Top Current Pacers in the Cricket World

The fate of cricket doesn’t solely depend on the batters’ performances but it is said that the pacers have the potential to tweak the game at any point. The fast bowlers hold the responsibility of the whole team and they need to manage it better their way.

When the cricket stumps clink, it lets fans go crazy and jump off their seats out of happiness. The question is who owns the charm of being the best bowler right now? Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc are some names that may strike your mind when you hear about the current fast bowlers. To unveil the names of the top current pacers in the world, read on.

Best Bowlers Reigning the Cricket Pitch

• Pat Cummins

Hailing from Australia, Pat Cummins is a top name in the list of top bowlers in the world right now. This 28-year-old pacer debuted in all three formats of cricket (Test Match, T20, and One Day International) on the South Africa tour in 2011. Owing to consistent injuries during the tour, he couldn’t perform regularly in the matches. Till 2017, Cummins had scattered appearances, thereafter, he has been delivering outstanding performances for Australia.

Proceeding his cricket career, Pat Cummins was selected as the vice-captain of the Test team against India for the series in Australia in 2020. Along with being the highest wicket-taker in the World Test Championship, he also owns the glory of ICC’s no. 1 bowler in Test matches. During the World Cup 2015, he swung his ball which went on at a pace of 153 km/hr.

The right-arm fast pacer has played 34 Tests, 69 ODIs, and 30 T20Is so far and in these matches, he took 164, 111, and 37 wickets respectively.

• Jasprit Bumrah

After Pat Cummins, there comes the name of India’s proud bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Getting recognition from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Bumrah earned his maiden national call-up in 2016 for the tour of Australia. With his debut on January 23 in the 5th ODI, he picked his first two wickets in the match. Within the same tour, he was the highest wicket-taker in the T20I series. Following that, the former captain MS Dhoni named him ‘the find of the tour.’

Since then, Jasprit Bumrah has been a consistent bowler in the team in all three formats. Known for unique bowling action and ball release, Bumrah is one of the best death bowlers in the cricket world.

Proving his potential, he made appearances in 19 Tests, 67ODIs, and 50 T20Is with knocking out 83, 108, and 57 wickets respectively. In the current Indian Cricket Council (ICC) rankings, Bumrah occupies the 5th spot, 11th in the Test list and 26th in T20Is.

• Trent Boult

Another name that comes on the list is the New Zealand pacer, Trent Boult. NZ has already blessed the cricket world with fast bowlers like Sir Richard Hadlee and Shane Bond. In the NZ squad, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, and Trent Boult have stunned the cricket fans with their prolific performances.

However, Trent Boult stands out from the rest of the bowlers for his potential to depict ball movement both ways with bouncers and toe-crushing yorkers. In just the 29th match of his cricket career, Boult took his 100th Test wicket. After debuting in 2011, he became NZ’s top wicket-taker only within 2 years.

Out of 71 Tests, 93 ODIs, and 34 T20Is, Boult took 282, 169, and 46 wickets respectively. According to the ICC rankings, he is the no. 1 bowler in ODI and T20I formats.

• Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada is one of the eminent bowlers who emerged as the best pacer when South Africa toured India in 2015. This South African pacer contributed to his team with a 3-2 win in the ODI series, leading the highest wicket-taking record.

Rabada is a gem for the team for having a pinpoint yorker he makes. In the IPL matches, he delivered the four fastest balls at a speed of 154.23 kph, 153.91 kph, 153.50 kph, and 153.45 kph.

The speedster, Rabada owns the best bowling strike rate at 41.7 with more than 200 wickets. Moreover, he is also one of the fast bowlers who took 150 Test wickets at the young age of 23.

In his appearances in 45 Tests, 77 ODIs, and 26 T20Is, he took 202, 119, and 31 wickets respectively, securing 9th position in ICC’s best bowlers’ rankings.

• Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer is the next top bowler on the list who made his international debut in an ODI match against Ireland in 2019. Since then, he has been a regular player in the England cricket team. His potent bowling technique and his contributions to the team led them to win the World Cup followed by the Ashes series.

Jofra Archer bagged 5 wickets in his test debut against Australia in the ICC World Test Championship. Along with delivering 90 mph bowling, he is also a fierce lower-middle order batter in the England team.

Featured in 13 Tests, 17 ODIs, and 12 T20Is, Archer knocked the stump 42, 30, and 14 times.

• Shaheen Afridi

Having roots in Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi is the top bowler next in the queue. Though Pakistan had been a quality producer of quality pacers, the number has decreased significantly. Still, Shaheen Afridi is among the current top picks.

After an impressive contribution in the 2019 World Cup, Shaheen Afridi became a consistent bowler across all cricket formats. Shaheen has played a wonderful 17 Tests, 25 ODIs, and several T20Is, taking 58, 51, and 27 wickets respectively.

The Cricket world is gifted with multiple top pacers who have brought their team to the victory line with their unique bowling style and googly throws. It would be intriguing to watch if there would be such great pacers in the upcoming cricket matches.

We have compiled a list of top pacers in the world presently. To get more informative cricket updates with a spice of cricket news, stay tuned!

Also Read : Top 10 Cricket Bowlers in 2022