Waqar Younis

Batsmen did not just struggle against Waqar Younis; they flinched. With a slinging action that generated lethal reverse swing, he delivered toe-crushing yorkers at terrifying pace, often leaving a trail of shattered stumps. His ability to bend the ball late made him nearly unplayable, especially on subcontinental pitches where reverse swing thrived.

Waqar burst onto the scene as a teenager, making his Test debut against India in 1989 in the same match as Sachin Tendulkar. He formed a devastating new-ball partnership with Wasim Akram, and his own brilliance brought him 373 Test wickets and 416 in one-day internationals. He took 22 five-wicket hauls in Tests, and through the early 1990s his strike rate was among the best the game had seen from a fast bowler.

Beyond numbers, Waqar changed how the world viewed fast bowling. He overcame a serious back injury in the mid-1990s, captained Pakistan, and later served two stints as the national side's head coach. His yorker remains a template for modern bowlers, and his fierce competitiveness defined an era of Pakistan cricket. He is remembered as one of the greatest strike bowlers the game has seen.