the fab 4 for bowling.
 
My all-format fab 5 (young-ish generation):

Cummins
Rabada
Bumrah
Archer*
Shaheen*

* Admittedly not as proven as the others, but still on the same level of raw talent in my opinion.
 
People are only putting Shaheen's name in there because this is a Pakistani forum.

Take the new ball away from Shaheen and he's toothless. He's flopped in all of his most recent test series, whether at home or in NZ/Eng conditions where any good bowler ought to thrive. In LOI's his stats are good but still a very small sample.

Overall Shaheen is good, maybe great one day, but nowhere near Fab 5 level. Ponting didn't include him in the "worst attack he's ever seen in Australia" for nothing.
 
Bumrah
Cummins
Rabada
Boult
Upcoming
Shaheen Shah
Ferguson
Meredith
Chemar Holder
Siraj
 
Cummins alone overall

Jimmy and Ash in tests.

As said before, fab 4 was named for potential and not for already proven legends. Other established legends were still paying when ths term was coined Jimmy and ash are already legends
 
There's only a Big Two right now .. Cummins and Bumrah. They can succeed in any conditions.
 
As said before, fab 4 was named for potential and not for already proven legends. Other established legends were still paying when ths term was coined Jimmy and ash are already legends

Cummins
Bumrah
Rabada
Archer

Fab 4 of bowling. Jamieson and Shaheen with an outside chance.
 
Tests:

Cummins
Rabada
Bumrah
Anderson

ODIs:
Bumrah
Starc
Boult
Shaheen/Archer (no clear 3rd or 4th)

Future Test Fab 4 Potential: Shaheen, Jamieson, Archer, Ngidi, Nortje

Future Test Fab 4 Potential: Ngidi, Nortje and I am sure there are more
 
Fab 4 term was created to identify young upcoming talent, not for proven performers. So Ashwin or Anderson dont belong.

Don't think so. The Indian batting lineup of Sachin, Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly were called the Fab 4 for a while before Sehwag forcibly made some sensible people call it the Fab 5.
 
Cummins alone overall

Jimmy and Ash in tests.

I think Bumrah is the top overall. Quite similar stats in tests and T20s with Bumrah marginally better but comfortably better stats in ODI.

But yes, both are the best all format bowlers either way.
 
Bumrah
Cummins
Starc
Rabada

Not sure about the 5th name.
 
We've been told that Archer is the best bowler in the world :quote:

So its either a no contest or its 1 + 5
 
We've been told that Archer is the best bowler in the world :quote:

So its either a no contest or its 1 + 5

In his first spell, he bowls at a good speed and then a drastic drop in speed in the test format. For T20, he is good because only 4 overs needed to be bowled.

But this discussion is about all formats, so I don't think he is among the top bowlers.
 
Tests

Anderson
Cummmings
Bumrah
Rabada
Bolt

T20s/odis
Bumrah
Archer
Shaheen
Bolt
Hassan ali
 
People are only putting Shaheen's name in there because this is a Pakistani forum.

Take the new ball away from Shaheen and he's toothless. He's flopped in all of his most recent test series, whether at home or in NZ/Eng conditions where any good bowler ought to thrive. In LOI's his stats are good but still a very small sample.

Overall Shaheen is good, maybe great one day, but nowhere near Fab 5 level. Ponting didn't include him in the "worst attack he's ever seen in Australia" for nothing.

In t20s/odis hes right up thier in the top 5.
 
Rabada was poor against Pakistan. Boult also has been average. Only Cummins, Bumrah and Ashwin have been decent. Others been good on and off.
 
Not a single bowler whom batsmen afraid of , may be Ashwin on indian rank turners is scary and boult on green top. But not a single bowler who can take the pitch out of the equation , may be Bhumrah in ODis.
 
Averave 21.6 in odis shaheen
Archer 24 in odis

Shaheen strike rate in 2019 world cup 16
Shaheen average was 14 in 2019 world cup

Okay not bad.

There's still a lot more to come from Shaheen. That's why no one is placing him in the top tier yet.
 
Averave 21.6 in odis shaheen
Archer 24 in odis

Shaheen strike rate in 2019 world cup 16
Shaheen average was 14 in 2019 world cup

What are their wickets tally? Archer is probably talked about more because his wickets are against top teams compared to Shaheen.
 
Looking back what a prediction it was though by the late Martin Crowe. Spot on! Like to get 4 out of 4 right is pretty amazing
 
As said before, fab 4 was named for potential and not for already proven legends. Other established legends were still paying when ths term was coined Jimmy and ash are already legends

Scrolled too far down for this comment. The whole fab tag was to give the spotlight to potentially future great players.
 
What are their wickets tally? Archer is probably talked about more because his wickets are against top teams compared to Shaheen.

Archer wicket tally in odis 30
Shaheen wicket tally in odis 45

Shaheen has bowled 33 overs more ish than archer.

Archer against australia 23
Shaheen against australia 35


Archer against new zealand 29
Shaheen against new zealand 10

Archer against pakistan 73 !
Shaheen against england 49 just after injury.

Archer against the smaller countries is very similar stats to shaheen

In austrlia i would defonitely take archer but everywere else in odis and t20s il take shaheen
 
Okay not bad.

There's still a lot more to come from Shaheen. That's why no one is placing him in the top tier yet.

Of course thiers alot to come from shaheen espically in tests which we havent seen anything yet.but hes stil in top 5 in odis/t20s if only if he was english he would be defonitely top 5
 
Of course thiers alot to come from shaheen espically in tests which we havent seen anything yet.but hes stil in top 5 in odis/t20s if only if he was english he would be defonitely top 5

I don't want to hype him up too much, you know what happens to our players when they get hyped up. :naseem
 
I don't want to hype him up too much, you know what happens to our players when they get hyped up. :naseem

Thats a different case he hardly played any international matches whilst shaheen has proved it in a major tournament but i understands what you mean :)
 
Just in sheer terms of bowling quality-

1. Cummins
2. Bumrah
3. Rabada
4. Anderson (tests)
Boult/Archer (White ball)
5. Ashwin (tests)
 
Back
Top