ICC World Cup 2023: Wasim Akram makes startling claim about Jasprit Bumrah
The right-handed Indian pacer has 14 wickets in the tournament
Former Pakistani captain Wasim Akram lauded India's pacer Jasprit Bumrah after his fantastic display against England in the 29th match of ICC World Cup 2023 in Lucknow on Sunday.
Bumrah is one of the leading wicket-takers with 14 scalps to his name in the World Cup while another Indian pacer, Mohammad Shami, who was brought in as the replacement for Hardik Pandya, has already taken nine wickets in just two games.
India set a below-par 230-run target for England which everyone thought that the defending champions would chase but they were bundled out for just 129 runs courtesy of the havoc wreaked by Bumrah and Shami.
Talking after the match, Wasim Akram lauded the 29-year-old saying that he is the best in the world and is a treat to watch.
"He is the best in the world right now. Top of the ladder! The control, the pace, the variations, just a complete bowler. A treat to watch. With the new ball, to get this kind of movement on this kind of pitch ace pace, carry, follow-through...you name it he's a complete bowler," Akram said on a local sports show.
Akram then went on to great lengths and said that Bumrah handles the new ball better than he did in his cricketing days. He also explained what makes the Indian pacer great.
“When Bumrah is bowling to a left-hander from around the wicket and hits the ball on the seam… And when he’s bowling from wide of the crease, the batter will think the ball is coming inside. He will play for that angle, but the ball hits the pitch and moves away rather than coming in.
"Most of the time, you are going to be beaten. When I used to bowl outswingers like that to right-handed batters with the new ball, sometimes I couldn’t control the ball also. But Bumrah definitely has better control with the new ball than myself,” he added.
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