Athlete

Shoaib Akhtar

Pakistan fast bowler known as the Rawalpindi Express

2 sourced records. Each exercise has a top recorded mark and its evidence. Check the date, age, effort and method before you compare.

Shoaib Akhtar Cricket bowling speed

Shoaib Akhtar's recorded Cricket bowling speed is 161.3 km/h. Performance date: 2003-02-22. Age at the time: 27. This was a competition result. The source at guinnessworldrecords.com gives this mark. Source type: official result.

2003 Cricket World Cup, Pakistan against England, Cape Town · World Cup match at Newlands

Source quote and limits

“161.3 km/h (100.23 mph) by Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan) against England on 22 February 2003”

Fastest delivery of a cricket ball (male)

Guinness states the feat date. This is an electronic speed reading. Guinness also records the ICC warning that speed guns lack enough consistency for an ICC official world record; the entry retains that measurement limit.

Cricket bowling speed history. Methods and conditions can differ between records.
Date	Competition / season and method	Value	Unit	Source
2003-02-22age 27	2003 Cricket World Cup, Pakistan against England, Cape TownCricket bowling speed	161.3	km/h	guinnessworldrecords.com Evidence Official result; Competition; performance date 2003-02-22. Fastest delivery of a cricket ball (male) World Cup match at Newlands “161.3 km/h (100.23 mph) by Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan) against England on 22 February 2003” Guinness states the feat date. This is an electronic speed reading. Guinness also records the ICC warning that speed guns lack enough consistency for an ICC official world record; the entry retains that measurement limit.

Shoaib Akhtar Cricket bowling release speed

Shoaib Akhtar's recorded Cricket bowling release speed is 159.5 km/h. Performance date: 2002-04-12. Age at the time: 26. This was a competition result. The source at i.imgci.com gives this mark. Source type: news report. Confidence is medium.

Pakistan against Sri Lanka at Sharjah · Pakistan fast bowler; reported release speed at Sharjah

Source quote and limits

“bowling a ball with a release speed of 159.5k ph”

159. 5kph - Shoaib is the fastest

The Cricinfo report explicitly dates the delivery to 12 April 2002. Its account places him at Sharjah, and the opened Cricinfo bowling-speed table identifies Sri Lanka as the opponent on that date: https://i.imgci.com/link_to_database/STATS/FC/BOWLING/BOWLING_SPEEDS.html . The measure is release speed and is kept as the reported device reading. The later World Cup feat is separate.

Cricket bowling release speed history. Methods and conditions can differ between records.
Date	Competition / season and method	Value	Unit	Source
2002-04-12age 26	Pakistan against Sri Lanka at SharjahCricket bowling release speed	159.5	km/h	i.imgci.commedium confidence Evidence News report; Competition; performance date 2002-04-12. 159. 5kph - Shoaib is the fastest Pakistan fast bowler; reported release speed at Sharjah “bowling a ball with a release speed of 159.5k ph” The Cricinfo report explicitly dates the delivery to 12 April 2002. Its account places him at Sharjah, and the opened Cricinfo bowling-speed table identifies Sri Lanka as the opponent on that date: https://i.imgci.com/link_to_database/STATS/FC/BOWLING/BOWLING_SPEEDS.html . The measure is release speed and is kept as the reported device reading. The later World Cup feat is separate.

Submit evidence for Shoaib Akhtar

Photo: Khizer22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.