By SRTeam Fast bowlers have always been very special in the cricket world because they’re the ones who make a lot of batsmen struggle on the pitch, especially in the first few overs of the game when the ball is brand new and it is doing its thing in the air. And when it comes to speed, well, we all know that the all-time fastest bowler is none other than Shoaib Akhtar, but does that make you wonder like who’s the fastest bowler in 2025? Well, if that’s what you’re intrigued about right now, then just keep on reading this post because here we’re about to take a good look at the top 10 best fastest bowlers in the world right now. Alright, here we go then.
1. Anrich Nortje (South Africa)
Alright, in 2024, the fastest we have seen had to be none other than Anrich Nortje. For those who don’t know a lot about him just yet, well, he’s a 31-year-old Right Arm Faster Bowler from the South African cricket team. As for his bowling speed, well, that kinda averages anywhere around 155 km/h. And to be honest, that kinda speed is really what most batsmen out there fear, and other than that, he also has a lot of variations to make the batsmen struggle.
2. Umran Malik (India)
Alright, now’s the time to introduce the young talent, and for sure this young bowler from India is the 2nd fastest on this list with an average ball speed of 155 km/h. And it’s not like he achieves such speed occasionally, we have seen him in the IPL, bowling regularly at this high speed. Though he hasn’t made it to India’s actual international team, those days aren’t very far looking at the talent this young man has.
3. Mark Wood (England)
Among the best choices England’s team has for the international tests, is for sure Mark Wood. But why exactly? Well, first of all, he has that amazing speed, you know, regularly achieving over 150 km/h that sometimes straddles the basement. Though, don’t judge him based on his performance in 2024, he still is one of the best test bowler choices for England at the time.
4. Haris Rauf (Pakistan)
Without a single doubt, Pakistan has always been famous for its fast bowling attack, even the fastest in the world. And sure enough, there is no surprise that there had to be one from this team as well, and today, we have picked Haris Rauf, who’s a Right Arm Fast bowler, you know, regularly bowling at 150 km/h, especially in T20i matches. The thing that makes him a bit special is that he just keeps on bowling at that speed, never backing down.
5. Mitchell Starc (Australia)
Alright, then comes the legendary bowler, Mr. Mitchell Starc, who is also a record holder of the 5th fastest ball in the history of cricket at 160.4 km/h. But, our legend is getting old now, and that’s why right now he just averages around 145 km/h, but that too, pretty regularly. It is his left-arm angle, his 1.96-meter height, and that clean action of his that makes Mitchell Starc a truly great bowler of modern times.
6. Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
Whether it is in ODIs or T20s, Shaheen Afridi is for sure a part of Pakistan’s best bowling attack. Why? Well, first of all, he has got that fast face, you know, going above 150 km/h oftentimes. Other than that, his variations are just killer and pretty hard to figure out for new batsmen on the new pitch with a new ball.
7. Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand)
If we truly had to make a list of the best fast bowlers in 2024, then for sure, Lockie Ferguson would be at least in the top 5 of that list. Why? Well, it is not just his speed of over 150 km/h that makes him special, he’s also known for his incredible accuracy. Recently though, can you even imagine that he bowled a spell in a T20 match in 2024, all maiden overs, and even got 3 wickets? That’s just a crazy record right there.
8. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)
And how can we even forget about the aggressive fast bowler from South Africa, yes, we’re talking about Kagiso Rabada. His average bowling speed is anywhere around 145-150 km/h, which is pretty fast if you think about it for a sec. And yes, he was the one who took 6 wickets against Bangladesh in 2015 in his debut ODI match. He’s the 2nd bowler in history to do so in a debut match.
9. Jofra Archer (England)
If you look at Jofra Archer’s stats and records, you may not find him a very impressive bowler, but he’s exactly the opposite of that. First of all, he has that insane accuracy, and on top of that, he can bowl at 143 km/h on average, which makes him even more special. Sure, he may not be as fast as some other bowlers on this list, but his variations are enough to make a batsman struggle.
10. Pat Cummins (Australia)
Alright, last on the list is none other than the current ODI and Test captain of Australia’s team. Sure enough, he has that role just because he is one of the best at what he does. His bowling skills are probably the best in the entire world right now, and on top of that, he has good control over his speed. Like, he can maintain a ball speed of more than 140 km/h.
Conclusion
There you have it. These had to be the best fastest bowlers in the world as of 2024, well, at least these are the ones that a lot of cricket fans know about. It could be that in just a few years or so, we get some young fast bowler who’s faster than all of these. Only time will tell!