#OnThisDay: Shoaib Akhtar bowled the fastest recorded ball in cricket history
The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ bowled at 100.2 mph – the fastest ball ever recorded – in 2003
February 22, 2019
On this day in 2003, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar became the fastest bowler recorded in the history of cricket when he delivered the ball at 100.2 mph (161.3 km/h) – a speed that remains unsurpassed to this date.
Akhtar, who earned the nickname of the ‘Rawalpindi Express’, bowled the fastest delivery officially recorded in cricket history against England on February 22, 2003 in a World Cup match at Newlands, Cape Town in South Africa.
The Pakistan Cricket Board tweeted a throwback to the historic day: “#OnThisDay in 2003 @shoaib100mph registered his name in the record books by bowling the fastest delivery officially recorded at 100.2 MPH in @cricketworldcup game against England.”
Other modern-day fast bowlers who came close to matching the speed include Australia’s Shaun Tait (161.1 km/h), Brett Lee (161.1 km/h), and Mitchell Starc (160.4 km/h). Shoaib Akhtar’s record, however, remains unbroken.
Watch the famous delivery here:
