England, the birthplace of cricket, is famous for its pacer-friendly bowling conditions. And that’s one of the reasons behind the country producing some iconic fast bowlers who troubled batters to a great extent.
These pacemen exploited the conditions in their favour, taking a bagful of wickets and leaving their mark on the grand stage.
Here, we’ll look at the 5 greatest England fast bowlers of all time.
James Anderson
401 international appearances. 991 wickets across formats. 22 years of international cricket career.
We are talking about James Anderson, who is not just the greatest England fast bowler but the greatest among the global compatriots.
In a career spanning 22 years, Anderson was the mainstay of England’s bowling attack, making opposition batters dance to his mind-boggling swing capabilities.
He may not have had a lot of pace in his bowling, but he troubled batters with swing and seam movement. Even on surfaces with little help, Anderson used his skills to be among the wickets.
With the red cherry in his hand, Anderson was the destructor in chief, bagging heaps of wickets, winning memorable games, and etching lasting records.
Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad formed an indispensable partnership with Anderson, choking the opposition with their ruthless attack.
The 6 sixes smacked by Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 T20 World Cup didn’t deter Broad, who just got better and better with each passing year.
His relentless intensity to bowl long spells and the ability to extract swing and seam movement helped him pick up 847 wickets across formats.
Broad’s bowling excellence can be gauged by his remarkable performance in the 2015 Ashes. The right-hander bagged 8 wickets for just 15 runs, wrapping up Australia for a mere 60 runs inside 19 overs.
Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman was one of the genuine fast bowlers produced by England, placing him among the greats.
He was a dreadful pacer in his playing days, stoking fear among the opponent camp with his pace. Apart from the sheer pace, Trueman could swing the ball both ways, making the lives of batters difficult.
In his 603-match First-Class career, the right-arm pacer took 2304 wickets, with 307 coming in Tests for England.
Bob Willis
Who would have thought that a fast bowler who had had surgeries on both knees would turn out to be an intimidating pacer?
Robert Willis, more famously known as Bob Willis, proved everyone wrong with his sheer willpower. He charged down on the pitch with his frightening run-up, sending down absolute bombshells at the batters.
Willis was England’s bowling architect between 1971 and 1984, racking up 325 wickets in 90 Tests and 80 wickets in 64 ODIs.
Sir Ian Botham
Sir Ian Botham was an invaluable asset for England, both as a batter and a bowler, putting him among the greatest all-rounders of the game.
Botham was a powerful bowler, aided by effective swing and seam movement. Many times, he turned the momentum of the games with his bowling, scripting famous wins for England.
He turned up for England 218 times across formats, taking 528 scalps — 383 of them in Tests and 145 in ODIs.
