Comparisons have become a part and parcel when it comes to cricketers – the past with the present, among the current players, among players from different countries, and sometimes of the same team. Former Pakistan pacer Aqib Javed on Sunday compared two young fast bowlers of modern-era cricket – Jasprit Bumrah of India and Pakistan sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Speaking to Paktv.tv, Aqib Javed opined that Bumrah’s graph hasn’t been going anywhere, and is a far less aggressive bowler compared to his Pakistan counterpart in Shaheen, who is presently witnessing a purple patch in his career and has produced more threatening performances across formats than the Indian pacer.
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As per the quotes in Hindustan Times, Aqib Javed said, “The way Haris has bowled in the last few years, his average bowling speed is the fastest in the world. And the aggression he has, the way he runs, the batsman knows that the bowler is running towards him, but Bumrah’s isn’t that aggressive. And people enjoy these kinds of bowlers who have such body language.”
He further added, “Shaheen’s graph is on the rise, while Bumrah is stable. He has less threatening performances than Shaheen, whether it’s in T20s, ODIs or in Tests. And the rise of Pakistan cricket largely has depended on performances from Shaheen, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan.”
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Shaheen Afridi recently bagged the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2021. In the last year, the youngster picked 78 wickets in 36 matches in international cricket at an average of 22.20. He also played a pivotal role for Pakistan in their run to the T20 World Cup semi-final in the UAE where he picked seven wickets in six games which included the wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli in the group-stage match against India.
Jasprit Bumrah, who is presently part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad in IPL 2022, has already represented India in 156 international games, picking 303 wickets.
