We all know how important pace is in cricket. Fast bowlers with sheer pace are deadly, sometimes they can be expensive but when it comes to test cricket or ODIs they become dangerous. Every team tries to play with at least one bowler who bowls fast or clocks a speed of at least 140 to 145 kmph. In this article, we will see who bowled the fastest deliveries in both men’s and women’s cricket and we will also tell you some jaw-dropping coincidences between both deliveries.
In men’s cricket, we all know there was a time when Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar both were giving each other a very tough competition to bowl the fastest ball. You will find Brett Lee in the top 5 or the top 3 when it comes to the fastest delivery in men’s cricket but it was Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan who has a record for the fastest delivery in men’s cricket. Shoaib bowled 161.3 kmph delivery which is still the fastest in men’s cricket.
Also Read: 5 Fastest Deliveries Bowled by Indian Pacers
In women’s cricket, it is South Africa’s bowler, Shabnim Ismail who bowled the fastest delivery in women’s cricket. She reached to 128 kmph mark in the 2023 T20 world cup in South Africa. It is a big deal for a women cricketer to reach the speed of 128 kmph.
Now let us see some coincidences between the two deliveries.
- Shoaib Akhtar bowled the fastest delivery in men’s cricket in 2003 and exactly after 20 years Shabnim Ismail bowled the fastest delivery in women’s cricket in 2023.
- Both came in a world cup match. Shoaib bowled in the 2003 ODI world cup and Shabnim bowled in the 2023 T20 world cup.
- Both came in Cape Town of South Africa as both the time it was South Africa who was hosting the tournament.
- Most important coincidence between both the delivery is opposition team was England.
