T20 World Cup 2022: 5 fastest bowlers you'll see this year

There's quite nothing like raw pace, especially on big stages like the T20 World Cup. One of the most exhilirating aspects of the sport, fast bowling has often lit up ICC events and brought fans to the edge of their seats.

The 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup is no different, with several out-and-out fast bowlers primed to make a mark in favorable Australian conditions. A few big names like Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah will sadly be missing from the action, but that doesn't mean cricket fans will be starved of watching the game's quickest steam in.

Obviously, there's no clear metric to rank the speedsters below, so we attempt to quantify the impact they make to their respective sides. Here are the five fastest bowlers you'll see in this year's T20 World Cup.

Honorable Mentions: Odean Smith, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mitchell Starc, Adam Milne, Mohammad Hasnain

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#5 Alzarri Joseph

A player who has improved leaps and bounds as a white-ball bowler over the last couple of years, Alzarri Joseph has become the West Indies' go-to wicket-taking option. He's very raw in T20I cricket, having only recently made his debut in the format, but he remains one of the game's quickest bowlers right now.

Capable of hitting the early 150s (kph) on a regular basis, as evidenced in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League, Joseph has managed to bowl both hard lengths and yorkers regularly. He and his team are in a spot of bother, though, having been thrashed by Scotland in their first game of the T20 World Cup.

Joseph is important to the West Indies, but since he doesn't perform a clear role for the team, he is ranked at #5 on this list.

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#4 Lockie Ferguson

New Zealand have an army of talented pacers at their disposal and can call upon not one but two express fast bowlers from their 2022 T20 World Cup squad. While Adam Milne's pace has gone down a touch due to injury, Lockie Ferguson remains as quick and deadly as ever.

Also capable of touching the 150-kph mark regularly, Ferguson is New Zealand's enforcer in the middle overs. He complements names like Tim Southee and Trent Boult, who swing the new ball, excellently. The Kiwis are definite underdogs this year, though, and Ferguson has only two wickets in his last five T20s. As a result, he finds himself at #4.

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#3 Anrich Nortje

Like New Zealand, South Africa have an enviable pace battery for this year's T20 World Cup. Apart from the express Anrich Nortje, the Proteas have names like Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen in the mix.

Nortje is primarily a middle-overs enforcer, similar to other bowlers of his ilk. But he is often brought on by captain Temba Bavuma as a wicket-taking option in the powerplay and at the death. Given his unique skillset and all-phase prowess, Nortje is invaluable to South Africa and is ranked at #3.

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#2 Haris Rauf

Undoubtedly one of the best death bowlers in the world, Haris Rauf has become Pakistan's go-to man in the format. Often bowling two overs in the powerplay and two at the death, the 28-year-old has impressed everyone with his control and raw pace.

Rauf is excellent at hitting the yorker and has a potent slower ball as well. Few death bowlers in the world have his pace and control, and he is definitely one of the first names on the Pakistan T20I teamsheet.

Rauf would be a shoo-in for #1 on this list given his importance to Pakistan's plans, but the Men in Green have other capable fast bowlers like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. They might not be as good as Rauf at the death, but they ensure that Pakistan have the resources to cover for his absence in this year's T20 World Cup.

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#1 Mark Wood

Needless to say, England don't have anyone who can do what Mark Wood does in their T20 World Cup squad. In Archer's absence, as the only out-and-out fast bowler in the line-up, the Durham man is worth his weight in gold.

When Wood cranks it up, he really cranks it up. Perhaps the most consistent exponent of high pace in the world right now, the 32-year-old is a fearsome white-ball bowler capable of hitting hard lengths and producing wickets out of nowhere.

Wood is world-class, even if he can be a touch expensive at times. And since England's T20 World Cup campaign hinges heavily on him, he finds himself perched atop this list.