Ranking the candidates for best fast bowler ever - ~20 contenders

[Burgey]

Australia is where Indian cricket goes to die tbf

True

 

[TheJediBrah]

Tests in Hobart have been good but mainland Aussies don't count Tasmania as Australia

Spot on. Tasmania is like the disgraced nephew that you don't want to acknowledge. It's only just a rung above New Zealand.

 

[cnerd123]

True

great humour

 

[Burgey]

Just like your face.

 

[Burgey]

But not your posts.

 

[Bolo]

Putting a lot of weight onto the era question actually leads to the conclusion that Steyn is the greatest, not Mcgrath. They each played half their time in the 2000s, but the 90s were a bit easier than the 2010s.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Putting a lot of weight onto the era question actually leads to the conclusion that Steyn is the greatest, not Mcgrath. They each played half their time in the 2000s, but the 90s were a bit easier than the 2010s.

The early-mid part of the 2000s were way worse than the late 2000s though.

 

[a massive zebra]

Why are Australian cricket fans so unashamedly biased?

 

[jimmy101]

He's definitely up there but still not quite in the same league

That's fair enough, but I find such assessments mind-boggling to tell you the truth. I was always an admirer of McGrath's bowling. He had enormous control over what he was doing, the greatest slower ball I have ever seen, and was renowned for being the best in the world during his prime. His reputation was built off of his results.

However, had he been, say, Zimbabwean, the world would have seen much less of him, and he wouldn't have had the luxury of playing alongside an outstanding team (in all three disciplines). However, he still would have been great. He would have still be an all-time great, and I can confidently say that cause Pidge always used to get the most out of any scenario that he was in, he used to formulate plans and stick to them, he bowled within himself. He knew cricket was a mostly mental game, and with more experience came better execution. But had he been Zimbabwean I doubt that people here would be suggesting that Hadlee wasn't in McGrath's league, or that anyone who thinks Hadlee is better than McGrath has a brain injury. Or that there is some kind of Bradman-like gulf between McGrath and the next best fast bowler. It's nonsense. All I'm asking is for us to bring this debate back to Earth for a little while.

 

[jimmy101]

I mean, it's just funny how when the question of the greatest ever fast bowler gets raised most Aussies tend to gravitate towards the modern Australian bowler.

 

[trundler]

McGrath is essentially the Tendulkar of fast bowling but without the choking and match losing.

 

[Bolo]

The early-mid part of the 2000s were way worse than the late 2000s though.

The middle probably. Not the start. There were still a bunch of great bowlers around until 2002. RSA, India, England, Lanka, Pak were stronger batting lineups at the end of the decade than the beginning. The only one that I can think of that weakened was AUS.

Mcgrath finished in 2007. Steyn started in 2004. The good decade for batting argument applies about equally to them

 

[trundler]

Steyn averages over 31 with 42 wickets in 11 matches in the given period though.
McGrath took 133in 29 @ 21.4.
Now this is comparing noob Steyn to peak McGrath but it proves the point that McGrath did better in a worse era for bowling.

 

[Bolo]

Steyn averages over 31 with 42 wickets in 11 matches in the given period though.
McGrath took 133in 29 @ 21.4.
Now this is comparing noob Steyn to peak McGrath but it proves the point that McGrath did better in a worse era for bowling.

Steyn took 44@17, SR of 30 in 2007 alone.

 

[trundler]

I don't think there's a wide gulf between Hadlee and McGrath. In fact I'd say Hadlee is 3rd and McGrath is joint #1. Aside from his better stats, people are forgetting the defining stat of McGrath's career. 40% top order wickets. There are intangible factors too. We take into account Viv's match winning ability with the bat and his ability to take out the opposition's best bowler, we must also consider that he made Tendulkar and Lara his bitch on multiple occasions. McGrath can bowl for my life.

 

[trundler]

Steyn took 44@17, SR of 30 in 2007 alone.

That's not Cricinfo's insights feature told me. Steyn went god mode in 2008 didn't he?

 

[weldone]

1. Ambrose
2. Hadlee
3. Marshall
4. McGrath
5. Steyn
6. Barnes
7. Trueman
8. Walsh
9. Imran
10. Garner
11. Holding
12. Davidson
13. Wasim
14. Lindwall
15. Waqar
16. Donald
17. Pollock
18. Adcock
19. Roberts
20. Lillee
21. Anderson
22. Larwood
23. Philander
24. Bedser
25. Tyson

 

[ankitj]

I don't think there's a wide gulf between Hadlee and McGrath. In fact I'd say Hadlee is 3rd and McGrath is joint #1. Aside from his better stats, people are forgetting the defining stat of McGrath's career. 40% top order wickets. There are intangible factors too. We take into account Viv's match winning ability with the bat and his ability to take out the opposition's best bowler, we must also consider that he made Tendulkar and Lara his bitch on multiple occasions. McGrath can bowl for my life.

Ambrose is another bowler who took a lot of top order wickets.

 

[cnerd123]

What I'm curious is how much weight people are putting on consistency of performance Vs how good the player was in their peak, plus how much longevity means to them

 

[trundler]

He did but McGrath was the best at it, with a higher percentage. Ambrose is top 5 for me but just a teeny tiny bit below.