Australian cricket has always been known for its fast bowlers.
With Lindwall, Lillee, Thompson, McDermott, McGrath, Lee, Johnson, the current trio and others starring across the years, Australia have produced some amazing international seamers.
One reason why Australia often have such quality seamers is the depth of pace bowling at the First Class level, allowing those that are truly elite to rise to the top and excel against the rest of the world.
That’s also the case now, with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc the pick of a wider group of gun fast bowlers that could no doubt all do a great job for Australia.
With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at the current fast bowling crop in Australia to rank the top 10, while we’ve also named four youngsters to watch that could enter the frame for international selection in the coming years.
Check out the top 10 below.
1 - Pat Cummins (Australia)
The obvious choice. The Aussie captain is the best pace bowler in the world.
A gun in all formats and the standout with the red ball, Cummins could well go down as Australia’s greatest-ever paceman by the time his career wraps up.
A Test average of 22.05, an ODI average of 28.66 and a T20I average of 24.54. Just elite in every category.
2 - Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
Second is a harder choice, with Cummins’ two international teammates Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc also stars.
For us, Hazlewood gets the nod for his ability to get the best batsmen out in Test cricket consistently. A McGrath-like bowler, the New South Welshman averages 25.35 in Tests, 26.61 in ODIs and 20.36 in T20Is.
Has truly become a three-format bowler in recent seasons.
3 - Mitchell Starc (Australia)
One of the greatest new-ball bowlers in Aussie history, Starc is lightning fast and easily in the top three bowlers in the nation.
While he may be a touch below Cummins and Hazlewood in Tests, he has the best white-ball stats of the trio and will go down as an all-time great ODI and T20I bowler.
Averages of 27.55 in Tests, 22.96 in ODIs and 22.91 in T20Is. Starc has taken over 600 international wickets.
4 - Scott Boland (AUS/VIC/Stars)
In just about any other era, Boland would be a walk-up starter in any Australian Test team.
A true red-ball bowler, the 34-year-old burst onto the scene at international level in 2021 and averages a ridiculous 20.34 with the ball in Tests.
Not in the frame for ODI or T20I selection as some others on this list are, but Boland is definitely next in line should Australia need another Test seamer.
5 - Jhye Richardson (AUS/WA/Scorchers)
Another player who should have featured in more international cricket.
For Richardson though, it’s his body that has let him down instead of overall opportunity.
Aged 27, there’s still plenty of cricket ahead of him and you could easily see him at the top of this list or second behind Cummins once some other players retire or drop away.
A three-format bowler, Richardson averages less than 30 in Tests, ODIs and T20Is for Australia.
6 - Michael Neser (AUS/QLD/Heat)
Doesn’t have as much pace as the next two behind him, but Neser is another proven commodity in international cricket for Australia.
An accurate swing bowler who can genuinely bat, Neser is a red-ball star who also is a key component in the Brisbane Heat XI.
Averages 16.71 with the ball from his two Tests but now appears behind a couple of other Aussies in the pecking order to take over from the current trio.
7 - Lance Morris (WA/Scorchers)
‘The Wild Thing’.
Lance Morris has recently been included in Test squads and could make his ODI debut this summer as well.
Clearly highly rated by those at Cricket Australia, the 25-year-old can bowl at speeds near 150km/h and appears destined for international duties.
Another player who could theoretically play in all three formats. May feature alongside state and BBL teammate Jhye Richardson in a future first-choice Aussie bowling line-up.
8 - Spencer Johnson (AUS/SA/Heat)
A huge bolter that could even rise further from here. Johnson has only played four First Class games but has become a star in T20 franchise cricket and has made his ODI and T20I debut.
A tall-left armer that can also reach speeds of 150km/h, Johnson could even be the man to replace Starc if they want to keep a leftie in the side.
Has been let down by his body in previous years, but if he gets a clean bill of health, there’s no doubt Johnson could even be rewarded with a Cricket Australia contract on top of his $1.78 million IPL deal.
Watch out if things start to truly click for him playing for South Australia in the Shield competition.
9 - Sean Abbott (AUS/NSW/Sixers)
A white-ball specialist for Australia, Abbott was a part of the World Cup squad that won it all in India.
At 31, Abbott has figured out exactly how to confuse batsmen in the shorter formats of the game with some elite slower balls and smart tactics.
Averages 36.27 in ODI cricket and 25.57 in T20I cricket, but like Neser, is a proven lower-order batsman that can field as well.
While he may have missed the boat to play Test cricket, Abbott will be a consistent member of both white-ball squads for years to come.
10 - Nathan Ellis (AUS/TAS/Hurricanes)
Unlike the traditional Australian bowler, Ellis stands at just five feet nine inches, but that doesn’t affect him in the pace department.
A slippery quick with some elite-white ball skills, Ellis is also an ODI and T20I specialist for Australia averaging 38.20 and 17.31 respectively in each format.
The Hurricanes star has been named in the ODI and T20I squads to face the West Indies next month.
Youngsters to watch.
Xavier Bartlett is a 25-year-old who plays for the Brisbane Heat and Queensland. A strong pace bowler who has been included in his first ODI squad to face the West Indies.
Will Sutherland has also been included in that ODI squad. The 24-year-old already captains Victoria and presents as a potential medium-fast bowler who can bat at number seven. Took the most Shield wickets of any bowler last season with 41 @ 19.92.
Mitch Perry is Sutherland’s Victorian teammate and the 23-year-old looms as a red-ball specialist. An accurate quick, Perry took 29 Shield wickets last season @ 25.89 and is in the state’s first-choice line-up.
Jordan Buckingham is another Victorian, but one who plays for South Australia. The 23-year-old has played just 15 First Class games but averages 28.92 and appears to have a lot of scope for improvement.
