Although, over the decades, international cricket has been majorly about the batsmen putting bowlers out of the spotlight on numerous worthy occasions, a few bowlers have asserted their dominance against the batsmen and have made their mark in the annals of international cricket with their brutal bowling assaults and highly unplayable deliveries.
From Shoaib Akhtar to Mitchell Starc, the history of international cricket has undoubtedly witnessed numerous bowling stalwarts who have proved to be nothing short of a nightmare to even the greatest of batsmen from the opposition teams.
In this article we will take a look at the top four bowlers who dismissed the greatest of batsmen with their top-notch unplayable deliveries.
Top 4 Bowlers With the Most Unplayable Deliveries in Cricket History
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Shoaib Akhtar vs Stephen Fleming At The ICC World Cup 1999
Often popularly referred to as the “Rawalpindi Express”, Pakistani former international cricketer Shoaib Akhtar is at the first spot in our list of top four bowlers who dismissed the batsmen with their unplayable deliveries. Rightly hailed as the “fastest bowler” in the history of international cricket with an unbeaten delivery speed of 161.3 kmph, Shoaib Akhtar’s annihilating bowling exploits led the Pakistan side to a phenomenal victory against New Zealand at the ICC World Cup 1999.
Shoaib Akhtar picked up a total of three wickets, allowing merely 55 runs in ten overs of the match. Akhtar’s relentless bowling attack, clocked at a blistering speed of 150 kmph dismissed New Zealand’s captain Stephen Fleming at merely 25* runs off 42 deliveries.
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Shane Warne vs Mike Gatting At The First Test, Ashes Series 1993
Well, the iconic “Shane Warne vs Mike Gatting” battle in the first test match of the Ashes Series 1993 still serves as one of the most heated moments in the history of test cricket, even today after decades. The world-class spinner, Shane Warne, apparently delivered the most challenging and unplayable delivery of his career that ended up dismissing England’s Mike Gatting.
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Shane Warne bowled a leg-break to England’s Mike Gatting. The ball drifted well in the air and just when Mike Gatting assumed that it would turn slightly and played a forward defensive shot, the ball clipped the top of the off-stump, dismissing Mike Gatting. The masterstroke delivery from Shane Warne in the 1st test of the Ashes Series 1993 against Mike Gatting is still hailed as the “ball of the century”.
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Mitchell Starc vs James Vince At The Third Test, Ashes Series 2017-18
Well, if we’re talking about the top four bowlers who dismissed the greatest of batsmen with their top-notch unplayable deliveries, it’s practically impossible to not make a mention of Mitchell Starc’s lethal inswinger that brutally dismissed England’s James Vince in the third test match of the 2017-18 Ashes Series.
Mitchell Starc’s annihilating in-swinging Yorker against England’s James Vince clocked at a speed of 144 kmph, is still widely hailed as the “ball of the Ashes”. Although the ball initially appeared to be heading towards the off stump, it later curved inwards, sneaked through the risky narrow gap between Vince’s bat and pad and uprooted the off stump, shockingly dismissing James Vince.
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Sreesanth vs Jacques Kallis At The Second Test, India Tour Of South Africa 2010
Although Sreesanth’s cricketing career was doomed by ugly match-fixing scandals, there’s still no denial of the fact that he proved to be a class-apart bowler for the Indian national cricket team. Sreesanth’s aggression was at its peak during the second test match of the India tour of South Africa in 2010, when he dismissed South Africa’s Jacques Kallis with a rising short ball clocked at a speed of 145 kmph.
Sreesanth’s short ball delivery unexpectedly kicked off a length, making it difficult for Kallis to appropriately judge the ball. The ball hit Kallis’ gloves and rolled up towards the gully region and ended up as a comfortable catch by India’s Cheteshwar Pujara at gully.
