From Courtney Walsh to Shane Warne, we take a look at some of the greatest bowlers ever to play the game of cricket.
Shane Warne
You would struggle to find anyone who left a greater impact on the game of cricket than Shane Warne.
The 'King Of Spin' revolutionised the art of slow bowling, bringing fresh thoughts, plans and methods of bamboozling opposition batters with his ripping leg spin.
Warne was an extremely raw talent when he arrived onto the scene but, by the time he called time on his career, he had eclipsed everyone who had come before him.
A true Australian great, Warne finished with 1,001 international wickets with his 708-strong tally in Tests putting him second on the all-time list.
Jasprit Bumrah
India's go to match winner for the better part of a decade, for what Jasprit Bumrah lacks in terms of raw numbers, he most certainly makes up for with talent.
New ball, old ball, white ball, red ball, home or away, under the lights, at the death and under pressure, Bumrah delivers time and time again, showing his effectiveness in all three formats of the game.
Bumrah was India's hero in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
He took 15 wickets from eight matches at an average of 8.26 and an economy of 4.17, the lowest of any bowler across any edition of the tournament.
Age 31, Bumrah has some way to go to match his peers in terms of numbers of wickets but he is the fastest Indian player to reach 50 Test wickets on home soil and boasts the best average of any of his fellow countryman to amass a half century of poles.
Courtney Walsh
Malcom Marshall, Michael Holding and Joel Garner, West Indies have a rich history of producing destructive fast bowlers but there is an argument to be made that Courtney Walsh stands above them all.
Often with fast bowlers, their body only allows them a short peak but not Walsh. He threw down countless overs for West Indies, not with the most elegant action, but it was massively economical, able to release the ball from an awkward height for batters.
He was once the all-time leading wicket taker in Test matches, overtaking Kapil Dev's tally of 434 before going onto become the first bowler to chalk up 500 Test wickets.
One half of arguably the best opening bowling partnership in cricket history, Walsh, alongside partner in crime Curtly Ambrose accounted for 412 wickets as a duo, only bettered by Pakistan's pairing of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.
James Anderson
To take 704 Test wickets is some achievement but to do it as a fast bowler means that you have surpassed any quick to ever play the game.
It's often said in sport that the best ability is availability and James Anderson was there every time England needed him for two decades, a testament to the hard work he put into staying as fit as he possibly could.
He made swing bowling a true art form, able to move the ball in both directions through the air, Anderson's career highlights are maybe more pleasing on the eye than any other bowler in history.
In 2016, Anderson became the first-ever player to take 50 wickets against all other seven major Test-playing nations, Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies.
Glenn McGrath
Not blessed with express pace, McGrath mastered the art of fast bowling through subtle movement and consistent line and length, making him one of the most economical bowlers of his generation.
To go with this, McGrath (563) sits behind only Stuart Broad (604) and James Anderson (704) in terms of Test wickets taken by a quick, despite playing significantly less games than the England duo.
McGrath wasn't just prolific in the Test arena but he also enjoyed success in ODIs.
With his career coming to a close, McGrath went out with a bang on the biggest stage. He was named Player of the Tournament at the 2007 Cricket World Cup after finishing as the leading wicket taker with 26 poles to his name.
