Home > Resources > Polls > Sport > cricket > Greatest bowler

We are never going to agree, but we ran this poll anyway. We listed 10 great cricket bowlers and asked who do you think is the greatest male cricket bowler to ever play the game.

We ran this poll for ten years (2011-2021), and nearly 5,000 people had their say. We presented a list of 10-top players and asked who do you think is the greatest male cricket bowler to ever play. The result was a clear win by Wasim Akram, a surprise winner as Shane Warne who came in third is often quoted as the greatest ever.

Also check the votes for the greatest ever batsman, and our discussion about the greatest cricketers of all time.

total votes: 4957

Disclaimer: These polls are not scientific, and only reflect the opinion of visitors to this website who have chosen to participate.

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Related Pages

• Greatest ever batsman?
• A discussion about the greatest cricketers of all time.
• Profiles of legends of cricket
• More cricket polls

Old Comments

Commenting is closed on this page, though you can read some previous comments below which may answer some of your questions.

• Piyush (2014)
  none of this is don or god of cricket in my opinion zaheer khan and harbajhan singh and ajit agarkar is best bolwers through over the world
• Sean B (2014)
  its not even close murali by far. after that its warne
• Runner1967 Sean B (2015)
  Please, marshall was a far better bowler and didnt need dodgy LBW laws to rack up wickets.
• Khan (2013)
  wasim akram is the don of cricket
• Roshan (2013)
  Every one know well murali is the best.he is a legend of world cricket
• ANAND AVINASH SARAPH (2014)
  Akram is the greatest bowler ever as proclaimed by WISDEN, the Bible of Cricket. You don't need further justification for Wisden are the one who have entire compilation of cricket since the inception of the game. Just to sum up, AKRAM is indeed the greatest bowler ever!
• TJ (2013)
  wasim akram is the no.1 bowler of cricket history.
• Runner1967 TJ (2015)
  No he isnt. What is this crap? Malcom Marshall was a better bowler the stats prove it. As was Curtley Ambrose. I loved Wasim and he was a fantastic bowler but is simply not in the same league as Marshall. You want a match winning bowler on any surface in his prime? It was Marshall hands down, he could and did take wickets on every surface and at an amazingly economical rate.
• Runner1967 (2015)
  Marshall isnt on the list?
• PhilT McNasty (2014)
  Ty Cobb is. Noone could hit him
• Rishabh ranjan (2014)
  Anil Kumble is the best bowler of all time.....
• Cricfan (2014)
  where's dale steyn?
• Pakistan Produce The Greatest Bowler In the Cricket History. Pakistani bowlers made so much inventions in bowling Dept Like, Swings, Reverse Swings, Googlys, Doosras, Teesras (from Sadik, Jan 2013)
  • Fazil Mehmood the Legend
    Abdul Kadar Khan Spinner Inventor of Googly Bowl
    Sarfaraz Nawaz. King Of Swing inventor of Reverse Swing.
    Imran Khan the Great
    Aaqib Jawed
    Wasim Akram
    Waqar Younis
    Saqlain Mushtaq
    Mushtaq Ahmed
    Umar Gul
    Shoaib Akhter
    Mohammad Asif
    Mohammad Amir
    Saeed Ajmal
    M Hafeez
    Shahid Afridi
• I think imran khan is the best bowler he not only bated well but also a great bowler his avg. Is unbelievable (from Jagg, Jan 2013)
• Shoib akhtar is the best bowler in the world! Everyone should know that! (from Hamza Bhatti, Jan 2013)
• Muralitharan was a chucker and should never have been allowed to play cricket.  His records don't count! (from mark, Dec 2012)
• imran khan is best bowler as well as best captain ever produced world cricket. His whole career is full of success. He showed remarkable performances in any type of cricket. (from rashid, Nov 2012)
• Murali is not the greates bowler. He is the greatest chucker that has ever played cricket. They even changed the rules so he could chuck. (from Axel foley, Oct 2012)
• Anil kumble is the best bowler of world cricket.(from Sumith.v.s, Oct 2012)
• Best ODI TEAM ever. (from Sumanasiri Srilankan, Sept 2012)
  1.Sanath Jayasuriya.
  2.Virendra Sewag.
  3.Adam Gilchrist (wk)
  4.sir viv Richards.
  5.Sachin Tendulkar.(cap)
  6.Michael Bevan.
  7.Jack Kallis.
  8.Andrew Flintoff
  9.Wasim Akram
  10.Saqlain Mustaq.
  11.Muththaiah Muralitharan.
  12.Glenn Mcgrath.
  13.Ricky ponting.
  14.Mike Hussey
  15.Shoib Akhtar.
• Message from Gunathilaka (SriLankan). Murali is the greatest ever do u think only offspin balls can do such a damage.(800wts,534wts). Murali's deliveries.
  1.The arm ball. (just come with the arm,more lbws 2.The Chinaman.(Bread and butter delivery.the stock ball. pitching outside off and cutting in to the off stump.one with,cocked wrist one with rolling fingers.drift it arrives unexpectedly.
  3.The over spinner(it's like leg spinner Googly) googly invent by English man 'BERNARD BOSANQUET' and more catches for closer fielders.
  4.The orthodox delivery.(quicker requires an equal and opposite wrist action balls angle and batsman pads and leaves him. wrist is flung at the last minute of slip towards.
  5.The undercutter. (The ball is rested on the palm and pushed out by the mound venus.result is muffled back spin that cause the ball to stay low.it works well in overcast conditions.the spin is suptle and not sharp.
  6.The Doosra(Boru ball) in the language of SINHALA,BORU'means (lies,not true) this ball is clever double bluff not changed the wrist.
  7. The top spinner (behave like china man but goes straight on. it's the ball that not spin.wrist flapped about like a served limb, hurling gyrating granade in to humid air.the ball did not turn. It hurried on bounced awakwardly no spin.
  8.The Lissa. (it's a devoloped ball for flipper. flipper was invented by the great AUSI 'CLARRI GRIMMET'any way, devoloping ball that skidded and changed direction.not bounced much.
  9.The Leaper(more like Lissa but little bit bounce.
  10.The Darter(the ball back spin and ball shoots off the pitch at pace strangly.
  11.The speed ball.shahid afridi also succeses with this.
  12.The Floater(ball with open chest and a shrug of the shoulders causing the ball to linger in the air.the ball stay in the air slightly longer than appeared physically possible.
  13.The double bounce ball(the mystery of mystery ball's a ball that bounce and changed direction in twice.
  14.The normal off spinner.
  15.Unfortunately murali did not ball this.THE CARROM FLICK(release the ball with finger just like when u r playing carrom.
• TOP BOWLERS EVER (list from Gunathilaka, Srilankan, Aug 2012)
  1.Murali, test 230inns Ave.22.72 800wits ODI 341inns Ave23.03 Econ3.93,534wts
  2. W.Akram test181inns Ave23.62,414wts ODI351inns Ave23.52 Ecn3.89,502wts
  3. S.Warne test273inns Ave25.41,708wts ODI191inns Ave25.73 Ecn4.25
  4. S.Barnes test27mts Ave16.43,189wts
  5. J.Garner test111inns Ave23.36,259wts ODI 98inns Ave18.84 Ecn3.09 146wts
  6. sir RJ Hadlee test150inns Ave22.29,431wts ODI112inns Ave21.5 Econ3.3 158wts
  7. A.Donald test129inns Ave22.25,330wts ODI 162inns Ave21.78 Ecn4.15,272wts
  8. G.Mcgrath test243inns Ave21.64,563wts ODI 248inns Ave22.02 Ecn3.88,390wts
  9. D.Lilee test132inns Ave23.92,355wts ODI inns Ave20.82 Ecn3.58,103wts
  10. MA.Holding test113inns Ave23.68,wts249 ODI 102inns Ave21.36 Ecn3.32,142wts    
  11. C.Ambrose test 179inns Ave20.99,405wts  ODI 175inns Ave24.12 Ecn3.48,225wts
  12. W.Younis test154inns Ave.23.56,373wts ODI 258inns Ave23.84 Ecn4.68 416wts
  13. MD.Marshall test 151inns Ave20.94,376wts ODI 134inns Ave26.96 Ecn3.53 157wts
  14. S.Pollock test 202inns Ave23.11,421wts ODI 297inns Ave24.5 Ecn3.67,393wts
  15. Imran Khan test142inns Ave22.81,362wts ODI 153inns Ave26.61 Ecn3.89,182wts
  16. AME.Roberts tests 90inns Ave25.61,202wts ODI 56mts Ave20.35,87wts
  17. J.Gillespie test137inns Ave26.13,259wts ODI 96inns Ave25.42 Ecn4.21,142wts
  18. FS.Trueman test127inns Ave21.57,307wts
  19. C.Walsh test 242inns Ave24.44,579wts ODI 204inns Ave30.47 Econ3.83,225wts
  20. Saqlain Mushtaq test 86inns Ave29.83,208wts ODI 165inns Ave21.78 Ecn4.29,288wts
• Would you believe this MURALITHARAN, starts cricket in school as a fast baller but his coach impresses with his unusual arm and he bigins to practise little MURALI as a spin bowler . Even Murali got 800 wts jealousy people used to say He played most of the time in spining track but we know, in a test series not use same track all the games. Murali is a wrist spiner that's why he is so succes. and he has 14 bowling deliveries no one know it, otherwise SHANE WARNE has great opportunity in a test match of a fast bowling track in a 4,5 day there is a big rough patches in it. in that case he is not great in ODIs (from LAHIRU, July 2012)
• MURALI is the greatest but As a fast bowler WASIM AKRAM IS THE GREATEST because not an easy task of bowling in hard batting tracks SO GREAT IMRAN KHAN, WASIM AKRAM,WAQUAR YOĂ NIS uses deadly Reverse inswing, Reverse outswing,normal inswing outswing,high arm deadly yorker,nasty fasty bouncer,straight dream delivery, Reverse swinging yorkers. and also Great sanath (masterblaster)says about WASIM and WAQUAR 's greatness . but McGRA..bowling in green tracks, HIS nick name is white pigeon ..but it is unfair beĂĄuse SANATH smashes him he told SANATH !'BLACK MONKEY' AND GREATEST THEIF in world cricket robbed 2007 WCUP using scosh ball in his glove when he is batting. Every body knows him.anyway LASITH MALINGA FOLLOWS WASIM  AND WAQUAR specially their yorkers (from KESHARA, July 2012)
• Shakib is the greatest (from hrith, July 2012)
• Wasim Akram is the best bowler in the world. he have all kind of verity of swing. (from shahnam jahanzaib, April 2012)