Ranking top 10 England fast bowlers of all time

It is no secret that England national cricket team are the oldest team in the world. Ever since they embraced the sport, they have produced top-quality cricketers in their history. Among those finest cricketers, fast bowlers played a substantial role in the team’s success. England cricket were blessed to have top-tier pacers in their journey.

As they say, the journey of thousand miles begins with a step, the England pacers were once newbies to the game. However, upon getting much-needed backing from the board, some pacers grew from strength to strength as they went on to make a name for themselves in the competitive era.

Now, in this article, let’s take a glimpse at the top 10 England fast bowlers of all time.

10. Darren Gough

Darren Gough was one of those bowlers who thrived in both Tests and ODIs during the playing days of his cricketing career. He led England’s bowling attack by example in the mid-1990s through to the early 2000s. Having played 58 Tests, he took 229 wickets at an average of 28.39. On the other hand, he took 235 wickets in 159 ODIs at an average of 26.42 and an economy of 4.39.

9. Brian Statham

Brian Statham was one of the finest fast bowlers for the England cricket team. The fact that he was a regular feature for the national cricket team for over a period of 14 years goes to show his credibility. He was best known for delivering consistent bowling spells by extracting seam and swing. Having played 70 Tests for England, he picked up 252 wickets at a superb bowling average of 24.84.

8. Sir Alec Bedser

Sir Alec Bedser played a total of 55 Tests for the England cricket team during his journey. Having made his debut in 1946, he carved out a reputation for himself as one of the top-quality bowlers. Known for troubling the opposition with in-swingers, he picked up 236 wickets to his name. Moreover, he maintained a bowling average of 24.89 and had an economy of 2.21.

7. John Snow

John Snow represented the England cricket team in 49 Tests (1965 to 1976). He was best known for ripping through the defence of the opposition’s batting line-up with accurate bowling spells. On top of that, he was able to extract seam movement on the surface, which made him the team’s pace spearhead. He picked up 202 wickets to his name at an average of 26.66.

6. Sydney Barnes

Sydney Barnes was one of the finest fast bowlers of the England cricket team. The biggest plus point of his bowling was his ability to bowl vicious cutters. Besides that, he was also well-known for swinging and seaming the ball either way, which made him one of the top bowlers. Having played 27 Tests, he picked up 189 wickets at an impeccable bowling average of 16.43.

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5. Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad has been one of the top pacers of the England national cricket team for over 16 years now. He has represented the England cricket team in 161 Tests, 121 ODIs and 56 T20Is in his career. Overall, he has taken 576 wickets in the longest format of the game. On the other hand, he has taken 178 wickets in One Day Internationals and 65 wickets in the shortest format.

4. Sir Ian Botham

Sir Ian Botham was best known for his all-round excellence. Moreover, he was a successful swing and seam bowler. He scored 5200 runs and has hit 14 centuries and 22 fifties in 102 Tests. He has taken 383 wickets in Tests including 27 fifers. Sir Ian Botham scored 2113 runs in the 50-over format including nine fifties to his name. He has taken 145 wickets in ODIs.

3. Bob Willis

In the early ’70s and ’80s, Bob Willis was one of the greatest fast bowlers of the England national cricket team. He was one of the tallest bowlers in those days and he was easily able to generate quite a lot of pace. Having played 90 Tests in his career, he has taken 325 wickets to his name including 16 fifers. On the other hand, he took 80 wickets in 64 appearances in ODIs.

2. Fred Trueman

Fred Trueman was undoubtedly one of the greatest fast bowlers of the England cricket team during the playing days of his cricketing career (1972 to 1965). Moreover, he was best known for his bowling exploits. Fred Trueman was one of the most feared fast bowlers of his generation. Moreover, he was also the first bowler to reach the landmark of 300 wickets. He took 307 wickets including 17 fifers.

1. James Anderson

James Anderson is widely acknowledged as the greatest fast bowler in the history of English cricket. The right-arm paceman is best known for his swing, accuracy and seam movement of the ball. He is the leading wicket-taker for England in Test cricket. Anderson took 685 wickets in 179 Tests including 32 fifers. On the other hand, he took 269 wickets in 194 ODIs including 2 fifers.

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