Shane Warne names his all-time top ten fast bowlers
Legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne took to his official Twitter account on Wednesday to pick his all-time top-ten pacers in the history of the beautiful game.
Warne included the recently-retired South African pacer Dale Steyn in his list although he did not rank the top-ten list in any particular order.
Three Australians - Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, and his former teammate Glenn McGrath - found a place in Shane Warne’s list as did the leading wicket-taker among the pacers in the history of the game - James Anderson.
Check out Shane Warne’s tweet here:
Warne revealed his list of top-ten greatest pacers a day after the legendary Dale Steyn announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Steyn will go down in history as one of the greatest-ever fast bowlers to have ever played the game.
The legendary fast bowler featured in 93 Tests for South Africa and ended his career with439 wickets at an average of 22.95 and a ridiculous strike rate of 42.39. Of the bowlers with 300-plus Test wickets, Dale Steyn’s strike rate remains the best.
Another modern great in James Anderson found a place in Warne’s list. The English seamer is the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers. In 165 Tests, Anderson has claimed 630 wickets at an average of 26.52 with 31 five-wicket-hauls and 3 ten-fors.
The fearsome Aussie duo of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were also a part of Shane Warne's all-time list. Lillee and Thomson terrorized batting units around the world with their fearsome bowling throughout the 70s.
While Lillee claimed 355 Test wickets in 70 matches at an average of 23.92, Thomson claimed 200 scalps in 51 Tests at 28.
No list of all-time great pacers can ever be completed without a mention of the West Indian pacers from the 70s and 80s in Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding.
Marshall, who is arguably the greatest-ever pacer to have ever played the game, claimed 376 wickets during his 81-Test career, including 22 five-fors and 4 ten-wicket hauls. Michael Holding, who was nicknamed the 'Rolls Royce' of fast bowling, claimed 249 wickets in 60 Tests at an average of 23.69.
Another West Indian legend to feature on Warne's list is the menacing Curtly Ambrose.
The tall pacer, along with Courtney Walsh, terrorized opposition batsmen throughout the 90s. He eventually finished with 405 wickets in 98 Tests at an average of 20.99.
Arguably New Zealand's greatest-ever cricketer, Sir Richard Hadlee, also featured in the Aussie's list. Hadlee, who at one stage held the record for most Test wickets, claimed 431 scalps in 86 Tests at an average of 22.3.
Modern-day legends Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram capped off the list. While McGrath claimed 563 Test wickets in 124 matches at an average of 21.64, Wasim Akram scalped 414 wickets in 104 Tests. Akram also holds the record for most ODI wickets (502) by a fast bowler.