5 Best Fast Bowlers In World Cricket Under The Age Of 30

International cricket at the moment is blessed with a plethora of precocious fast bowling talents.

Almost every team in the world is blessed with quality fast bowlers. While India boasts of the likes of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Australia are blessed with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Michael Nesser.

England has Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad, and of course, James Anderson at their disposal while South Africa has the trio of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Lungisani Ngidi.

New Zealand boasts of an all-round attack with the likes of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson at their disposal while Pakistan with Shaheen Shah Afridi and the West Indies with Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph, Chemar Holder, Jayden Seales in their ranks, aren’t behind either.

And, the best thing is that most of the aforementioned names are in their 20s and have a long career ahead of them.

On that note, here’s a look at 5 best fast bowlers in world cricket under the age of 30.

Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada is one of the best all-format fast bowlers of the modern era. Rabada is an epitome of a quintessential fast bowler: tall, rapid, and mighty aggressive.

And, the best part about him is the manner in which he adapts himself as per the demands of a specific format.

Having made his debut in 2015, Rabada quickly established himself as the leader of the South African attack.

Rabada is just 26-year-old. And within a span of just 6 years, he has already accumulated a total of 358 wickets- Tests- 208, ODIs- 119, T20Is- 31- across formats in 149 matches.

Fair to say, the sky’s the limit for the champion fast bowler.

Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins burst on the scene as an 18-year-old during the 2011 Test series against South Africa and he immediately made an impression with his searing pace and accuracy.

However, recurring injuries meant that the Australian pacer had to spend almost 6 years in the wilderness and it was only in 2017 that he made a return to the international circuit.

And, the current Australian vice-captain hasn’t put a foot wrong since then.

Cummins is a human incarnate of a machine, who nails ball after ball at one spot at a hostile pace.

Cummins is comfortably the leader of the Aussie pace attack and the No.1 ranked Test pace in the world. The champion pacer finished the World Test Championship cycle as the leading wicket-taker.

Cummins is equally brilliant in the ODI format and while he has not quite translated his skills into sustained success in T20 cricket, he is one of the most expensive recruits in the IPL.

Overall, the 28-year-old has played a total of 34 Tests, 69 ODIs, and 30 T20Is, in which he has claimed 164, 111, and 37 wickets respectively.

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah burst on the scene in white-ball cricket during the 2016 tour of Australia and within a space of two years, the 27-year-old established himself as India’s spearhead in limited-overs cricket.

His Test match debut came during the 2018 tour of South Africa and since then, he has established himself as one of the leading pacers of the world across all three formats.

He is the only Asian pacer who has claimed five-wicket hauls in South Africa, England, Australia, and West Indies.

Bumrah, who claimed a Test hat trick against the West Indies in 2019 to become only the second Indian pacer to achieve the feat, has thus far featured in 19 Tests, 67 ODIs, and 49 T20Is and has claimed 83, 108, 59 wickets respectively.

Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer is one of the most exciting pacers of the current era, especially in white-ball cricket.

Blessed with the ability to bowl at a rapid pace, the thing that makes Archer such a menace for any batter is the disconcerting kick that gets off the surface.

Following impressive performances in County Cricket and in T20 leagues, Archer made his international debut for England across all three formats of the game in 2019.

He was one of England’s best bowlers during the 2019 World Cup and the way he bowled the Super Over in the final, not only testified to his skills but also his temperament.

Archer made his Test debut during the 2019 Ashes and while he did have a brilliant start to his red-ball career, he hasn’t been able to replicate the same form since then thanks to poor workload management by England and recurring injuries.

Overall, Jofra Archer has featured in 13 Tests, 17 ODIs, and 12 T20Is, in which he has claimed 42, 30, and 14 wickets respectively.

Shaheen Shah Afridi

The current leader of the Pakistan pace attack, Shaheen Shah Afridi has established himself as an all-format bowler for his country within a short span of time.

The left-arm pacer, who burst on the scene following his exploits in the 2018 U-19 World Cup, has thus far featured in 17 Tests, 25 ODIs, and 25 T20Is in which he has claimed 58, 51, and 27 wickets respectively.