![Jasprit Bumrah and Waqar Younis [Source: AFP, X]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1793260441489_Jasprit_Bumrah.jpg?type=hq)
Jasprit Bumrah and Waqar Younis [Source: AFP, X]
Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis has heaped significant praise on legendary Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah. According to Waqar, Bumrah is a force to be reckoned with, particularly in white-ball cricket.
However, the cricketer-turned-commentator believes the Indian pacer is yet to prove himself in Test matches for Team India.
Waqar says Bumrah not in the same league as Starc and Hazlewood in Tests
While speaking on the Shubhankar Mishra podcast, former Pakistan cricketer Waqar Younis said that no modern-day fast bowler is as good as Indian speed demon Jasprit Bumrah in ODI and T20I cricket.
However, according to Waqar, Bumrah is yet to prove his credentials in Test cricket, claiming that he has not reached the same level attained by Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and some other England fast bowlers.
He said, “There’s no modern-day bowler of the same calibre as Bumrah with the white ball. Leave out Test cricket. He still has a lot to prove in Tests; he hasn’t played as much. There are plenty of others, like Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. You can’t ignore some of the English bowlers either. But when you talk about T20 and one-day cricket, I feel that in terms of impact, Bumrah always delivers in crunch scenarios. And that’s what matters.”
Is Jasprit Bumrah’s Test legacy still a work in progress?
Compatible to Waqar Younis’ claims, Jasprit Bumrah has indeed not played enough Test cricket as he would have desired. Despite making his format debut back in January 2018, the legendary Indian paceman has only played 52 matches, and is yet to grace the Indian whites for nearly a year.
However, calling Bumrah’s Test legacy a “work in progress” would be an understatement, given the remarkable impact he has already had in the longest format of the game.
For starters, he has picked up 234 wickets in just 99 Test innings at an astonishing bowling average of 19.79. The seasoned warhorse has collected multiple five-wicket hauls in countries like Australia, England, South Africa and West Indies. Moreover, even on spin-friendly Indian surfaces, the speedster averages just 17.70 with the ball.
Among all cricketers who have played Test cricket in the format’s near 150-year-old history, no bowler with more than 200 sticks to his name has averaged better than Bumrah’s 19.79, surpassing even the likes of 21st century greats like Mitchell Starc (26.18), Josh Hazlewood (23.85), Pat Cummins (22.20), Dale Steyn (22.95), James Anderson (26.45) and many others.
Moreover, even the bowling averages of Pakistan greats Wasim Akram (23.62) and Waqar Younis (23.56) itself pales in comparison to that of Bumrah.
While Jasprit Bumrah may still have more Tests to play, his numbers and performances already make a compelling case that his Test legacy is firmly among the greatest of the modern era.
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