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Who is the fastest pace-bowling all-rounder ever?

Sam99

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So Who was the fastest pace all rounder? I know flintoff could bowl around 90 miles but was there someone in history who could bowl more fast than him?
 
Imran has to be the fastest.

Botham was pretty quick in his early days too.
 
I think Flintoff would be the fastest known. Imran was not as fast as Flintoff, he was more high 130's, and early 140's. Flintoff for most part of career was quick.
 

Yup.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283875.html

Lance Klusener from South Africa was timed at 154kph against India in 1996/97. At that time, early in Klusener's career, he was said to be every bit as quick as team-mate Allan Donald. The ball in question was struck for six and received a mention a book by Mark Waugh. Klusener since adapted his style to become a medium-pace bowler, averaging around 120kph, with a faster ball around the 136kph mark.
 
I think Flintoff would be the fastest known. Imran was not as fast as Flintoff, he was more high 130's, and early 140's. Flintoff for most part of career was quick.

Hahahahahahahaha. Imran was in the high 130s and early 140s? I think you forgot to mention that he might have bowled at those speeds after his shoulder injuries. Before his injuries and when he was at his peak in the bowling facet he was close to Malcom Marshall and Holding and not far behind Jeff Thompson. Watch this for reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPDW7hj1yfs . Keep in mind that this was before Imran Khan remodelled his action which eventually led to his peak pace bowling years and that this method of measuring speeds is much different from today and hence the deflation of the speeds (as evident from the rest of the "fast" bowlers' speeds as well). Also doesn't Wasim Akram qualify as a Pace Bowling Allrounder? I think he does and was probably right up there as the quickest.
 
Kallis in his prime. A genuine 140k + bowler and a world class batsman. From 1999-2003, he was genuinely quick.

I can also add Klusener to the list. But his pace went down drastically in the first 2 yrs after his debut.

People saying Riaz, Bhatti... they are not all rounders. If they are, then B Kumar is also an all rounder :))

I have seen Imran Khan bowl from the clips on Youtube. He seems more like a 135-140k swing bowler. He is no Akram or Waqar who could clock 140k + with ease.
 
For a short period of time most definitely Lance Klusener and Jacques Kallis.

For a longer period Flintoff followed by Imran.
 
Imran. For a while after Holding started slowing down and before the emergence of Marshall, he was the world's fastest bowler.
 
Imran Khan.

He would have been 140k on average with the odd ball being faster (towards 150k on occasion). Benaud had that estimates for Imran. In his pomp (late 70s-early 80s) he was seriously quick.

He is far and away the best fast bowling AR ever.

Botham and Dev were fast-medium (Botham was sharp for a little while).
 
Lance Klusner was medium fast, not even fast medium. He was high 120s low 130s bowler, know more for his hard hitting and not pace. The 154 km delivery must be a malfunctioning of speed gun.

That is not true at all. Klusner started as a fast bowler and bowled really quick when he made his debut. He was capable of bowling 140+ consistently. Later in his career, he cut down on his pace and bowled a lot of cutters in ODI's.
 
Why are people mentioning not Wasim Akram? He was a bowling allrounder too.

Chris Cairns is another good shout.

Imran is the best case though. Because he was a more genuine allrounder.

Flintoff was quick too as others mentioned.

Kallis bowled 145+ at his bowling peak which was quite short though.

Hardik Pandya and Faheem Ashraf can hit the 140s now too.
 
Hahahahahahahaha. Imran was in the high 130s and early 140s? I think you forgot to mention that he might have bowled at those speeds after his shoulder injuries. Before his injuries and when he was at his peak in the bowling facet he was close to Malcom Marshall and Holding and not far behind Jeff Thompson. Watch this for reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPDW7hj1yfs . Keep in mind that this was before Imran Khan remodelled his action which eventually led to his peak pace bowling years and that this method of measuring speeds is much different from today and hence the deflation of the speeds (as evident from the rest of the "fast" bowlers' speeds as well). Also doesn't Wasim Akram qualify as a Pace Bowling Allrounder? I think he does and was probably right up there as the quickest.

If only doing a '' Hahahahahahaha" gave credibility to your posts, people would just post hahahaha. I have watched Imran bowl live and have watched him bowl during his peak years. He was fast medium at his fastest. You can keep quoting anything without having real knowledge. Flintoff was way quicker than Imran.
 
Why are people mentioning not Wasim Akram? He was a bowling allrounder too.

Chris Cairns is another good shout.

Imran is the best case though. Because he was a more genuine allrounder.

Flintoff was quick too as others mentioned.

Kallis bowled 145+ at his bowling peak which was quite short though.

Hardik Pandya and Faheem Ashraf can hit the 140s now too.

Wasim Akram was sort of, more of a bowler. However, Chris Cairns , Kallis were of similar pace, even Heath Streak.
Flintoff was seriously quick and could bowl in 150's often.

Pandya and Faheem are definitely sharp, however I think we need to give them more time to be counting their names amongst the greats.
 
Lance Klusner was medium fast, not even fast medium. He was high 120s low 130s bowler, know more for his hard hitting and not pace. The 154 km delivery must be a malfunctioning of speed gun.

Pretty sure Klusner was almost as quick as Donald when he started. Kallis as well could bowl a spell mid 140s during his 1st 8 years in test cricket.
 
Pretty sure Klusner was almost as quick as Donald when he started. Kallis as well could bowl a spell mid 140s during his 1st 8 years in test cricket.

Kluesener was pretty quick only in the first year after his debut. He lost his pace and was almost military medium for most part of his career.
However, the 154 k's delivery was genuine.
 
Overall throughout the career average pace? Then probably flintoff.

If go by fastest for a brief period then Zulu or flintoff..
 
If only doing a '' Hahahahahahaha" gave credibility to your posts, people would just post hahahaha. I have watched Imran bowl live and have watched him bowl during his peak years. He was fast medium at his fastest. You can keep quoting anything without having real knowledge. Flintoff was way quicker than Imran.

Yeah I know a laugh doesn't bolster my arguement, but did you literally just skim over my whole argument and just undermined it by saying that just because you saw it live you are the better judge? I suggest you watch the video and decide for yourself. Also, what do you mean by "You can keep quoting anything without having real knowledge".....Just because you can't counter the argument, you just decide to undermined my cricketing knowledge....There are some major logical fallicies in your argument man.
 
If only doing a '' Hahahahahahaha" gave credibility to your posts, people would just post hahahaha. I have watched Imran bowl live and have watched him bowl during his peak years. He was fast medium at his fastest. You can keep quoting anything without having real knowledge. Flintoff was way quicker than Imran.

And by the way, there was no ill intention in that laugh and I appologize if you feel offended.
 
There are no fallacies in my argument. I have seen Imran live, and I have had the honor of having dinner with him personally. However, thats besides the point.
Imran started off as a medium pace bowler and graduated to fast medium. His odd ball may have been in high 140's, he wasn't an out and out fast bowler. About 140-145 when bowling sharp. Neither do I want to offend you, however we can either hype things or accept the truth. Noone can question his greatness, just because he was a fast medium bowler and not an express like Waqar.
 
There are no fallacies in my argument. I have seen Imran live, and I have had the honor of having dinner with him personally. However, thats besides the point.
Imran started off as a medium pace bowler and graduated to fast medium. His odd ball may have been in high 140's, he wasn't an out and out fast bowler. About 140-145 when bowling sharp. Neither do I want to offend you, however we can either hype things or accept the truth. Noone can question his greatness, just because he was a fast medium bowler and not an express like Waqar.

Yes, that seems more reasonable. I too believe that he had a faster ball that could touch the 150s, as said by Richie Beneaud himself. Also, I would like to reiterate that I never claimed that he was the fastest pace-bowling allrounder, but rather pointing to your "high 130s and early 140s" comment, because that was his speed after his pace fell away. Anways, I'm sorry for the misunderstaning.
 
Ajit Agarkat too wouldnt be far behind. He could bowl in 140's all day long and used to touch around 148 at his fastest.
 
Kallis never looked quick to me. Perhaps he cut his pace in England to help swing and seam.
 
Kallis was clocked at 146 in 99WC.

He clocked 147 against Sri Lanka 2011 bowling short to Dilhara Fernando after Fernando peppered him. In 2012 Kallis was still able to bowl 145kph spells against England. He certainly was capable of 150+ in his youth.
 
Imran. For a while after Holding started slowing down and before the emergence of Marshall, he was the world's fastest bowler.



People judging Imran's pace based on YT clips, that always works :-)
 
People judging Imran's pace based on YT clips, that always works :-)

I saw loads of Imran at Sussex, and for Pakistan. Imran was genuinely quick. Ave speed about 140k with periods of time where he was undoubtedly around 150k.

This is why I lament people commenting on people they never saw play. YT is not a substitute for real life observation.
 
Imran was the and still is the best 'Fast Bowling All Rounder' we have seen who had a substantially long career. I still think if Imran had not fractured his shin in his prime in 1982, he could have been much quicker for the next 2-3 years (instead he ended up out of cricket for 2 1/2 years or so), probably getting close to averaging in high 140's and even touching 155 KMH here and there.

Pakistan needed longer spells from him most of the time, so he probably cut down his speed by a bit most of the time to be able to do justice to what the team needed from him!
 
I saw loads of Imran at Sussex, and for Pakistan. Imran was genuinely quick. Ave speed about 140k with periods of time where he was undoubtedly around 150k.

This is why I lament people commenting on people they never saw play. YT is not a substitute for real life observation.




Agreed, early in his career when he was still developing his trade till the 1981-82 period, he would bowl very quick and bowl short a lot. He hit quite a few batsmen in those days especially Mohinder whose injury intially looked quite dangerous as well.

Imran had to put in long spells and one thing was for sure, he was never willing to take it easy despite his workload. He would come in with the same intensity over after over and usually ended up the best bowler game after game.
 
Having followed all of these guys live I very much doubt any of them touched 150 kph as some claim. Marshall looked quick even then. Holding, Winston Davis, Patterson were really quick. But first time people started really noticing speed of non west indian fast bowler was when Alan Donald came into the scene.
 
It has to be either Imran or Flintoff. Not sure other bowlers bowled constantly quick. Flintoff bowled quick all the time, his spells in the 2005 Ashes series were legendary.
 
Imran was the and still is the best 'Fast Bowling All Rounder' we have seen who had a substantially long career. I still think if Imran had not fractured his shin in his prime in 1982, he could have been much quicker for the next 2-3 years (instead he ended up out of cricket for 2 1/2 years or so), probably getting close to averaging in high 140's and even touching 155 KMH here and there.

Pakistan needed longer spells from him most of the time, so he probably cut down his speed by a bit most of the time to be able to do justice to what the team needed from him!

Really ? Is that why Imran was timed in the mid 130's during the speed competition ? Absolutely zero proof Imran bowled in the 140's let alone 150's all we have here are a lot of experts here claiming facts with nothing to back up... Speed guns were barely if at all any around during Imran's time
 
Really ? Is that why Imran was timed in the mid 130's during the speed competition ? Absolutely zero proof Imran bowled in the 140's let alone 150's all we have here are a lot of experts here claiming facts with nothing to back up... Speed guns were barely if at all any around during Imran's time

Imran peaked in the late 70s and early 80s. We saw him (a lot). No less an authority then Richie Benaud estimated Imran was 140k on average. Secondly, one can use his eyes. Watch prime Imran and then watch a bowler of known speed and make a comparison that way.

Another way of looking at it is this: if Imran was 80mph, then what speed was Dev bowling? :)))
 
Additionally, it is important that none of Imran's contemporaries doubted his pace. His ranking as a genuine fast bowler is not questioned by anyone. This is new age revisionism whereby certain players are suddenly fast and others not medium pacers. The world saw them all - it was evident who was quick.
 
Really ? Is that why Imran was timed in the mid 130's during the speed competition ? Absolutely zero proof Imran bowled in the 140's let alone 150's all we have here are a lot of experts here claiming facts with nothing to back up... Speed guns were barely if at all any around during Imran's time

Imran's average speed in that competition was quicker than Holding, Roberts, Croft and Lillee.

If Imran wasn't fast then pretty much everybody apart from Shoaib, Lee, Tait and Thommo were trundlers.
 
Imran's average speed in that competition was quicker than Holding, Roberts, Croft and Lillee.

If Imran wasn't fast then pretty much everybody apart from Shoaib, Lee, Tait and Thommo were trundlers.

Youngsters are truly ignorant. In 75 Thommo clocked 160, in 1979 he clocked 147k. His average would be somewhere between those. Imran was 136k that day and in match play inevitably quicker so 140k is no reach.
 
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Imran peaked in the late 70s and early 80s. We saw him (a lot). No less an authority then Richie Benaud estimated Imran was 140k on average. Secondly, one can use his eyes. Watch prime Imran and then watch a bowler of known speed and make a comparison that way.

Another way of looking at it is this: if Imran was 80mph, then what speed was Dev bowling? :)))

So where is the PROOF ? I am not talking about estimates, the what ifs or the maybes. Show me PROOF Imran bowled in the 140s...... Only proof of his recorded quickest speed was in the late 130s recorded during the speed competition in the late 70s...
 
Imran's average speed in that competition was quicker than Holding, Roberts, Croft and Lillee.

If Imran wasn't fast then pretty much everybody apart from Shoaib, Lee, Tait and Thommo were trundlers.

I would say Shoib and Lee were the only real consistent genuine quicks that every played. I dont believe this crap about Thomson bowling in the 170s or 160s, they were inferior athletes back in those days along with having no access to modern day type supplements, sports science and training etc.... It is more common that superior athletes come as the years pass by. Back in the 70s and 80s; 130s to even 140s (147kms Jeff Thompson's fastest recorded speed) would have been considered quick, however in today's world, that would have been considered avg as even the Indian quicks are now regularly clocking in the 140s...
 
So where is the PROOF ? I am not talking about estimates, the what ifs or the maybes. Show me PROOF Imran bowled in the 140s...... Only proof of his recorded quickest speed was in the late 130s recorded during the speed competition in the late 70s...

As noted he clocked 136k in the speed test pre his fastest years, so a gain of 4k is in match situation when he was clearly faster is hardly a stretch.

Secondly as cited, he clocked quicker than most, so the logic is either they were really medium fast OR Imran was seriously quick. No other extrapolation can be made.
 
As noted he clocked 136k in the speed test pre his fastest years, so a gain of 4k is in match situation when he was clearly faster is hardly a stretch.

Secondly as cited, he clocked quicker than most, so the logic is either they were really medium fast OR Imran was seriously quick. No other extrapolation can be made.

None of what you said above gives me proof that Imran bowled in the 140s or let alone 150... For arguments sake I am willing to agree that at his fastest speed Imran might have bowled the odd delivery at early 140k....
 
None of what you said above gives me proof that Imran bowled in the 140s or let alone 150... For arguments sake I am willing to agree that at his fastest speed Imran might have bowled the odd delivery at early 140k....

Well 139.7k is in the video. This was before his fastest years. That is the video evidence before you. Therefore the 140k bench mark is very fair.
 
People forget that by 1982, Imran was already 30 years old.

But in the period 1976-1983, he was bowling well into the late 140’s.

The two great South African all rounders Mike Procter and Clive Rice were quick too, both a good 5-10K quicker than Jacques Kallis.
 
Well 139.7k is in the video. This was before his fastest years. That is the video evidence before you. Therefore the 140k bench mark is very fair.

The odd delivery in the 140K, maybe but he definitely was not in the mid to late 140s let alone 150ks lol... Imranstas get a little bit carried away when talking about their hero, looking at you Monsee :angel:
 
The odd delivery in the 140K, maybe but he definitely was not in the mid to late 140s let alone 150ks lol... Imranstas get a little bit carried away when talking about their hero, looking at you Monsee :angel:

Mid 140s at times is without any serious doubt in his prime.

Again, I ask if he was not 140k +, who was in that era? He clocked quicker than almost all of them.
 
I would say Shoib and Lee were the only real consistent genuine quicks that every played. I dont believe this crap about Thomson bowling in the 170s or 160s, they were inferior athletes back in those days along with having no access to modern day type supplements, sports science and training etc.... It is more common that superior athletes come as the years pass by. Back in the 70s and 80s; 130s to even 140s (147kms Jeff Thompson's fastest recorded speed) would have been considered quick, however in today's world, that would have been considered avg as even the Indian quicks are now regularly clocking in the 140s...

+1 All this bull of certain players clocking 140,150, 170 is all bull. I have observed fast bowlers for years and years ( atleast 30 yrs as of today), and most of the bowlers of yesteryears were hyped. The real fast bowler was Shoaib. I doubt there have been bowlers quicker than him.
Mind you, Donald was considered lightening quick when he was playing. And he was a good 7-8 k's slower than Shoaib at his quickest and perhaps 10-15k's on average speed.
 
Again, Zero proof...

only a blind person would look at, say an Imran or a Holding, and then argue that they were essentially bowing at the same speed as a McGrath.

Sure, Thompson hypes himself and he certainly did not bowl 170 plus, that is humanly impossible. But even a glance at the likes of Holding and Imran, among others, would let anyone know that they were much much more than just medium fast bowlers.
 
only a blind person would look at, say an Imran or a Holding, and then argue that they were essentially bowing at the same speed as a McGrath.

Sure, Thompson hypes himself and he certainly did not bowl 170 plus, that is humanly impossible. But even a glance at the likes of Holding and Imran, among others, would let anyone know that they were much much more than just medium fast bowlers.

Mcgrath the guy who broke Kevin Petersen's arm was no slow slouch, he always operated in the mid 130's and he had the ability to crank it upto mid 140 (I have seen him at a recorded speed of 144 ks) but he chose not to.. There is zero proof that Imran touched the alleged speeds which his fan_boys are claiming he supposedly did, sorry imo he did not consistently bowl in the 140 ks let alone hit the 150 mark. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt that he may have bowled the odd ball (effort ball) at early 140s...
 
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Wasim, technically.

Otherwise I'd say Flintoff, who sustained his pace for an extended period of time.
 
Mcgrath the guy who broke Kevin Petersen's arm was no slow slouch, he always operated in the mid 130's and he had the ability to crank it upto mid 140 (I have seen him at a recorded speed of 144 ks) but he chose not to.. There is zero proof that Imran touched the alleged speeds which his fan_boys are claiming he supposedly did, sorry imo he did not consistently bowl in the 140 ks let alone hit the 150 mark. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt that he may have bowled the odd ball (effort ball) at early 140s...

McGrath's mythical ability to crank it up only exists in the mind of Indian ******* who vastly overhype him. McGrath never consistently bowled fast spells, he wasn't capable of it.

The only ****** here is you. Do you realize that old speed cameras often measured the speed when it reached the batsmen as opposed to measuring it out of the hand? Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of cricket can see that someone like Holding or Imran were considerably faster than McGrath. Bowlers did not magically get much faster between the 80's and 90's.
 
McGrath's mythical ability to crank it up only exists in the mind of Indian ******* who vastly overhype him. McGrath never consistently bowled fast spells, he wasn't capable of it.

The only ****** here is you. Do you realize that old speed cameras often measured the speed when it reached the batsmen as opposed to measuring it out of the hand? Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of cricket can see that someone like Holding or Imran were considerably faster than McGrath. Bowlers did not magically get much faster between the 80's and 90's.

So you got no proof Imran bowled consistently in the 140 -150s....All the wouldve, shouldve, does not mean anything, I will keep asking for proof, you cant provide it, means NO; Imran was NOT an express bowler which you are making him out to be..

For arguments sake, I agree Imran looked quicker than Mcgrath, so that makes Imran a late 130's bowler and not an express...


Fastest recorded speed for Imran when he was asked to ball as quick as he could: 139 KMS, FACT :misbah...
 
So you got no proof Imran bowled consistently in the 140 -150s....All the wouldve, shouldve, does not mean anything, I will keep asking for proof, you cant provide it, means NO; Imran was NOT an express bowler which you are making him out to be..

For arguments sake, I agree Imran looked quicker than Mcgrath, so that makes Imran a late 130's bowler and not an express...


Fastest recorded speed for Imran when he was asked to ball as quick as he could: 139 KMS, FACT :misbah...

Yeah man I agree with your points. I also believe, based off of 8 balls and a speed machine in the year 1979, I can effectively deduce that all the "fiery and quick" West Indies "Fast" Bowlers were actually just average speed bowlers and bowled slower than Bumrah, Hasan Ali and Parnell...... Also, based off of your argument, it can be reasonably inferred that all the fast bowlers of that generation were actually fast medium and through the trickling down effect, Kapil Dev was hence a medium pacer....Or better yet, a trundler.....
 
Yeah man I agree with your points. I also believe, based off of 8 balls and a speed machine in the year 1979, I can effectively deduce that all the "fiery and quick" West Indies "Fast" Bowlers were actually just average speed bowlers and bowled slower than Bumrah, Hasan Ali and Parnell...... Also, based off of your argument, it can be reasonably inferred that all the fast bowlers of that generation were actually fast medium and through the trickling down effect, Kapil Dev was hence a medium pacer....Or better yet, a trundler.....

Imran was quick back then with his late 130 deliveries, but in today's world he would be just the avg Joe in terms of pace... Shoib & Lee would destroy any of those bowlers with a blink of an eye, even watching their run up and bowling during that 70's speed comp: barring Michael Holding, they all look so pedestrian, they were inferior athletes compared to modern times... Bowlers like Imran could not even hold a candle next to guys like Mitchell Johnson & Shane Bond or even Dale Steyn in terms of pace... Let it go, Imranstas cant prove Imran was an express bowler, shouldve, wouldve, may have, wont cut it here, YOU GOT NO PROOF except for your keyboard theories...
 
Imran was quick back then with his late 130 deliveries, but in today's world he would be just the avg Joe in terms of pace... Shoib & Lee would destroy any of those bowlers with a blink of an eye, even watching their run up and bowling during that 70's speed comp: barring Michael Holding, they all look so pedestrian, they were inferior athletes compared to modern times... Bowlers like Imran could not even hold a candle next to guys like Mitchell Johnson & Shane Bond or even Dale Steyn in terms of pace... Let it go, Imranstas cant prove Imran was an express bowler, shouldve, wouldve, may have, wont cut it here, YOU GOT NO PROOF except for your keyboard theories...

Bro, I really don't like to argue, but your arguments are so plagued with flaws, that my keyboard is literally typing up my arguments for me. In the video, Imran's pace was almost as quick as that of Michael Holding (the one you were praising). Also, remember that even if bowlers were inferior athletes back in the day, most of them had side-on and slingy actions and that is universally acknowledged as the action with more pace but cuts off the swing a bit. In today's World, many bowlers bowl open chested, so your argument of inferior athleticism is quite nullified by that. Another thing I would like to reiterate is that this system is completely different than the ones we use today. This is based on when the bowl reaches the batsmen which factors in the pitch while the contemporary method is to measure directly out of the hand. I think it's quite unfair to measure up the 1979 speeds method to cranked up speed guns of today. Finally, I would like to request you to watch some videos and judge for yourself. Does Imran Khan look as fast as a Hasan Ali or a Bumrah, or does he appear faster?
 
Imran was quick back then with his late 130 deliveries, but in today's world he would be just the avg Joe in terms of pace... Shoib & Lee would destroy any of those bowlers with a blink of an eye, even watching their run up and bowling during that 70's speed comp: barring Michael Holding, they all look so pedestrian, they were inferior athletes compared to modern times... Bowlers like Imran could not even hold a candle next to guys like Mitchell Johnson & Shane Bond or even Dale Steyn in terms of pace... Let it go, Imranstas cant prove Imran was an express bowler, shouldve, wouldve, may have, wont cut it here, YOU GOT NO PROOF except for your keyboard theories...

Just one more thing, I never said that he was faster than the modern fast bowlers or anything remotely close, I was just referring to the speeds at which he bowled at his prime.
 
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