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

[Bolo]

Virtually all ATG fast bowlers who bowled in both India and Australia had better bowling averages in India than Australia. The 2 notable exceptions where Hadlee and Ambrose.

I think you are exaggerating this. Akram and Marshall were better in Aus. Probably others as well.

India has been kinder to quicks recently than AUS. But in Kapils time I dont think this was the case.

Just about everyone is better home than away. Its not just about conditions, its about your ability to play in them. Plus your opponents ability to play in them. The absolute best bowlers don't have much of a discrepancy between home/away, because they figure it out. But for bowlers a notch below like Kapil and Anderson, a discrepancy is normal. The difference is less notable when they play in unfavourable home conditions like Kapil, but more so when home conditions are easier like Anderson.

Anderson and Kapil have very similar stats normalising for conditions. Anderson peaked a bit harder and seems to have won on longevity though.

 

[Zinzan]

I think you are exaggerating this. Akram and Marshall were better in Aus. Probably others as well.

India has been kinder to quicks recently than AUS. But in Kapils time I dont think this was the case.

Hadlee may have had a better record in Aust than India, but he still managed to take 31 wickets in 6 tests in India at just 22.22, and he played in basically the same era as Kapil.

 

[Red]

Jason Gillespie always heavily underrated. 259 wickets @ 26, econ of 2.85. Definitely not Top 25 tho. In the top 50 I'd say.

Dizzy was a better bowler than James Anderson. Easily imo

 

[Starfighter]

Anderson and Kapil have very similar stats normalising for conditions.

Do they? Or is that an assertion?

 

[Slifer]

Virtually all ATG fast bowlers who bowled in both India and Australia had better bowling averages in India than Australia. The 2 notable exceptions where Hadlee and Ambrose.

You know what, I noticed this too a while bk. Which is why I believe Australia is the toughest place to succeed as a (foreign)fast bowler.

 

[stephen]

You know what, I noticed this too a while bk. Which is why I believe Australia is the toughest place to succeed as a (foreign)fast bowler.

It's mostly because they get carried away with short/back of a length bowling due to the bounce but Australian batsmen feast on that stuff. The key to bowling well in Australia is bowling on a length or just back of a length, erring on bowling more full rather than shorter.

That's why Brett Lee had a record that didn't match his potential - he got carried away with short stuff far too often.

 

[Slifer]

That's also why Ambrose was such s beast. Damn I miss that big Antiguan. Owned Australia in Australia.

 

[Bolo]

Hadlee may have had a better record in Aust than India, but he still managed to take 31 wickets in 6 tests in India at just 22.22, and he played in basically the same era as Kapil.

See:

The absolute best bowlers don't have much of a discrepancy between home/away, because they figure it out.

Do they? Or is that an assertion?

Im not trying to propose unified field theory here. Kapil and Anderson have similar away records. Anderson, who plays in a country that is good to FM swing bowlers has a better home record and hence a better overall record.

 

[Michaelf7777777]

My list is as follows:

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

 

[Adders]

Dizzy was a better bowler than James Anderson. Easily imo

No.

 

[Starfighter]

See:


Im not trying to propose unified field theory here. Kapil and Anderson have similar away records. Anderson, who plays in a country that is good to FM swing bowlers has a better home record and hence a better overall record.

It's not like Kapil excelled in England or New Zealand, countries good for FM swing bowlers. If he's played more tests in both at his level he'd have a worse overall record, not better.

 

[cnerd123]

In my experience, the stats always show that bowlers perform better at home than away from home, even when conditions away from home should, in theory, suit them better.

Which really shouldn't be all that surprising tbh.

 

[Red]

No.

Easily

 

[vcs]

Gillespie was a fine bowler who I liked, but there's just no way he can be placed above Anderson any more. What Anderson has done in the last 5 years is pretty astonishing.

 

[R!TTER]

Gillespie was a fine bowler who I liked, but there's just no way he can be placed above Anderson any more. What Anderson has done in the last 5 years is pretty astonishing.

I would put that down to DRS and T20 batting standards worldwide. I'd imagine lots of great pacers of the past would avg sub 20 today, some even sub 15 in really helpful conditions against those wielding the willow these days.
Having said that he's improved a lot that's for sure.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Anderson's last 400 wickets have come at an average of 24 in 90 odd tests. Gillespie entire career wasn't even a decade long and he picked up 250 odd wickets @26. Anderson's an easy winner, even disregarding the more important point of Gillespie never performing the role of the lead strike bowler to any real degree of success.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I would put that down to DRS and T20 batting standards worldwide. I'd imagine lots of great pacers of the past would avg sub 20 today, some even sub 15 in really helpful conditions against those wielding the willow these days.
Having said that he's improved a lot that's for sure.

How has DRS halped Anderson? It's helped batsmen overturn bad calls too these days.

The only discipline DRS has really helped massively is finger spin.

 

[trundler]

As someone who has recently fallen in love with cricket again earlier this year, Anderson's insane peak flew right under my nose. He was meh early on, but upon looking at the stats and all, he's been great for 5 years now which is long enough for a fast bowler. He may not be an elite tier bowler but he's closer to say Walsh than Gillespie.

 

[R!TTER]

How has DRS halped Anderson? It's helped batsmen overturn bad calls too these days.

The only discipline DRS has really helped massively is finger spin.

LBW and even catches off faint nicks, did you forget these two or how more batsmen play at deliveries than they used to? Let's also not forget the line pacers use in Asia these days, or other slow pitches.
You're simply getting more rewards for targeting the stumps than ever before, especially away from home, in large part due to DRS.

 

[stephen]

Gillespie was a fine bowler who I liked, but there's just no way he can be placed above Anderson any more. What Anderson has done in the last 5 years is pretty astonishing.

Yeah Anderson is way better than Gillespie ever was.