Former World Cup-winning captain Michael Clarke has faced many of the fast bowlers throughout his career, including the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Shaun Tait. These bowlers were a challenge for any team because they could produce a lot of paces. Clarke, recently, spoke about the fastest bowler he faced during his career.
Clarke was expected to do big things after his debut against India in 2004 and was considered to be a leader when Ricky Ponting retired. In the late 2000s, he was appointed Australia’s captain, and he went on to win the World Cup in 2015 before retirement. Throughout his successful and impressive career, the former graceful right-handed hitter scored runs in both the longer formats. He ended his career with nearly 17000 runs across formats and was always the opposing team’s main wicket.
In his playing days, the question of who was the fastest among Akhtar, Brett Lee, and Tait was still on everyone’s mind. Both speedsters will often strike the batsmen’s ribcages, averaging in at 150 kmph. Clarke also spoke of how Warne played with the stresses he faced off the field. Clarke praised Warne’s mental stability, describing it as his greatest strength.Michael Clarke opens up on the fastest bowler he faced during his career.
Lee was quick, but Shoaib was even faster: Clarke
During an appearance on the Uncensored Show, Clarke named Shoaib Akhtar as the fastest bowler he stood up against.“Shoaib Akhtar was the fastest I have faced. He could bowl 160. Different type of bowler who could bowl quick for three overs. Flintoff was quick for 12 overs. Lee was quick. Shoaib was quicker. Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, and Jason Gillespie were fast. But Shoaib Akhtar was the fastest,” Clarke said.
For a long time, the cricketing world was impressed by Akhtar’s performance and run-up. He had a variety of paces in his collection, including the yorker, bouncer, and clever slower ball. Whether it was in Tests or ODIs, Akhtar was the captain’s go-to bowler anytime he required wickets.
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