“Let’s discuss the top 10 fast bowlers over the last 50 years! Who makes your list followers? It’s a tough question, but let’s have a crack at it……” tweeted Warne.
The tweet quickly went viral, and Warne received a humungous response with more than 2000 comments. On the basis of replies by his fans, friends and followers, the Aussie legend came up with his top 10 speedsters.
Surprisingly, Warne didn’t name any fast bowler from India. In his top-10 list of pacers, Warne went with three Australians – Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, and his former teammate Glenn McGrath. Lillee picked up 458 wickets in 133 international matches, while Thompson bagged 255 scalps in 101 games. McGrath, on the other hand, took 563 wickets in 124 Tests and 381 scalps in 250 ODIs.
Warne also picked three pacers from West Indies – Malcolm Marshall, Curtley Ambrose and Michael Holding. Marshall had taken 376 wickets in 81 Test matches, while Holding bagged 249 scalps in 60 Tests. Similarly, Walsh finished his glorious career with 405 wickets in 98 matches in the longest format.
For the remaining four bowlers, Warne selected New Zealand legend Richard Hadlee, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, third-highest wicket-taker in Tests, James Anderson and recently retired South African paceman Dale Steyn.
Hadlee took 431 wickets in 86 Tests and 158 in 115 ODIs, while Akram bagged 414 scalps in 104 Tests and 502 wickets in 356 ODI matches.
When it comes to Anderson, the veteran English pacer recently surpassed India legend Anil Kumble to become the third-highest wicket-taker in the longest format. Anderson has so far taken 630 wickets in 166 Tests. In ODIs, Anderson bagged 269 scalps in 194 matches. Similarly, Steyn picked up 699 wickets in 264 international fixtures.
“No particular order, my top 10 fast bowlers….. Lillee, Akram, Marshall, McGrath, Ambrose, Steyn, Hadlee, Thommo, Holding, Anderson,” Warne wrote on the micro-blogging website.
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