Top 10 fast-bowlers in ODI cricket at the moment

It is often said that batsmen set up the game and bowlers finish things off. One of the finest sights in cricket is seeing a fast bowler bowl a match-winning or a match-defining spell.

A batsman nicking a wonderful out-swinger, a nip-backer (in-swinger) going through the gate and hitting the stumps, the batsman hopping and jumping to avoid nasty bouncers are some of the best sights for a fast bowler.

Cricket is a game considered to be dominated by batsmen. However, there have been instances where the bowlers have come up trumps. Over the years, the art of fast bowling has evolved in many ways. With this evolution has come different styles and techniques to counter batsmen's plans. Accuracy, speed and variations have become important and fast bowlers have adapted well.

Fast bowlers have often proven to be match-winners and on that note, here are the 10 best fast bowlers in the world in ODIs at the moment.

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#10 Mashrafe Mortaza

Popularly known as the ‘Narail Express’, Mashrafe Mortaza was the first real quick bowler from Bangladesh. He can generate disconcerting bounce with his strong and quick-arm action.

Mortaza’s career has been plagued by injuries, resulting in his premature retirement from Test cricket. But his performances in one-day cricket have been very good.

Using the new ball well and exhibiting control during the powerplay and death overs has been a big feature of his bowling. Since the start of 2015, he has taken the most wickets for Bangladesh in ODIs. He has scalped 49 wickets in 35 matches at a very good economy rate of 4.9.

He is one of the major reasons for Bangladesh’s rise in international cricket. As the captain, as a bowler and as a senior player, he has marshalled his troops very well.

#9 Tim Southee

Tim Southee is one of the best exponents of swing

When we talk about swing, Tim Southee is one of the best exponents of it. He forms one of the world’s best new ball partnerships, with Trent Boult. Southee’s strength lies in his seam-position and the swing he generates even on dead tracks.

When conditions are favourable, Southee has the ability to run through a side, something that was evident in the World Cup game against England in 2015 when he took 7/33 to bundle them out for 123. He took 15 wickets in that World Cup, helping New Zealand reach the final and has continued his form in the following years, picking up more than 50 wickets in the last three years.

Southee, along with Boult, continues to spearhead New Zealand’s bowling attack in all formats of the game and the Kiwis will hope he keeps providing them with breakthroughs early and at the death.

#8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is lethal with the new ball

Bhuvi, as his teammates call him, burst onto the international scene as a bowler who didn’t have much pace but could fox the batsmen with his wily swing. Early on in his career, swing and control were his main weapons. He was brilliant up front with the new ball but struggled in the middle and death overs, which often resulted in captains finishing off his quota of overs very quickly.

In the last couple of years, Bhuvneshwar has added an extra yard of pace while maintaining his swing. He has turned into an excellent death bowler and can be relied upon to do the job for his team. He has a good cricketing brain and more often than not anticipates what the batsmen are attempting.

In 2017, he has enjoyed a fair run, picking up 15 wickets. He was also India’s leading wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy this year.

#7 Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman has had a great start to his international career

Mustafizur Rahman shot into the limelight after a stellar debut series against India in June 2015 where he picked up 11 wickets in his first two ODIs (becoming the first bowler to do so).

Known for his accuracy and impressive variations, Mustafizur has continued his splendid form and is still very effective in ODIs and T20s. Having picked up 44 wickets in the 22 ODIs he’s played, not only does he have an impressive average of 19.80, but also an excellent strike-rate of 24.25.

The Fizz has many variations up his sleeve and uses them to great effect. As is the case with almost every bowler, batsmen, recently, have figured a way to play him out but he has shown impressive consistency in his game and has improved as a bowler.

#6 Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes has taken 17 wickets this year

Chris Woakes has emerged as one of the best all-rounders in the world in ODI cricket at the moment. Very few players have had such consistency with both bat and ball in the last three years.

Woakes has been a regular in the one-day set-up for England and enjoyed a brilliant 2017 before a side strain he suffered during the Champions Trophy kept him out of action. In eight one-dayers that he has played this year, he has taken 17 wickets at a very good average of 18.24 and economy of 4.92 runs per over, excellent considering the gargantuan scores teams notch up these days.

Moreover, he has added extra pace to his arsenal which gives him an additional zip off the surface. Ranked No. 11 in the world at the moment, Woakes is always looking to improve and add extra dimensions to his bowling.

#5 Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins is one of the quickest bowlers in the world

Pat Cummins is one of the most exciting fast bowlers across formats. His raw pace and ability to extract steep bounce make him a valuable asset to the Aussies.

After an impressive debut in South Africa, his career was affected by a lot of injuries, but he now seems to have found a way to remain fit, going on to establish himself as one of Australia’s premier pacers. Cummins has played in 24 ODIs, picking up 41 wickets since the start of 2015.

With Cummins finally looking fit and dangerous, Australia will be hard to beat.

#4 Trent Boult

Trent Boult can be dangerous even on unresponsive pitches

One half of the greatest new-ball pair in New Zealand history (the other is Tim Southee), the left-arm quick presents a significant threat to batsmen around the world with his ability to move the ball both ways, even on unresponsive pitches.

Boult has been a key member of New Zealand’s side in all three formats and leads the bowling attack along with Southee. He has been in stellar form for the last 2-3 years in all formats, picking up wickets regularly. Since the start of 2015, Boult has taken 80 wickets in 41 ODIs at a very good average of 24.80. He was also the joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2015 World Cup.

Boult, who is still only 28 years old, is one of the most skilful bowlers in the world today.

#3 Josh Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood forms a potent partnership with Mitchell Starc for Australia

A tall and accurate fast bowler, unrelenting with his line and length, Josh Hazlewood became a permanent member of the Australian side soon after his Test debut in 2014 as stalwarts like Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson retired in 2015.

Hazlewood has become one of Australia’s go-to bowlers recently. He offers great control and keeps things simple. In the last three years, he has picked up 54 wickets in 32 ODIs at a brilliant average of 23.81 and an economy of 4.5, which is excellent. He is Australia’s leading wicket-taker this year (19 wickets) in the 50-over format.

In his short career, comparisons with legend Glenn McGrath have already been made and many expect him to emulate the Aussie legend. Although a long way off hitting McGrath's heights, Hazlewood can certainly spearhead the Australian attack for the next few years.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah's unique action has helped him stump batsmen all over the world

It has been a year and a half since Jasprit Bumrah made his international debut and his stock has constantly been on the rise. The variety he brings to the table is invaluable. Starting off as a T20 specialist, Bumrah slowly became India’s premier bowler in ODIs as well. His stats speak for themselves. With 41 wickets in 21 ODIs and 34 wickets in 25 T20Is, Bumrah is one of the best limited-overs bowlers at the moment.

He is the X-factor teams across the globe crave, with a lethal yorker and a brilliant slower delivery.

#1 Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada's rise has been meteoric

A genuinely quick bowler who can reach speeds of 145-150 kph on a regular basis, Rabada is one of the best fast bowlers at the moment. Rabada has express pace and produces disconcerting bounce that troubles the batsmen.

He became only the second bowler to take a hat-trick on ODI debut when he took a six-fer against Bangladesh in 2015. Since his debut (June 2015), he has taken 65 wickets in 40 ODI games with a very good strike-rate of 30.83.

Whenever Rabada bowls, he does so with pace and aggression. His emergence has certainly helped South Africa as he has become the leader of the attack. With age on his side, he can scale greater heights and possibly lead South Africa to World Cup glory in the future.