Big 5 of Bowling

It is widely accepted that the future of batsmanship is in safe and worthy hands, with the likes of Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith already dominating the opponents and others like Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma and David Warner being fearsome and effective. All these cricketers are fairly young, and hence have the time and ability to become the next Sachins and Laras. However, who are the fast bowlers a fan should be looking forward to?

It is sometimes unintentionally overlooked and not as appreciated as it should be. We get overwhelmed by batting performances more than we do by bowling. It is no secret that bowling is the harder of the two and will face more challenges in future. With the never ceasing bat sizes and shorter formats, bat continues to dominate ball, and we spectators consciously applaud a double ton more than a ten for. Bowling is way tougher in modern day cricket.

At such a fragile time for bowlers, through which they have to keep themselves fit and be versatile and skilful enough to play in all formats, some bowlers have outperformed the others. This distinguished fab 5 are the future of pace bowling and have proved it timed again with their consistent and impactful performances. The road ahead may be hard, but they have a lot of dexterity in their armoury that provides the counterpunch and will help them conquer the batsmen in the future.

1. Mustafizur Rahman:

The 20-year old sensation from Bangladesh Mustafizur Rahman has already awed people all over the world with his jaw dropping performances. He took a five-wicket haul on debut against a full strength Indian side, and followed that up with a six-fer. He then grabbed 4 wickets in his debut Test versus South Africa and hasn’t looked back since. In no time, he has ruled the roost, as far as Bangladeshi bowling attack is concerned.

His exemplary performances in T20s, with an economy of under 6, and an average under 15, has generated interest from domestic leagues worldwide and he has also repaid the massive faith by his charismatic performances. His 26 wickets in just 9 ODIs at a mind boggling average of 12 indicate that batsmen continue to struggle to pick him up.

Mustafizur’s control is immaculate and consistently bowls in troubling areas. He has a number of variations up his sleeve, with the off cutters and change of pace being his specialty. He has been Bangladesh’s best bowler in recent times and is arguably the main factor for their drastic improvement in the limited overs formats. The Fizz is likely to keep getting better, if he is groomed and managed efficiently.

2. Mitchell Starc:

Nicknamed “MitcHELL” for his destructive and pacy bowling, Starc has improved drastically since 2015. He steamrolled his way to become the number 1 ODI bowler and emerged as the man of the tournament in the World Cup 2015. Although, a slow starter, he definitely is the best Australian bowler across all formats now.

His average of under 20 in both ODIs and T20Is makes it evident that he is the best that is around. Starc is just 2 wickets away (under 2 matches) to be the fastest to 100 ODI wickets ever, and his Test average has fallen from the mid 30s to 30.58. Sky is the limit for Starc, after his reformation as a bowler, and even if he can maintain his currently consistent performances, he will definitely be a force to come in the coming years.

The 26-year-old well known for his ability to deliver accurate and toe crushing yorkers at astonishing speeds, bowled a 160.4kmph delivery, the fastest ever in Test cricket. His action and angle of delivery make him more challenging. Starc also has a natural angle and swing as his bowling attribute. He may not vary his pace much, but can consistently hit testing lengths, which turns fatal for batsmen at his pace. His biggest challenge, in the coming years, will be to keep him fit for all three formats and maintain his pace.

3. Trent Boult:

Easily New Zealand’s top bowler right now, Trent Boult has been leading the Kiwi attack, especially in Tests and ODI. The 27-year old is the most experienced of the fiveour, in terms of matches played, indicating that he burst in the scene very early, and was an exciting young prospect. Boult was the second highest wicket taker of the World Cup 201, and was also the No.1 ODI bowler though for a short period of time.

Although not a regular member of T20I squad lately, he has shown that he is more than effective with an average of just 21, and a decent economy of 7.9. ODIs are his strongest suit, as Boult has the best average for a current New Zealand bowler of an exemplary 22, which coupled with an economy of 4.8, make him a huge threat especially in friendly conditions. His Test average is also the best among those in the list, and has picked up more than 4 wickets in 12 out of 72 innings.

Boult’s primary weapon is swing and he gets the ball to swing lethally both ways. His knowledge of reverse swing, coupled with the discipline and control, make him so effective in Tests. He has the rare ability to exploit even a docile wicket by hitting the right areas and bowing to his field- tactically set accordingly. His control also helps him do well in T20s as he is one of the better death bowlers, with his lines and subtle variations of length. Boult, definitely, is a legend in the making.

Mohammad Amir:

He may be famous for reasons other than his cricket, but there is no denying that Mohammad Amir is one of the most skilful bowlers around. The 24-year old is Pakistan’s trump card, and their leading bowler in all 3 formats. Making his debut as a 17-year old, Amir never ceased to impress, and one can only speculate how great he would’ve been had he not missed 5 years of cricket.

Considering that he played most of his cricket as a teen, Amir’s record is outstanding. An average of 22 in both T20Is and ODIs, Amir has picked up four or more wickets in 5 out of 27 innings in Tests. His miserly economy rate in limited over formats of 4.4 and 7 respectively complement his effectiveness and shear domination over the fellow batsmen.

Amir, in every sense a wicket taker, has a multitude of abilities up his sleeve. He can clock the high 140s regularly, and can accurately shape the ball both ways, which gets more lethal with his late swing. He is an exponent of reverse swing as well, and consistently tests the batsmen in all format. He varies his lengths according to the format requirements which make him successful and his lethal toe-crushing yorkers and accurate bouncers, along with his pace variations assure him success across formats.

5. Kagiso Rabada:

Kagiso Rabada The latest 21-year-old South African sensation rose up the ranks at a rapid pace to become South Africa’s most trusted weapon in all three formats. From picking a heap of wickets on debut to defending 9 runs of the last over against MS Dhoni, Rabada has been a sensational performer for South Africa. He will only continue to get better and pose more problems for the opposition in the coming years ahead.

Rabada has been South Africa’s best bowler in ODIs in the recent times and has ably been successful in Tests too, with the absence of Dale Steyn. He was actually picked ahead of Moṛne Morkel during the World T20 2016, which speaks volumes about the trust of selectors in this sensation. He has an average of the low 20s in all three formats and has an exemplary economy of 4.7 in ODIs even though he bowls at challenging times. His strike rate of 39 in Tests is one of the best in the world at the moment in an albeit short career. He already has seven four-wicket hauls and in his short career.

Rabada’s premier strength is his versatility as a bowler as he can swing the new ball both ways up front, maintain pressure in the middle with testing lines in the corridor of uncertainty and he has mastered his yorkers and slower balls at the death. He has also improved his pace of late, so definitely has become more threatening.