Former Pakistan fast-bowler Mohammad Sami has come up with an interesting claim, saying he is the holder of two of the game’s fastest deliveries ever. He supposedly recorded speeds of 162 kph and 164 kph within one game, but they were not counted officially due to a technological error.
“There was a match where I bowled two deliveries at speeds of 162 kph and 164 kph. But I was told that the bowling machine was not working, so they were not counted.
Even if you look at bowling history overall, the bowlers who have crossed the 160 kph-limited have done it only once or twice. It’s not like they kept doing it continuously,”
the 41-year-old told paktv.tv.
Erratic for most parts, Sami was indeed quick in his heyday, clocking 156.4 kph in an ODI against Zimbabwe in Sharjah back in 2003. In officially recorded balls, that is the fastest he has bowled in international cricket.
However, the fast-bowler personally thinks he did overhaul the 160-mark, not just once but twice in a match. The former right-arm seamer, who played 36 Tests, 87 ODIs and 13 T20Is for his national side in a career spanning 2001 to 2016, didn’t detail which game he was speaking of but mentioned that the bowling machines were not working that day.
Doubts can be raised against the claim with a counter-question if the bowling machines for the day were not working, why is Sami sure he bowled twice in excess of 160 kph.
Notably, the fastest ball recorded in international cricket to date is from Sami’s fellow Pakistani quick Shoaib Akhtar, who clocked 161 kph for a ball against New Zealand in 2002. Akhtar also breached the 100 mph mark during an ODI against England in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
