Top 5 Fastest Pakistani bowlers

Pakistan has always been known for having some of the fastest bowlers ever, like Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis. The country has a strong tradition of fast bowling in cricket.

Even today, Pakistan still produces top fast bowlers. While no one in the 21st century has matched the long careers and skill of Akram and Waqar, the new generation of bowlers still bowls very fast.

Here are the 5 Fastest Pakistani bowlers

1. Haris Rauf

Haris Rauf is one of the fastest bowlers in the world right now, along with Mark Wood, Anrich Nortje, and Jofra Archer. At 29 years old, he started out playing tape-ball cricket, a popular grassroots form of cricket in Pakistan.

Rauf debuted internationally in January 2020. Since then, he has played in 57 T20Is, 18 ODIs, and 1 Test match. He has bowled at speeds over 150 kph several times.

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2. Mohammad Hasnain

Mohammad Hasnain is a 22-year-old fast bowler born in Hyderabad, Pakistan. The 6 feet 1-inch tall bowler made his international debut in March 2019. Since then, he has represented the country in 9 ODIs and 27 T20Is.

He burst onto the scene because of his sheer pace and accuracy. He bowled the fastest delivery in Caribbean Premier League (CPL) history – 155.1 kph. However, his bowling action was reported in January 2022 in the Big Bash League (BBL). The International Cricket Council (ICC) cleared his action in June 2022.

Hasnain had said (via i Newspaper):

“It was a very tough time trying to remodel that action. I went in every day and bowled 7,000 to 8,000 times overall to try and get it right. It took me six months to get my new action approved. It’s a lot of effort but that hard work has now paid off. I’ve got a contract here with Oval Invincibles and I’m bowling even quicker than before.”

3. Shaheen Afridi

Shaheen Afridi has been one of the best fast bowlers in the world since he started his career. He is the most successful player from the 2018 U-19 World Cup team, while other talented players are still trying to secure their place in their national teams. Afridi leads Pakistan’s bowling attack in all formats of the game.

Even though Afridi may not be as fast as bowlers like Wood, Jofra, or his teammate Rauf, he is still quite fast. He reached a speed of 151 kph in a T20 World Cup match against New Zealand in 2021. He has played 47 T20Is, 32 ODIs, and 25 Tests for Pakistan.

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4. Naseem Shah

Naseem Shah started playing for Pakistan in Test cricket in November 2019 when he was just 16 years old, making him the 9th youngest player in Test history. Although some think he was brought in too soon, he has a lot of potential to succeed internationally. Now 20, Naseem has played in 15 Test matches, 5 One Day Internationals, and 16 Twenty20 Internationals. It will be interesting to see how they handle his workload.

Naseem’s fastest delivery was 148.7 kph in the last PSL season. He often bowls over 90 miles per hour against top players in both international and franchise cricket.

5. Shahnawaz Dahani

The 24-year-old right-arm fast bowler made his debut for Pakistan in November 2021. Since then, he has played in 2 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 11 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). He is currently out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to a finger injury.

He consistently bowls at speeds over 140 kph. Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood praised him after he became the top wicket-taker in PSL 2021.

Azhar Mahmood said:

“Dahani is always smiling, no matter if he gets hit or not. He brightens up the whole team. It feels like we’ve found a new Shoaib Akhtar. This is just the beginning for him; we’ll work on his out-swingers and in-swingers. I will make a report for the Pakistan bowling coach about what he needs to improve.”

Here’s a table summarizing stats for the five fast Bowlers:

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