5 most devastating fast-bowling spells in Test cricket

A fast bowler bowling at full tilt and making the batsmen hop, jump and look generally ridiculous, is one of the most thrilling sights in Test cricket. It is the format of the game that allows a fast bowler to bowl with complete freedom and he is not limited by a fixed quota of overs either. If he feels like bowling seven or eight overs on the trot, flat out, then he can do so and this is what makes great spells in Test matches all the more special.

Over the years, some of the best fast bowlers in the world have turned Test matches on their heads with spells of fast bowling that simply blew oppositions away. Sometimes, it is raw pace, while at other times, it may be a combination of seam, reverse swing and unerring length that make them unplayable. Here is a look at 5 of the most devastating spells of fast bowling in Test cricket's modern history.

#5 Stuart Broad swings Australia into the dust, Nottingham, 2015

The biggest highlight of the 2015 Ashes in England was the first session of the first day of the 4th Test and it will forever be remembered for Stuart Broad's 9.3-over spell that destroyed the old enemy on the first morning. In the absence of James Anderson, Broad had to come good and he did so in the most devastating way possible.

Off the 3rd ball of the Test match, he took the wicket of Chris Rogers with a perfectly pitched outswinger and from then on, the wickets continued to tumble as the Australians simply had no answer to what was happening around them.

Fast and accurate swing bowling coupled with seam movement completely blew the Australians away. Broad made them all look like novices as he ended with dream figures of 8-15 and Australia were ground into the dust, all out for 60 in 18.3 overs.