Who are best swing bowlers in cricket history? Listing top 5 swing bowlers of all time as James Anderson bows out of Test cricket | Sporting News India

Swing bowling is an art of fast bowling where the cricket ball deviates laterally from its original trajectory as it moves through the air, either towards or away from the batter.

This type of pace bowling usually makes it very challenging for the batters particularly when it is delivered at high speeds, most notably in the early overs of a cricket match.

Swing bowlers are great assets for their respective teams as they can be relied on to pick up early wickets in a game, and thereby putting pressure on the opposition’s batters.

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As England’s legendary fast bowler, James Anderson bids adieu to the game, The Sporting News looks at the top five swing bowlers in the history of the game.

Who are the top 5 best swing bowlers of all-time in cricket history?

1. Wasim Akram

Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Wasim Akram was one of the most gifted bowlers of his generation, and arguably of all time.

He is more popularly known as the “Sultan of Swing” due to his ability to swing the ball in either direction, with immaculate control and at the same time, execute pinpoint yorkers, making it impossible for the batters to deal with.

He picked up 502 wickets in his 356 ODIs and 414 wickets in 104 Tests for his country.

2. James Anderson

The English fast bowler had one of the best cricketing careers ever, not only because of his longevity of 21 years at the top level but for the fact that he was consistent and continued to dominate opposition batting units, particularly in Test cricket.

Anderson has picked up 703 wickets in 188 Test matches for his country and is also the pacer with the most wickets in international cricket history.

3. Glenn McGrath

The Australian fast bowler is arguably the best fast bowler that Australia has produced, not for his express pace, which he lacked, but for his genius ability to bowl line and lengths with precision, which made him a lethal customer for the batters.

He was not only known for his ability to swing the ball both ways but had the skill to bowl the same delivery, at the same spot consistently, giving no room for the batters to take advantage of.

McGrath finished his Test career with 563 wickets in 124 matches, and also picked up 381 wickets in 250 ODIs. Moreover, he played an integral role in an Australian team that won three successive editions of the ICC World Cups – in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

4. Richard Hadlee

Richard Hadlee was an underrated fast bowler from New Zealand, often ignored in discussions these days. He is regarded to be one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history and also among the finest fast bowlers of all time.

If Wasim Akram is the ‘Sultan of Swing’, it would be safe to call Hadlee as the ‘Grand Master of Swing.’ Hadlee was the first bowler to pick up 400 wickets in Test cricket and he finished his career with 431 wickets in just 86 Test matches.

India’s 1983 World Cup winner, Sunil Gavaskar, who is considered one of the best batters in cricket history was quoted praising Hadlee after a match, in an interview from the archives: “The outswinger used to come in at you pretty straight when it left his hand but moved away after pitching. Very few batsmen can have answers to that delivery, and 400+ Test wickets is ample too many to count.”

5. Dale Steyn

The South African international was one of the few fast bowlers who had the ability to combine raw pace, aggression and swing, which he used to intimidate the opposition batters during his career.

If not for injuries during his career, he could have accomplished greater things than what he already did. Steyn picked up 439 wickets in 93 Test matches but played only 125 ODIs, where he picked up 196 wickets.

In addition to this, he also has 263 wickets in 228 T20 games, with 64 of those wickets being with his national team. Unlike the above legends on the list, Steyn had the opportunity to test his skills in the shortest format of the game, T20s, where he found success with his lethal pace as well.