Did 17-year-old Sri Lankan bowl the fastest ball ever?

In Bloemfontein on Sunday, in what turned out to be a disappointing game for Sri Lanka Under-19 cricket team as they went down to India by 90 runs in their World Cup opener, one particular moment might have brought home a world record for the Islanders.

Well, almost! In the 4th over of the Indian innings, fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana bowled a wide delivery to Yashasvi Jaiswal, which was recorded at 175kph (108mph), making it the fastest recorded ball ever bowled in international cricket - across all levels.

Even though the umpire signaled a wide, the speed-gun recorded the astronomical pace of the delivery as it zoomed past Jaiswal and into the wicketkeeper's gloves.

Before this, the fastest ever recorded delivery in international cricket was bowled by former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar when he let one rip at 161.3kph (100mph) in an ODI vs England during the World Cup 2003.

However, it turned out that there was an error in the recording. Shoaib Akhtar, therefore, still owns the record for the fastest ball delivered.

Source: India Today

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