Legendary Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar holds the record for the fastest ball in cricket history.

During the 2003 ODI Cricket World Cup in Cape Town, Shoaib Akhtar produced the fastest ball in cricket history as clocked 161.3 kph against England in his second over of the game.

Bowling to England’s opening batter Nick Knight, the Pakistani speedster recorded speeds of 153.3 km/h, 158.4km/h, 158.5km/h, 157.4km/h, 159.5km/h and 161.3km/h to bowl a maiden over.

Former Australia speedster Shaun Tait recorded the second-fastest ball in cricket history.

Considered to be one of the fastest bowlers of all time, Shaun Tait became the second bowler to breach the 100 mph barrier against England at the iconic Lord’s in an ODI clash in 2010.

Tail produced a 161.1 km/h (100.1 mph) delivery while bowling to England opening batter Craig Kieswetter in his first over. 

The Australian pacer later scalped four wicket wickets to guide the visitors to a 42-run victory.

Apart from Tait, the likes of Brett Lee, Jeffrey Thomson and Mitchell Starc feature on the top five list for the fastest ball in cricket history.

Popularly Known as "Thommo", Jeffrey Thomson produced a 160.6 kph delivery to record the fastest ball in cricket history at that time against the West Indies in Perth in 1975.

Almost three decades later in 2005, former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee etched his name in the elite list.

Lee clocked 161.1 kph delivery against arch-rivals New Zealand in 2005 to break Jeffrey Thomson’s record.

Among Indian bowlers, Umran Malik holds the record for the fastest ball in cricket history.

While representing the Hyderabad franchise in the Indian T20 League, Umran Malik produced a 157.0 kph thunderbolt against Delhi to become the fastest Indian bowler.

In international cricket, former left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan recorded the fastest ball in cricket history by an Indian bowler. Pathan recorded a 153.7 kph delivery against Pakistan in 2007. Get list of fastest ball in cricket history.

Fastest ball in cricket history

Fastest ball in international cricket

Player

Fastest ball

For

Against

Year

Shoaib Akhtar

161.3 kph

Pakistan

England

2003

Shaun Tait

161.1 kph

Australia

England

2010

Brett Lee

161.1 kph

Australia

New Zealand

2005

Jeffrey Thomson

160.6 kph

Australia

West Indies

1975

Mitchell Starc 

160.4 kph

Australia

New Zealand

2015

Andy Roberts

159.5 kph

West Indies

Australia

1975

Fidel Edwards

157.7 kph

West Indies

South Africa

2003

Mitchell Johnson 

156.8 kph

Australia

England

2013

Mohammad Sami

156.4 kph

Pakistan

Zimbabwe

2003

Shane Bond

156.4 kph

New Zealand

India

2003

Fastest ball in Indian T20 League

Player

Fastest ball

For

Against

Year

Shaun Tait

157.7 kph

Rajasthan

Delhi

2011

Lockie Ferguson

157.3 kph

Gujarat

Rajasthan

2022

Umran Malik

157.0 kph

Hyderabad

Delhi

2022

Mayank Yadav

156.7 kph

Lucknow

Bengaluru

2024

Anrich Nortje

156.2 kph

Delhi

Rajasthan

2020

Fastest ball in cricket history by an Indian bowler

Bowler

Fastest ball

Against 

Year

Umran Malik  (Hyderabad)

157.0 kph

Delhi

2022

Mayank Yadav (Lucknow)

156.7 kph

Bengaluru

2024

Irfan Pathan (India)

153.7 kph

Pakistan

2007

Mohammed Shami (India)

153.3 kph

Australia

2014

Jasprit Bumrah (India)

153.3 kph

Australia

2018

Photo credit: Alamy