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'Shaheen is no less. In fact, he has more pace': Ex-Pakistan captain reacts to 'Bumrah is best all-format bowler' claims
Amid clamours that Jasprit Bumrah is arguably the best bowler across formats, a former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has said that left-arm quick Shaheen Afridi is not much behind the India pacer.
Shortly after India pacer Jasprit Bumrah rattled England with career-best figures of 6/19 in the 1st ODI against England at the Oval, he was hailed as the best all-format bowler. Former England captain Nasser Hussain was the first to point it out on air, and ever since, many legends, including the great Sachin Tendulkar have echoed the sentiment. Even captain Jos Buttler was asked this question repeatedly during the post-match presentation ceremony, to an extent that it left him slightly miffed.
Amid clamours that Bumrah is arguably the best bowler across formats, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has pointed to another bowler who he feels is not much behind Bumrah. Butt was all praise for Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi, whom he reckons is right up there with the best pacers in the world. The former Pakistan opening batter mentioned that even though Shaheen has a long way to go, the impact he has created with his experience is rare to see.
Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah's unexpected response to Nasser Hussain's 'best bowler' praise
"See, Shaheen hasn't played as much cricket but he is among the very best. He is no less than him (Bumrah). In fact, Shaheen with experience, will only get better and then he has more pace and offers a different angle. See, both are world cricket's finest and watching them bowl is an exciting experience. It's great fun to watch both Bumrah and Shaheen perform, and the way they bowl with the new ball it feels as if a wicket can go down anytime. You don't get this feeling watching any other bowler," Butt said on his YouTube channel.
Bumrah played his first international game in 2016, and ever since his Test debut two years later, the right-arm quick has not looked back. He has broken several records in Test cricket, including picking up a hat-trick in only his second year and becoming the fastest India bowler to grab 50 wickets in the format.
In six years, Bumrah has become the leader of India's pacer attack with 316 wickets from 159 matches. Shaheen, on the other hand, is relatively younger having made his debut in 2018 but has a decent record to show with 204 wickets from 96 international matches. Butt stated that while Shaheen and Bumrah are on par with each other, comparing the two is not the way to go considering the difference in both their experience levels.
"Nonetheless, for a 20-year-old bowler to perform in the manner that he has is not easy. Both are outstanding. Obviously, Bumrah has played a lot more and is a brilliant performer so at the moment, there shouldn't be any comparison. One has played a lot, the other not so much," he said.
