Records are made to be broken. Some records, though, seem that will not be broken ever. One such record is of former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who holds the record for the fastest ball in international cricket.
In Pakistan’s match against England during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, Shoaib Akhtar bowled the fastest delivery in cricket, recording he speed of 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph).
Clocking 100 mph is a far-fetched dream for most fast bowlers, and Akhtar’s record has now stood for 20 years.
However, last year, England women’s team bowler Lauren Bell seem to have broken Akhtar’s record. The speedometer did say so, leaving everyone shocked. And to think it was Lauren Bell’s T20I debut; so she must remember it for a long time.
Playing against India at Chester-le-Street, on September 10, 2022, on her T20I debut, Lauren Bell delivered a ball that was clocked 107 mph (172 km/hr)! This flashed on the big screens, and elicited eyebrow-raising reactions from everyone.
Did Lauren Bell actually break Shoaib Akhtar’s record?
No. Soon everyone realized that it was a glitch in the speed-measuring machine. The commentators and everyone on social media had a good laugh about this incident.
So, Shoaib Akhtar’s record is safe and is likely to remain that way.
Women's sport is so under appreciated. Here's Lauren Bell breaking the record for the fastest delivery ever recorded in history and Mandhana plays it like it's nothing. No fuss. #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/jjvqo4w1sg
— Lalo Escőbar (@razor5edge) September 11, 2022
Bell returned with figures of 0/25 in 3 overs on her T20I debut. England won the match by 9 wickets, chasing India’s total of 132 with 7 overs left.
Meanwhile, Lauren Bell has had a good start to her T20I career. The 22-year-old right-arm pacer has taken 11 wickets in 8 T20Is and is part of the England team in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa. She has snapped 7 wickets in 5 ODIs and 2 wickets in 1 Test match.
