Cricket
Who Was the Best Test Bowler of the 1990s? A Ranking
As bowling in Test cricket continues its evolution, some maintain a nostalgic yearning for the blistering speed and iconic spin of the 1990s. Fast bowling in the longest format has undergone a significant shift in recent years, moving away from its previous pace-heavy emphasis. Similarly, spinners have begun incorporating more variations, with some becoming specialists at halting opposition scoring over only wickets.
Image Credits: ICC
Legends of these respective forms, from Wasim Akram and Allan Donald to Shane Warne, gained reputations for terrorising batsmen.
SportsBoom has looked at 1990s cricket legends bowling to see who stands at the top, based on analytical data and what the experts say.
These two factors have been combined to create the SB Market Index, which will determine this elite ranking of cricket stars from the decade.
SB Market Index: How We Evaluate the Best Bowlers of the 1990s
SportsBoom’s evaluation (aka the SB Market Index) combines a statistical analysis of their performances throughout the decade with expert and media perception to provide a comprehensive ranking.
Industry Insights
This score is a curated analysis from top 10 cricketing and sports media sources measuring how prominently each bowler is featured in discussions of the ‘greatest bowlers of the 1990s’.
Industry Insights
| Source Name | SK Warne | CEL Ambrose | CA Walsh | Wasim Akram | AA Donald |
| Wisden – ‘Cricketers of the 1990s’ Retrospective | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ESPNcricinfo – ‘Team of the 90s’ feature | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cricbuzz – ‘Decade in Review: The 1990s’ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sky Sports Cricket – ‘90s Legends’ special | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| The Guardian – ‘Defining Cricketers of the Decade’ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cricket.com.au – ‘The Fearsome Fast Bowlers of the 90s’ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Reddit r/Cricket – "Best Bowler of the 90s" Poll | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bleacher Report – ‘Ranking the Top Bowlers of the 90s’ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| The Cricketer – ‘Faces of the Nineties’ article | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| TalkSPORT – ‘Best Ashes Performers of the 90s’ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Mentions | 9 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 7 |
SB Score
This was calculated based on three key career metrics during the 1990s: bowling average (40% weightage), bowling strike rate (35% weightage), and total wickets (25% weightage).
SB Score
| Player | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate | SB Score |
| AA Donald | 284 | 21.83 | 45.76 | 0.957 |
| Wasim Akram | 289 | 21.45 | 48.90 | 0.941 |
| CEL Ambrose | 309 | 20.14 | 52.25 | 0.931 |
| SK Warne | 351 | 25.66 | 64.31 | 0.782 |
| CA Walsh | 304 | 25.97 | 59.47 | 0.733 |
SB Market Index
For this ranking of the greatest bowlers, 90s era, the analytical SB Score and the media consensus Industry Insights were combined for the final SB Market Index.
SB Market Index
| Rank | Player | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | Wasim Akram | 0.941 | 9 | 7.388 |
| 2 | CEL Ambrose | 0.931 | 9 | 7.386 |
| 3 | SK Warne | 0.782 | 9 | 7.356 |
| 4 | AA Donald | 0.957 | 7 | 5.791 |
| 5 | CA Walsh | 0.733 | 5 | 4.147 |
The Kings of Swing and Seam: Akram and Ambrose
Interestingly, this analysis has resulted in almost identical scores for Wasim Akram and Curtly Ambrose, both vaunted for their bowling for their respective countries.
These two pace bowlers were known for their vastly different styles, with the Pakistan legend able to swing and the West Indies icon relying more on his pure pace.
Despite these approaches, they were only separated in terms of the SB Score by their bowling average, with the King of Swing leading the way in this specific metric.
Both Akram and Ambrose achieved an equal score in expert consensus, reflecting their status as masters of red ball cricket and place among the best in the business.
The Spin Wizard in a Pacer's Era: Shane Warne
Another interesting consideration for this ranking is the placement of Shane Warne, who stands out as a spin wizard in an era famously dominated by fast bowlers.
Looking at the SB Score, the late Australian icon exceeds the next bowler on the list by 50 wickets and is widely celebrated in Tests and in the broader game.
Warne also achieved the same Industry Insights score as Ambrose and Akram, due to his esteem among the curated media sources as one of the greatest.
He is credited for revolutionising leg spin, which many at the time had believed to be a dying form, inspiring newer stars like Kuldeep Yadav and Rashid Khan.
The White Lightning: Allan Donald
In terms of the purely statistical score, Allan Donald also stands out in this analysis, thanks to his sterling average of 21.83 and superior strike rate of 45.76.
Living up to his nickname of Witblits, meaning White Lightning, he was an architect of South Africa’s resurgence following the fall of the apartheid regime.
As the first South African bowler to reach the 300 Test wickets mark, Donald is another respected figure and transitioned into coaching after retiring.
His effectiveness marked him as one of the top fast bowlers of the nineties and he remains one of the Protea’s most successful ‘ball merchants’ of all time.
Conclusion on a Golden Era of Bowling
When looking at the best of 90s cricket nostalgia bowling stars, based on SportsBoom’s model that heavily favours expert consensus, Wasim Akram, Curtly Ambrose, and Shane Warne are in a virtual tie for the most impactful bowlers.
Allan Donald also achieved an impressive SB Score, due to his performance in the longest format, while another West Indies icon, Courtney Walsh, was in an admirable fifth position in the ranking based on his wicket-taking talents.
One thing is clear when looking at the final results: the 1990s were truly a hallowed era for bowlers, with factors like bowling pairings, broader rule changes in the sport, and the rise of pace and spin legends combining ideally.
Bruce Douglas has more than 12 years of experience in local news media. He has worked at all levels of print and online publication, from crime and politics to photography, newspaper layout, proofreading, mentoring, sub-editing, and leading a newsroom. He played numerous sports at the school level and enjoys keeping up to date.