10 greatest fast bowling pairs of all time
Shoaib Akhtar once said that you have to be mad to be a fast bowler. To see the new ball bowlers send down the red cherry at lightning pace is one of the most riveting sights in cricket.Fast bowlers hunt in pairs, they say. There have been numerous new ball partnerships over the years, the success of one bowler rubbing on the other, or egging him on for a better performance.Here’s a list of the ten best new ball bowling pairs over the years. The statistics are based on innings in which both bowlers opened the bowling.
#1 Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram
Waqar was one of the fastest of his time, known for his stump-shattering yorkers. His galloping run-up and searing in-swingers made him one of the most fearsome bowlers ever. 57% of his career dismissals were bowled and leg before alone. The youngest ever to captain Pakistan, he ended up with 373 Test wickets and the best strike rate (43.5) among his peers.
Wasim Akram’s was a more rhythmical run-up which culminated into a beautiful whippy action. He could move the ball both ways, put in the odd bouncer or slower delivery, and was devastating with both the new and old ball. He ended with 414 Test victims, averaging 23.62 with the ball.
Their feud and personal rivalries aside, the two W’s combined to become one of the most lethal bowling pairs of the 90s.
Together: 476 wickets at 22.39 in 56 Tests.