NEW DELHI: Pakistan selector Aaqib Javed on Saturday sparked debate after making a surprising comparison between Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq.
His remarks came after India’s strong campaign in the T20 World Cup, where Bumrah played a key role in the team’s success.
Bumrah was one of the standout players of the tournament, finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets alongside Varun Chakravarthy.
His best performance came in the final against New Zealand national cricket team in Ahmedabad, where he produced a brilliant spell of 4/15 in four overs.
The performance helped India secure a dominant 96-run victory and defend their title, earning Bumrah the Player of the Match award.
Explaining his comparison, Javed said Bumrah’s bowling style is rare because of his unusual action and the difficulty batters face in settling against him.
“In today’s era, across this entire World Cup, there is only one bowler like that – Bumrah. Because he is different. He is not a normal bowler. Even his action is unusual. When he comes in to bowl, I always say he is like the Usman Tariq of fast bowlers,” he told reporters.
He further explained that Bumrah’s pace and unique rhythm make him extremely hard to face.
“He bowls so quickly and in such a unique manner that a batter never really finds any flow or rhythm against him. He simply doesn’t allow it,” he added.
Javed also argued that bowlers with the aura of past greats are becoming rare in modern cricket.
“Other than him, tell me one more bowler in this entire World Cup – from any team – whom you can look at and feel satisfied that he carries the reflection of a Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, or anyone like that. You won’t find one anymore,” he further noted.
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