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Scyld Berry 30 greatest test fast bowlers

capt_Luffy

Hall of Fame Member
I have to do this huh. 10 Tests min:

  1. Malcolm Marshall
  2. Glenn McGrath
  3. Richard Hadlee
  4. Sydney Barnes
  5. Dale Steyn
  6. Curtly Ambrose
  7. Imran Khan
  8. Wasim Akram
  9. Allan Donald
  10. Michael Holding
  11. Joel Garner
  12. Ray Lindwall
  13. Dennis Lillee
  14. Fred Trueman
  15. Jasprit Bumrah
  16. Pat Cummins
  17. Alan Davidson
  18. Shaun Pollock
  19. Courtney Walsh
  20. Kagiso Rabada
  21. Waqar Younis
  22. James Anderson
  23. Andy Roberts
  24. Fred Spoforth
  25. Harold Larwood
  26. Alec Bedser
  27. Keith Miller
  28. George Lohmann
  29. Bill Johnston
  30. Brian Statham
 
Last edited:

Johan

Hall of Fame Member
I have to do this huh. 10 Tests min:

  1. Malcolm Marshall
  2. Glenn McGrath
  3. Richard Hadlee
  4. Sydney Barnes
  5. Dale Steyn
  6. Curtly Ambrose
  7. Imran Khan
  8. Wasim Akram
  9. Allan Donald
  10. Michael Holding
  11. Joel Garner
  12. Ray Lindwall
  13. Dennis Lillee
  14. Fred Trueman
  15. Jasprit Bumrah
  16. Pat Cummins
  17. Alan Davidson
  18. Shaun Pollock
  19. Courtney Walsh
  20. Kagiso Rabada
  21. Waqar Younis
  22. James Anderson
  23. Andy Roberts
  24. Fred Spoforth
  25. Harold Larwood
  26. Alec Bedser
  27. Keith Miller
  28. Brian Statham
  29. George Lohmann
  30. Josh Hazlewood
Terrible, just Terrible.
 

Johan

Hall of Fame Member
Would be better if you did, the post isn't taken seriously either way
Mate you put Greenidge as the fifth greatest Windies batsman, you have no right to insult someone else's lists, even if he thinks Mitchell Johnson is the seventh best fast bowler of all time
 

Johan

Hall of Fame Member
Here are the 30 greatest Test fast bowlers from The Telegraph article by @scyldberry, published June 28, 2025:

1. Jasprit Bumrah (India)
2. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies)
3. Curtly Ambrose (West Indies)
4. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
5. Glenn McGrath (Australia)
6. Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
7. Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
8. Shaun Pollock (South Africa)
9. Dale Steyn (South Africa)
10. Waqar Younis (Pakistan)
11. Pat Cummins (Australia)
12. Allan Donald (South Africa)
13. Dennis Lillee (Australia)
14. Alan Davidson (Australia)
15. Ray Lindwall (Australia)
16. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
17. Harold Larwood (England)
18. Michael Holding (West Indies)
19. Frank Tyson (England)
20. John Snow (England)
21. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)
22. James Anderson (England)
23. Fred Trueman (England)
24. Andy Roberts (West Indies)
25. Courtney Walsh (West Indies)
26. Mitchell Starc (Australia)
27. Joel Garner (West Indies)
28. Wes Hall (West Indies)
29. Mike Procter (South Africa)
30. Jack Gregory (Australia)

Okay, I did some research on Sycld Berry, he's been writing Cricket since 1982, he is over 70 years old.

clearly he has gone senile in his old age, pardon him.
 

Johan

Hall of Fame Member
I have to do this huh. 10 Tests min:

  1. Malcolm Marshall
  2. Glenn McGrath
  3. Richard Hadlee
  4. Sydney Barnes
  5. Dale Steyn
  6. Curtly Ambrose
  7. Imran Khan
  8. Wasim Akram
  9. Allan Donald
  10. Michael Holding
  11. Joel Garner
  12. Ray Lindwall
  13. Dennis Lillee
  14. Fred Trueman
  15. Jasprit Bumrah
  16. Pat Cummins
  17. Alan Davidson
  18. Shaun Pollock
  19. Courtney Walsh
  20. Kagiso Rabada
  21. Waqar Younis
  22. James Anderson
  23. Andy Roberts
  24. Fred Spoforth
  25. Harold Larwood
  26. Alec Bedser
  27. Keith Miller
  28. Brian Statham
  29. George Lohmann
  30. Josh Hazlewood
1000014664.gif
 

ma1978

International Debutant
Marshall
Hadlee
Mcgrath
Steyn
Akram
Ambrose
Lillee
Donald
Imran
Trueman
Holding
Bumrah
Garner
Lindwall
Pollock
Younis
Cummins
Rabada
Walsh
Davidson
Roberts
Anderson
Larwood
Hall
Thomson
Akhtar
Statham
Bedser
Croft
Mahmood
 

kyear2

Hall of Fame Member
Here are the 30 greatest Test fast bowlers from The Telegraph article by @scyldberry, published June 28, 2025:

1. Jasprit Bumrah (India)
2. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies)
3. Curtly Ambrose (West Indies)
4. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
5. Glenn McGrath (Australia)
6. Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
7. Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
8. Shaun Pollock (South Africa)
9. Dale Steyn (South Africa)
10. Waqar Younis (Pakistan)
11. Pat Cummins (Australia)
12. Allan Donald (South Africa)
13. Dennis Lillee (Australia)
14. Alan Davidson (Australia)
15. Ray Lindwall (Australia)
16. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
17. Harold Larwood (England)
18. Michael Holding (West Indies)
19. Frank Tyson (England)
20. John Snow (England)
21. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)
22. James Anderson (England)
23. Fred Trueman (England)
24. Andy Roberts (West Indies)
25. Courtney Walsh (West Indies)
26. Mitchell Starc (Australia)
27. Joel Garner (West Indies)
28. Wes Hall (West Indies)
29. Mike Procter (South Africa)
30. Jack Gregory (Australia)

Was wondering how long this would take to get posted here.

Liked the write ups.
 

Johan

Hall of Fame Member
Sometimes too short and inaccurate, Johnson at his peak in 2013-14 was surely the most lethal fast bowler that has ever been.

True about Johnson, just replace that sometimes with "90% of his career"
 

kyear2

Hall of Fame Member
Who even allows such stuff to get published, where Bumrah at 1 and Hadlee at 16 aren't even the biggest howlers
Two points.

He actually wrote an article last week calling Bumrah the greatest bowler to have drawn breath, extolling his virtues.

And

It's not unusual that Hadlee isn't rated as highly by historians as he is here.

It's actually quite common.

But yeah, it's not a god list.
 

kyear2

Hall of Fame Member
I have to do this huh. 10 Tests min:

  1. Malcolm Marshall
  2. Glenn McGrath
  3. Richard Hadlee
  4. Sydney Barnes
  5. Dale Steyn
  6. Curtly Ambrose
  7. Imran Khan
  8. Wasim Akram
  9. Allan Donald
  10. Michael Holding
  11. Joel Garner
  12. Ray Lindwall
  13. Dennis Lillee
  14. Fred Trueman
  15. Jasprit Bumrah
  16. Pat Cummins
  17. Alan Davidson
  18. Shaun Pollock
  19. Courtney Walsh
  20. Kagiso Rabada
  21. Waqar Younis
  22. James Anderson
  23. Andy Roberts
  24. Fred Spoforth
  25. Harold Larwood
  26. Alec Bedser
  27. Keith Miller
  28. George Lohmann
  29. Bill Johnston
  30. Brian Statham
Honestly not a bad list at all.

Lillee's a touch low, but that's to be expected.
 

Coronis

Hall of Fame Member
Was wondering how long this would take to get posted here.

Liked the write ups.
Write ups in these authors/writers lists are usually the far more engaging part than the actual list tbh. One reason we all enjoyed DoG’s great threads so much. Another reason I’m preferring to wait on the Kimber book.
 

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