Harsh Thakor
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In this analysis I am not trying to evaluate the pace bowlers on merit of statistics or speed but on basis of all-round ability and skill.Took into account speed,control,accuracy,movement and creativity in a total package.
My most complete fast bowlers in order of merit
1.Wasim Akram
2.Dennis Lillee
3.Malcolm Marshall
4.Ray Lindwall
5.Andy Roberts
6.Glen Mcgrath
7.Michael Holding
8.Richard Hadlee
9.Fred Trueman
10.Alan Donald
11.Imran Khan
12.Curtly Ambrose
13.Waqar Younus
14.Mitchelle Johnson
15.Dale Steyn
16..Courtney Walsh
Very hard to separate the 1st 3 with Lillee being the most classical but Wasim and Marshall the most innnovative,like magicians. Wasim was the best exponent in the art of reverse swing with the most subtle variations in movement and bounce.Marshall was the best in utilizing the crease and creating skidding bounce and in disguising the direction he would swing the ball.In the conventional sense Lillee had even more of a repertoire than Wasim or Marshall with the best leg-cutter,outswinger and bouncer ,with marginally more speed and control but not as resourceful on unhelpful going.I plumped for Wasim because he simply took bowling art to another dimension ,even if he lacked the consistency and agression of Lillee and Marshall.Lara and Viv thought Wasim was the hardest pacemen they ever faced.Many old timers ranked Lille at the top like Hadlee,Chappell brothers or Richie Benaud.Both Marshall and Wasim bowled better to the tail than Lillee .Overall Lillee was the most hostile and biggest trier,Marshall the clverest and Wasim the most talented.Watch a replay of Wasim dismissing Dravid at Madras with double reverse swing at Madras and at Melbourne in 1989-90 and you will understand my analysis.Marshall at Sydney in 1988-89 or ld Trafford in 1988 and Lille at Melbourne in 1979-80 v England should also be viewed.
Andy Roberts and Ray Lindwall were a virtual shadow of Lillee being quicker and able to move the ball even more.No paceman equalled Andy's craft of having a slow and fast bouncer which bemused the very best of batsmen,while Lindwall was rated even higher than Lille by stalwarts like Fred Trueman ,Alan Davidson or Tom Graveny.Lindwall swung a ball ,ws quicker and had more control than Lillee but was not as versatile as Lillee.,particulaly with regard to bringing the ball back in.Andy had wider armoury than even Marshall with a very fine oustwinger,offcutter nip-backer and slower ball .but could not equal his team mate's creativity .Roberts also lacked a yorker.Lillee rated Roberts to be the most complete pace bowler of his era as well as Sunil Gavaskar or Barry Richards..Andy had the surprise element few pacemen ever did.Holding was quicker and as accurate but not as crafty or unpredictable.
Michael Holding surpassed every pacemen in terms of effortlesness ,perfection of bowling action and consistency of speed through the air and has to his credit test cricket's best ever over and bowling spell.On the flattest of track she could derive speed and bounce because of the poetic beauty of his action with his throat ball often unplayable.At his best he was closest to the perfect bowler able to swing the ball in and out .When steaming in he reminded you of an antelope or a ballad dancer.Proved himself on the slower Indian pitches in 1983-84 where he captured 30 wickets.Imran Khan rated Holding as the most perfect pace bowler he ever saw with Mike Procter,Neil Harvey and Ray Lindwall rating next to Lillee and late Len Hutton ranking the best of the Carribean pace quartet.In his 14-149 at the Oval in 1976 he took sustained speed and accuracy in pace bowing art to a height never reached just like he did in the over to Geoff Boycott at Barbados in 1981 or in his spells at Melbourne in 1981-82.
Glen Mcgrath was not conventionally fast or moved the ball as much as the very best but as lethal as the greatest with his phenomenal control and bowling intelligence .He mastered an opponent's weakness more than anybody and blended every ingredient together in perfect proportion.No bowler reminded you more of the strategy of a chess player knowing exactly which delivery to bowl.where.Hadlee had as much control but not as deceptive bounce or movement.Mcgrath's bset spell at Lords in 2005 was as good as anything of even Lillee.Not at the top as he did not have such wide armoury or was as crafty as Marshall or Lillee.
Alan Donald was speed personified but also was a master in moving the ball and outhinking the best of batsmen.He was ferocious with his speed of lightning but equally crafty with his thunderbolt bouncers or leg cutters.Worth redaing waht cricket writer Henry Blofeld wrote about Alan Donald in a total package,who rated him in the Lilleee class.
Richard Hadlee was the epitome of bowling perfection bad the best ever on a green top.Bar Mcgrath none had as much control and in bis day at fast-medium in helpful condition she was the best of all pacemen.More clinical than Lillee,Imran or even Holding with a classical oustwinger and as intelligent as Andy Roberts.Reminiscent of a computersied machine.Not at his best on fat tracks.
Imran was the pioneer of reverse swing and at his best the best fast bowler in the world.No pacemen in his time moved a ball so much at such a sustained speed.Not as accurate as Hadlee or as fast as Jeff Thomson bit in a total package more effective.Unlike Wasim he was not so adept in moving the ball away from the bat.
Fred Trueman had the heart of a ion and for his time came close to perforation as much as anyone.
Curtly Ambrose was more relentless and accurate than anyone and create more disconcerting bounce from a godo length than anyone.No paceman could rip of the flseh of batting side in asingle spell like Curtyly whose bowling resembled a thunderbolt that set nine pins rolling.On a bad wicket nonone created such tremors to the opposition but like Hadlee he did not have such an armoury to be at his best on slow wickets becoming quite predictable.Not proved himself sufficiently in the sub-continent.
Waqar was the fastest of his day and the best exponent of the swinging yorker.However not as versatile as Wasim
Mitchell Johnson at his best was as lethal as Lillee and on bouncy tracks could even surpass Dale Steyn.He brillinatky blended pace,bounce and movement like in South Africa and versus England some yaers ago.
Dale Steyn could reverse swing a ball at different speeds blending speeds with control and accuracy.Elective also on slow surfaces.
Courtney Walsh overshadowed partner Curtly Ambrose on sub continent tracks and posessed more stamina than any great fast bowler.On his day his bounce could be lethal as well as his balls that moved away.Similar to Mcgrath in terms of bowling intelligence.
My most complete fast bowlers in order of merit
1.Wasim Akram
2.Dennis Lillee
3.Malcolm Marshall
4.Ray Lindwall
5.Andy Roberts
6.Glen Mcgrath
7.Michael Holding
8.Richard Hadlee
9.Fred Trueman
10.Alan Donald
11.Imran Khan
12.Curtly Ambrose
13.Waqar Younus
14.Mitchelle Johnson
15.Dale Steyn
16..Courtney Walsh
Very hard to separate the 1st 3 with Lillee being the most classical but Wasim and Marshall the most innnovative,like magicians. Wasim was the best exponent in the art of reverse swing with the most subtle variations in movement and bounce.Marshall was the best in utilizing the crease and creating skidding bounce and in disguising the direction he would swing the ball.In the conventional sense Lillee had even more of a repertoire than Wasim or Marshall with the best leg-cutter,outswinger and bouncer ,with marginally more speed and control but not as resourceful on unhelpful going.I plumped for Wasim because he simply took bowling art to another dimension ,even if he lacked the consistency and agression of Lillee and Marshall.Lara and Viv thought Wasim was the hardest pacemen they ever faced.Many old timers ranked Lille at the top like Hadlee,Chappell brothers or Richie Benaud.Both Marshall and Wasim bowled better to the tail than Lillee .Overall Lillee was the most hostile and biggest trier,Marshall the clverest and Wasim the most talented.Watch a replay of Wasim dismissing Dravid at Madras with double reverse swing at Madras and at Melbourne in 1989-90 and you will understand my analysis.Marshall at Sydney in 1988-89 or ld Trafford in 1988 and Lille at Melbourne in 1979-80 v England should also be viewed.
Andy Roberts and Ray Lindwall were a virtual shadow of Lillee being quicker and able to move the ball even more.No paceman equalled Andy's craft of having a slow and fast bouncer which bemused the very best of batsmen,while Lindwall was rated even higher than Lille by stalwarts like Fred Trueman ,Alan Davidson or Tom Graveny.Lindwall swung a ball ,ws quicker and had more control than Lillee but was not as versatile as Lillee.,particulaly with regard to bringing the ball back in.Andy had wider armoury than even Marshall with a very fine oustwinger,offcutter nip-backer and slower ball .but could not equal his team mate's creativity .Roberts also lacked a yorker.Lillee rated Roberts to be the most complete pace bowler of his era as well as Sunil Gavaskar or Barry Richards..Andy had the surprise element few pacemen ever did.Holding was quicker and as accurate but not as crafty or unpredictable.
Michael Holding surpassed every pacemen in terms of effortlesness ,perfection of bowling action and consistency of speed through the air and has to his credit test cricket's best ever over and bowling spell.On the flattest of track she could derive speed and bounce because of the poetic beauty of his action with his throat ball often unplayable.At his best he was closest to the perfect bowler able to swing the ball in and out .When steaming in he reminded you of an antelope or a ballad dancer.Proved himself on the slower Indian pitches in 1983-84 where he captured 30 wickets.Imran Khan rated Holding as the most perfect pace bowler he ever saw with Mike Procter,Neil Harvey and Ray Lindwall rating next to Lillee and late Len Hutton ranking the best of the Carribean pace quartet.In his 14-149 at the Oval in 1976 he took sustained speed and accuracy in pace bowing art to a height never reached just like he did in the over to Geoff Boycott at Barbados in 1981 or in his spells at Melbourne in 1981-82.
Glen Mcgrath was not conventionally fast or moved the ball as much as the very best but as lethal as the greatest with his phenomenal control and bowling intelligence .He mastered an opponent's weakness more than anybody and blended every ingredient together in perfect proportion.No bowler reminded you more of the strategy of a chess player knowing exactly which delivery to bowl.where.Hadlee had as much control but not as deceptive bounce or movement.Mcgrath's bset spell at Lords in 2005 was as good as anything of even Lillee.Not at the top as he did not have such wide armoury or was as crafty as Marshall or Lillee.
Alan Donald was speed personified but also was a master in moving the ball and outhinking the best of batsmen.He was ferocious with his speed of lightning but equally crafty with his thunderbolt bouncers or leg cutters.Worth redaing waht cricket writer Henry Blofeld wrote about Alan Donald in a total package,who rated him in the Lilleee class.
Richard Hadlee was the epitome of bowling perfection bad the best ever on a green top.Bar Mcgrath none had as much control and in bis day at fast-medium in helpful condition she was the best of all pacemen.More clinical than Lillee,Imran or even Holding with a classical oustwinger and as intelligent as Andy Roberts.Reminiscent of a computersied machine.Not at his best on fat tracks.
Imran was the pioneer of reverse swing and at his best the best fast bowler in the world.No pacemen in his time moved a ball so much at such a sustained speed.Not as accurate as Hadlee or as fast as Jeff Thomson bit in a total package more effective.Unlike Wasim he was not so adept in moving the ball away from the bat.
Fred Trueman had the heart of a ion and for his time came close to perforation as much as anyone.
Curtly Ambrose was more relentless and accurate than anyone and create more disconcerting bounce from a godo length than anyone.No paceman could rip of the flseh of batting side in asingle spell like Curtyly whose bowling resembled a thunderbolt that set nine pins rolling.On a bad wicket nonone created such tremors to the opposition but like Hadlee he did not have such an armoury to be at his best on slow wickets becoming quite predictable.Not proved himself sufficiently in the sub-continent.
Waqar was the fastest of his day and the best exponent of the swinging yorker.However not as versatile as Wasim
Mitchell Johnson at his best was as lethal as Lillee and on bouncy tracks could even surpass Dale Steyn.He brillinatky blended pace,bounce and movement like in South Africa and versus England some yaers ago.
Dale Steyn could reverse swing a ball at different speeds blending speeds with control and accuracy.Elective also on slow surfaces.
Courtney Walsh overshadowed partner Curtly Ambrose on sub continent tracks and posessed more stamina than any great fast bowler.On his day his bounce could be lethal as well as his balls that moved away.Similar to Mcgrath in terms of bowling intelligence.
