Star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah registered his career-best ODI figures as India bowled out England for a paltry total of 110, before chasing down the total with all 10 wickets to spare. Bumrah dismissed four England batters on duck, registering figures of six for 19 in 7.2 overs. Following his exploits in the first ODI, several experts and ex-cricketers have suggested that Bumrah is currently the best bowler across formats, ahead of the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Trent Boult. However, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt feels that Shaheen isn't far behind Bumrah, in terms of his wicket-taking abilities.
Butt said that Bumrah has already played a lot of cricket, the 22-year-old Pakistan pacer is still learning his trade, adding that Shaheen will only get better.
"Shaheen has not played that much yet but he is not behind. In fact, he'll only get better with experience. He has more pace, and offers different angle. Both are elite bowlers of world cricket. Watching both Bumrah and Shaheen bowl is fun. When they're bowling with the new ball, you can feel that the wicket might come at any time, which isn't the case with many bowlers. Nonetheless, for a 22-year-old guy to perform consistently at this level is not easy. So, there shouldn't be any comparisons at the moment," Butt said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
Bumrah jumped three places to reach the top of the ICC ODI bowlers rankings, ahead of Boult.
Shaheen is third in the list, followed by Australia's Josh Hazlewood in fourth.