3 bowlers who could break Shoaib Akhtar's 161.3 km/h speed record

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is known as one of the most formidable pacers in cricket history. The sight of Akhtar running in full speed from the boundary to deliver thunderbolts gave many batters an eerie feeling throughout their careers.

Whenever the Pakistan speedster came on to bowl, all eyes were fixated on the speed gun as he would breach the 150 kmph mark with utmost ease. Akhtar also etched his name in the history books, recording the fastest ever delivery bowled in international cricket. He clocked 161.3 km/h against England at the 2003 World Cup.

More than two decades later, a new generation of fast bowlers is also pushing the limits of pace and could well break Akhtar’s record. Here are the top three pacers who have the potential to break Akhtar's record:

1. Qayyum Khan

Known for producing fast bowlers one after the other, Pakistan have another young prospect in Qayyum Khan. The right-arm fast bowler recently clocked 152 km/h at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) during the PCB’s fast bowlers development camp. He regularly operates in the 145-150 km/h range and has already attracted attention despite having no first-class experience

Qayyum developed his pace playing tape-ball cricket before progressing through the domestic system. Given his tremendous potential, he has a great chance to break Akhtar’s record if given the right guidance.

2. Mayank Yadav

India’s Mayank Yadav turned heads as he burst onto the scene in the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024), repeatedly breaching 150 km/h. He picked up 3 for 27 from his four overs on his debut against Punjab Kings. He further picked up 3/14 in his four overs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, producing a 156.7 km/h delivery.

While Mayank’s career has so far been marred by injuries, he could well push towards the 160 km/h milestone with consistency and has the advantage of age on his side.

3. Umran Malik

Umran Malik was another fast bowler who rose to the limelight due to his express pace in the Indian Premier League 2021 playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He clocked 156.9 km/h in IPL 2022, which remains the fastest recorded delivery by an Indian bowler in the IPL.

However, after his initial burst, Malik has also faced repeated injuries, which have kept him out of action for a long time. With age on his side, Malik could also threaten to shatter Akhtar’s record if he gets another chance at the international level.