More often than not, we have seen how a bowler is appreciated for how fast he can bowl. Over the years, we have seen some great cricketers bowling at very fast speeds for their countries. Whenever we hear the name of a fast bowler, players like Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhter come to our minds. They have been the trademark fast bowler of the previous generation. Bowlers like Starc have carried on the tradition of dangerous fast, and swinging balls in this generation. But have you ever wondered who has bowled the slowest ball in cricket history? Who bowled the best slower balls? Well, this article contains all the information you need on some of the slowest balls in cricket history!
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Top 10 Slowest Balls by Pacer in Cricket
1. Chris Cairns – New Zealand
Once, the New Zealand pacer bowled one of the slowest and the most accurate bowl in the history of cricket. This was in the test series against England. The year was 1999, and the bowl fittingly took the batsman’s wicket. The batsman tried to defend the bowl, but it was aimed straight at the stumps and took the batsman’s wicket, making it an unplayable delivery.
2. Aqib Javed – Pakistan
Next on the list, we have Aqib Javed. The Pakistani fast bowler had a knack for bowling quality slower bowls to deceive the batsman. Although playing with Waqar and Wasim, he was known for quality change of pace, thus playing with batsmen’s minds. One such instance took place in 1992. In the match against New Zealand, he bowled a splendid slower one that the batsman couldn’t read. As a result, it deceived the batsman and hit the stumps dismissing him.
3. Shoaib Akhter – Pakistan
Known for his ultra-fast bowling, he is a relatively unusual person on this list. Throughout his career, he has bowled some splendid deliveries at a great pace. He also holds the record for bowling the fastest delivery in the world at 160.3 km/h. But this time, he is present for entirely different reasons, for bowling a beautiful slower bowl. This incident took place in 2005 in a test against England. The batsman played for pace and was easily deceived by Shoaib. As a result, the batsman lost his wicket leg before the wicket and had a shameful walk back to the pavilion.
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4. Steve Harmison – England
He had a lesser-known career for the English side. England’s bowling was full of talent then, and he had difficulty maintaining his place in the team. Steve had a special desire for bowling quality slower bowls, and one of them clicked in 2005. The occasion was the test match between Australia and England in the Ashes series. Steve bowled one of the most-crafty slower balls one has ever seen, and as a result, the batters couldn’t read the pace of the bowl and fell for his trap falling prey to the bowler.
5. Simon O’Donnell – Australia
Next up, we have Simon O’Donnell. He was a legendary Australian bowler and had one of the greatest slow ones at that time. He led the Australian side in the 1990s and, as a result, produced some of the best bowling performances. One such performance occurred in 1990 in a match between Australia and New Zealand. The bowler being in sublime form, bowled a beautiful slow bowl deceiving the batsman very well. Thus he was able to pick up the wicket of the batsman, which proved to be of great benefit to the team
6. Jasprit Bumrah – India
Next up, we have Bumrah. He is one the greatest bowler in world cricket now, and time and time again, he has proved his skills. He is especially efficient in bowling the slower ones and, thus, has a great record in picking up crucial wickets with his slow bowls. One such instance took place in 2018 when he bowled a crafty slowest ball against the Australian batsman. The batter had no clue where the bowl had come from, and as a result, Bumrah took a sublime wicket.
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7. Majid Haq – Scotland
The most capped player for Scotland, Majid once bowled one the slowest delivery in world cricket. He bowled one at 41 MPH or 65 KPH, and it was beautifully bowled, one has to say. Majid, the second-highest wicket-taker for Scotland as well as their most capped player, bowled this beautiful delivery to deceive the batsman and get him out.
8. Brett Lee – Australia
Next on our list at no.8 is Brett Lee. The mighty Australian pacer had a wonderful and illustrious career where he won a lot of matches and trophies. He was one of the fastest bowlers one has seen, but he is on the list for bowling some beautiful slower ones. He bowled this delivery in 2005 in attest match against England.
9. Curtly Ambrose – West Indies
He used his height greatly and had a beautiful bowling action that the batsman couldn’t judge. He bowled this bowl in a test match in 1993 against Australia. The batman had no clue where the bowl had gone, as it was a beautifully bowled delivery that surprised the batsman. As a result, the batman was tricked and he lost his wicket to this beautiful delivery by Ambrose
10. Shane Bond – New Zealand
Last on the list, we have the New Zealander quick bowler Bond. He bowled a beautiful slowest ball against Australia in 2007. As he was very quick, the batsman was playing for pace, But he was taken by surprise when the bowl took so late to arrive, and thus he was deceived and was sent to the pavilion due to the heroics of Bond.
FAQ’s
Majid Haq from Scotland bowled the slowest ball in cricket. He is an off-spin bowler and bowled at a pace of 41mph.
Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafiz ur Rahman, and Haris Rauf have the best slower ones these days. They can bowl slower ones with the same action as 140+ balls.
Cricket Pandit says that Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the slowest fast bowler in cricket. He bowls most of the deliveries around 125.
