After Jasprit Bumrah registered the best bowling figures of 6/19 by an Indian on English soil in the first ODI against England at The Oval on Tuesday, India legend Sachin Tendulkar and former England captain Michael Vaughan had labeled him as the “best bowler across formats”. Even the likes of Nasser Hussain and Jos Buttler had acknowledged that there was no doubt that Jasprit Bumrah was indeed the finest all-format bowler around. However, that claim has now been confronted by ex-Pakistan skipper Salman Butt who reckons that Shaheen Shah Afridi ala Shaheen Afridi is better than the Indian pace spearhead.
Shaheen Shah Afridi earned rave reviews from Salman Butt who feels that despite being all of 22, the left-arm fast bowler was among the best speedsters in the world because of his accuracy, speed, and impeccable line and length.
Salman Butt also highlighted the fact that Shaheen Afridi was an impact bowler who has often put Pakistan in command of matches with his solid performances.
Just like Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Shah Afridi was lethal with both the new and old ball and could trouble top opposition batters with his huge arsenal of deliveries.
At 22, Shaheen Afridi is already a veteran in international cricket, having played for Pakistan since the age of 17.
On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah has become the mainstay of India's bowling ever since he debuted in national colors in 2016. Earlier this month, he became the first speedster to captain Team India in more than 35 years. He is currently the No.1 bowler in ICC's ODI rankings.
“See, Shaheen hasn't played as much cricket but he is among the very best. He is no less than him (Bumrah). In fact, Shaheen with experience, will only get better and then he has more pace and offers a different angle. See, both are world cricket's finest and watching them bowl is an exciting experience. It's great fun to watch both Bumrah and Shaheen perform, and the way they bowl with the new ball it feels as if a wicket can go down anytime. You don't get this feeling watching any other bowler,” Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel.
“Nonetheless, for a 20-year-old bowler to perform in the manner that he has is not easy. Both are outstanding. Obviously, Bumrah has played a lot more and is a brilliant performer so at the moment, there shouldn't be any comparison. One has played a lot, the other not so much,” Salman Butt added.
Salman Butt's remarks came in the backdrop of Jasprit Bumrah's record-breaking display in the first ODI against the Three Lions.
The 28-year-old pacer ripped apart the English top order before ending the English innings with figures of 6/19, the best by an Indian bowler on British soil.
En route to his remarkable performance, Jasprit Bumrah went past Kuldeep Yadav, who held the record for the previous best bowling display in the United Kingdom. The chinaman spinner had recorded figures of 6/25 in 2018.
Jasprit Bumrah’s scintillating show in London earned him the title of the “best bowler across formats” from India legend Sachin Tendulkar and former England skipper Michael Vaughan who hailed him for consistently troubling batters in T20s, ODIs, and Test matches.
“Without any question, he (Jasprit Bumrah) is the best bowler across all formats by a country mile. You can put Shaheen Shah Afridi, Trent Boult, these kind of bowlers in that kind of category but Jasprit Bumrah with his pace, his skills, wobble seam, swing, yorkers and dipping slower balls, continuously always seems to get better and better,” Michael Vaughan said on Cricbuzz after India’s 10-wicket triumph against England in the first ODI.
“All the batters now have seen plenty of him over the last few years but there is still a very few that can really get on top of Jasprit Bumrah in T20 cricket, in 50-over cricket and also in Test cricket… I just think he is miles ahead of anyone else,” Michael Vaughan added.
“I’ve been of the opinion for a while now that Bumrah is the best bowler across formats. It was good to hear Nasser Hussain agree with me on-air,” Sachin Tendulkar stated.
Jasprit Bumrah began his six-wicket haul with the wicket of England opener Jason Roy who failed to trouble the scorers as he got bowled for a duck in the second over of the contest.
The Ahmedabad-born fast bowler then got rid of the dangerous Joe Root and the swashbuckling Jonny Bairstow for zero and seven respectively.
Joe Root in particular had no clue whatsoever as the ball jumped from a good length area before taking an outside edge of his bat. The 31-year-old cricketer who was in the form of life in recent Test matches against both New Zealand and India was caught behind by Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Jasprit Bumrah, subsequently, scalped the wickets of Liam Livingstone, David Willey, and Brydon Carse to become the first Indian pacer to take six wickets on English soil in a One-Day International.
Bumrah’s figures of 6/19 are also the third-best figures by an Indian with Stuart Binny with his 6/4 against Bangladesh in 2014 and Anil Kumble with his 6/12 against West Indies in 1993 ahead of him.
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