Your top ten TEST bowlers of ALL-TIME

[silentstriker]

Michael Holding in a top-ten, ITSTL.

A couple people could have made it TBH. Not sold on anyone post #7.

 

[Richard]

Not sold on anyone post #3 myself TBH. Holding in a top-ten isn't outrageous at all IMO, but I doubt many would put him there due to the fact he was perceived to be "one-dimensional", ignoring of course that this (supposed) one dimension was awesomely effective for most of his career, far more effective than much more varied bowlers, both real and imagined, were able to be.

 

[BhupinderSingh]

Where's Warney on your list mate?

11.Waqar Younis
12.Shane Warne
13.Joel Garner
14.Dennis Lillee
15.Fred Trueman
16.Michael Holding
17.Ray Lindwall
18.Fazal Mahmood
19.Alan Davidson
20.Neil Statham
21.Andy Roberts
22.Alec Bedser
23.Shoaib Akhtar
24.Anil Kumble
25.Colin Croft
26.George Lohmann
27.Bob Willis
28.Kapil Dev
29.Wes Hall
30.B.S.Bedi

Apologies if I've left any greats.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Holding is my favourite fast bowler to watch, especially from side on at the ground. Amazingly smooth action gathering speed in his run up and almost perfect action in delivering the ball at incredible pace. He never played in Pakistan (or indeed against Pakistan at all) which some would count against him, he played only one series on the Sub-Continent taking 30 wickets in 6 Tests against India.

Like most people I have a top 3 then it's almost any 7 from about 25.

Lillee
Marshall
Trueman
---------------
Hadlee
Warne
McGrath
Murali
Ambrose
Holding
Barnes

 

[Fiery]

11.Waqar Younis
12.Shane Warne
13.Joel Garner
14.Dennis Lillee
15.Fred Trueman
16.Ray Lindwall
17.Alec Bedser
18.Fazal Mahmood
19.Alan Davidson
20.Neil Statham
21.Andy Roberts
22.Bob Willis
23.Shoaib Akhtar
24.Anil Kumble
25.Colin Croft

Fair enough. A good list. Mine would be a slightly different but (Learnt a bit about Fazal Mahmood just now...cheers)

 

[Richard]

Holding is my favourite fast bowler to watch, especially from side on at the ground. Amazingly smooth action gathering speed in his run up and almost perfect action in delivering the ball at incredible pace. He never played in Pakistan (or indeed against Pakistan at all) which some would count against him, he played only one series on the Sub-Continent taking 30 wickets in 6 Tests against India.

Never playing Pakistan is one reason I don't quite consider him top-ten material, the other being his moderate record in New Zealand in 1979\80 (though the fact that it's almost accepted as fact that West Indies had to get batsmen out three times before they got the wicket offers an amout of caveat there).

I don't know why it was he missed the 1980\81 tour to Pakistan, and it's a great shame he was injured in 1977 after his extraordinary series in 1976 in England. Had he played both, his record would be more impressive still than it is. As it would be had he not missed 7 Tests out of 26 from 1984 to 1986 as his hamstrings begun to pose him problems.

 

[Ikki]

Warne - The greatest of all time. One of two bowlers I ever saw that would mesmerize you ball by ball. A man for the absolute hugest of stages. Never quitting and relentless.
Lillee - The greatest fast bowler of all time. Often dangerous, often fast, always genius. Lillee made the best batsmen look clueless and his contemporaries worship him.
McGrath - Consistent, enduring, impressive, simple, but was always going to take wickets and cheaply.
Hadlee - Did his job, did it honestly and did it alone. In the McGrath mold but more inventive. He didn't have a bowler of the calibre of Warne beside him and I wonder what he may have done if he did.
Marshall - The best of the Windies bowlers. On pure statistics, the best bowler of his generation.
Akram - Apart from Warne, the other great artist of bowling. He too would capture your imagination ball by ball. Bowling those unplayable balls. Akram gave you the impression he had a remote on the ball and chose where it went or swung.
Trueman - Big bad Fred sported a SR that was ridiculous for his time. When SRs were rarely in the 50s, very few in the 60s and usually 70+, he took wickets at 49.4 balls a piece and at 21.57 runs a piece. I have not seem him bowl but upon reading a bit more of the era, I gained an appreciation for Trueman.
Lindwall - Lindwall IMO, was probably the best bowler before the others arrived, namely Trueman. Along with Miller they made arguably the greatest fast bowling duo ever.
Khan - Was regal and suave when he went about bowling. Was great and got better towards the end. Truly the first sub-continental fast bowler that could challenge the #1 spot in the discipline.
Murali - In spin bowling, can only be second to Warne. Took bag-loads of wickets, everywhere he went, cheaply, whilst carrying such an unhelpfup side for most his career. Not just weak bowling support, but usually a batting line-up that didn't make his job any easier.

 

[silentstriker]

Personally, I'll never buy into the opinion that Akram was better than Khan.

 

[haroon510]

agarkar and mohmmad sami are better than both lol hah

don't know my top ten.. it would be pretty similar but i will have marshal first..

 

[subshakerz]

Warne - The greatest of all time. One of two bowlers I ever saw that would mesmerize you ball by ball. A man for the absolute hugest of stages. Never quitting and relentless.
Lillee - The greatest fast bowler of all time. Often dangerous, often fast, always genius. Lillee made the best batsmen look clueless and his contemporaries worship him.
McGrath - Consistent, enduring, impressive, simple, but was always going to take wickets and cheaply.
Hadlee - Did his job, did it honestly and did it alone. In the McGrath mold but more inventive. He didn't have a bowler of the calibre of Warne beside him and I wonder what he may have done if he did.
Marshall - The best of the Windies bowlers. On pure statistics, the best bowler of his generation.
Akram - Apart from Warne, the other great artist of bowling. He too would capture your imagination ball by ball. Bowling those unplayable balls. Akram gave you the impression he had a remote on the ball and chose where it went or swung.
Trueman - Big bad Fred sported a SR that was ridiculous for his time. When SRs were rarely in the 50s, very few in the 60s and usually 70+, he took wickets at 49.4 balls a piece and at 21.57 runs a piece. I have not seem him bowl but upon reading a bit more of the era, I gained an appreciation for Trueman.
Lindwall - Lindwall IMO, was probably the best bowler before the others arrived, namely Trueman. Along with Miller they made arguably the greatest fast bowling duo ever.
Khan - Was regal and suave when he went about bowling. Was great and got better towards the end. Truly the first sub-continental fast bowler that could challenge the #1 spot in the discipline.
Murali - In spin bowling, can only be second to Warne. Took bag-loads of wickets, everywhere he went, cheaply, whilst carrying such an unhelpfup side for most his career. Not just weak bowling support, but usually a batting line-up that didn't make his job any easier.

In all honesty, Warne wasn't even the greatest in his own team, McGrath was. While Warne was being being pillored by Lara, Malik, Pietersen, Tendulkar and the rest of the Indians, McGrath never had any trouble conquering any of them. In terms of consistency, potency, ability to take top order wickets, ability to adapt to all conditions, and ability to knock the best in the business, McGrath was his superior.

Having said that, Marshall should be number one. By all accounts, he had everything a fast bowler could want, and a pretty much flawless record.

 

[subshakerz]

Personally, I'll never buy into the opinion that Akram was better than Khan.

Agreed. Akram was arguably the most talented fast bowler of all, but Imran achieved more and was a greater matchwinner. For me, I rate performance > talent most of the time.

 

[Beleg]

I don't care if lists which focus on players one has watched wont be counted - as far as I am concerned, asking me to judge/compare people I have never watched play to those I have is ridiculous.

Therefore,

1. Muralitharan
2. Ambrose
3. Donald
4. Wasim
5. Warne
6. McGrath
7. Pollock
8. Bond
9. Shoaib
10. Walsh

 

[Ikki]

In all honesty, Warne wasn't even the greatest in his own team, McGrath was.

Try telling McGrath that...or basically most of the Australian team itself.

While Warne was being being pillored by Lara, Malik, Pietersen, Tendulkar and the rest of the Indians, McGrath never had any trouble conquering any of them. In terms of consistency, potency, ability to take top order wickets, ability to adapt to all conditions, and ability to knock the best in the business, McGrath was his superior.

Having said that, Marshall should be number one. By all accounts, he had everything a fast bowler could want, and a pretty much flawless record.

Sure he was.

 

[archie mac]

I did this very quickly so sorry if I have missed anyone of significance (spelling)


SF Barnes
Bill O'Reilly
Lillee
Lohmann
Ambrose
Marshall
Wasim
Richardson (Tom)
Rhodes
Warne

 

[silentstriker]

Try telling McGrath that...or basically most of the Australian team itself.

Err, maybe because he was a spinner, and one of such quality is rarer than a fast bowler.

 

[grecian]

Umm, probably already done one of these on this site, and this one will almost certainly be totally different to that one

1. Hadlee
2. Garner
3. Marshall
4. Warne
5. Trueman
6. Murali
7. Lindwall
8. Barnes
9. Ambrose
10. Wasim

 

[Sanz]

Agreed. Akram was arguably the most talented fast bowler of all, but Imran achieved more and was a greater matchwinner.

Err How did Imran achieve more than Akram as a fast bowler or a greater match winner than the later ?

 

[Ikki]

Err, maybe because he was a spinner, and one of such quality is rarer than a fast bowler.

For some reason, I'm sure that it doesn't come close to explaining it.

 

[Ikki]

Err How did Imran achieve more than Akram as a fast bowler or a greater match winner than the later ?

Didn't Wasim also have a better record as Captain?

 

[subshakerz]

For some reason, I'm sure that it doesn't come close to explaining it.

Because world-class spinners such as Warne are a rarity in cricket compared to fast bowlers, and the cricket community tends to magnify his achievements as they are accustomed to fast bowlers usually taking the wickets.

This also tends to hide the fact that McGrath is more consistent and effective bowler with a better record in nearly all respects. Just not as flashy and appealling.