Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah is being counted amongst the best bowlers going around in the world. The pacer has now got a vote of approval from one of the legends of the game and former Australia captain Ricky Ponting who states that Bumrah is the best multi-format bowlers in the world for the last 5-6 years.
Speaking to the ICC Review, Ponting said, “I’ve said it for a long time, he’s probably been the best multi-format bowler there’s been in world cricket for the last five or six years,”
The former Aussie skipper said that he had his doubts about Bumrah a couple of years back ,when he was struck with injury, on whether the pacer would be able to come back the same but watching his performance in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024, all doubts have vanished.
“There might have been some fears a couple of years ago when the injuries come in and ‘would he come back the same?’, but I think he’s actually come back better… If I watch what he did in the T20 World Cup – the pace is still there, there’s nothing that’s changed with the accuracy or what he can deliver. The skillset is all the same. He’s getting better year on year. So, he would rank right up there,” Ponting added
Jasprit Bumrah a nightmare:
Ponting stated that in order to gauge the impact of Bumrah, he talked to a lot of players who faced Bumrah and those batters told him that the Indian pacer is a ‘nightmare’ to face.
“The greatest way to always get a real gauge on these players is by asking (other) players. And when you talk to opposition batsmen about him (Bumrah) in particular, it’s always, ‘No, he’s a nightmare! You never know what’s going to happen… One’s going to swing, one’s going to seam, he’s going to bowl an in-swinger, he’s going to bowl an out-swinger,”
Ponting also drew comparisons between Bumrah and other greats of the game like Glenn McGrath and James Andreson, stating, “When you’ve got that skillset and the consistency that he has, then you’re going to be a great player. Look at (Glenn) McGrath, look at (James) Anderson, these guys, their longevity and their skills being able to hold up for such a long period of time is what separates them from the rest,”
