Wasim Akram Settles 'Jasprit Bumrah vs Shaheen Afridi' Debate Once And For All

Back to his best, Jasprit Bumrah put on a show with the new ball as India took on defending champions England in the Cricket World Cup 2023 clash on Sunday. The marquee pacer bagged three wickets in the match, including the golden duck incurred by Joe Root, to set the platform for India to win the high-profile contest. Seeing Bumrah perform at his best, cricketing great Wasim Akram lavished praise on the India star, saying he is better than the pace bowlers the Pakistan team has.

Bumrah wasn't a certainty for the World Cup, having spent most of the last year on the sidelines because of injury troubles. However, since making a comeback, the pacer has added new intensity to India's bowling attack, putting in consistent performances regularly. Akram was so impressed by Bumrah that he called him the 'best pacer in the world' right now. While Bumrah has often been compared with Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi, Akram seems to have completely ended that debate.

"He is the best in the world right now. Top of the ladder! The control, the pace, the variations, just a complete bowler. A treat to watch. With the new ball, to get this kind of movement on this kind of pitch ... pace, carry, follow-through... you name it he's a complete bowler," Wasim said in a chat on A-Sports.

Wasim also claimed that Bumrah is better than him when it comes to handling the new ball.

"When Bumrah is bowling to a left-hander from around the wicket and hits the ball on the seam... And when he's bowling from wide of the crease, the batter will think the ball is coming inside. He will play for that angle, but the ball hits the pitch and moves away rather than coming in. Most of the time, you are going to be beaten. When I used to bowl outswingers like that to right-handed batters with the new ball, sometimes I couldn't control the ball also. But Bumrah definitely has better control with the new ball than myself," Wasim further explained.

If wasim akram is praising your skill in bowling and saying bumrah has better control than him . It means you already become a legend. Long live bumrah . Best in the world. #WorldCup2023
pic.twitter.com/gTGSf8eLTC

— kirat_13 (@kirat1313_) October 30, 2023

Jokingly, the Pakistan cricket great suggested that the only way for the opponent team to stop Bumrah is to steal his spikes.

"The length where he bowls with the new ball is what creates uncertainty for the batters. Bumrah ka ek hi ilaaj hai uspe pressure daalne: uske spikes chori karlo. Aur koi hal nahi hai (There's only one way to put pressure on Bumrah. Steal his bowling spikes. There's no other cure)," the legendary pacer said.

"Why Bumrah is more lethal than Pakistan bowlers, because he plays more Test cricket, while our bowlers they don't play in the longer format enough," Akram explained.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Jasprit Bumrah Wasim Akram World Cup 2023 Cricket