‘Such a stupid thing’: Bumrah-Wasim comparison stuns former Pakistan pacer

Former Pakistan pacer Abdur Rouf Khan has expressed astonishment over recent remarks by former Indian cricketer Varun Aaron, who claimed that Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is better than Pakistan legend Wasim Akram.

During an interview, Aaron lauded Bumrah’s remarkable performances, suggesting that the Indian star has now surpassed Akram in terms of wickets taken in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.

“Calling him a genius would be an understatement,” Aaron remarked.

“He has now gone past Wasim Akram in terms of wickets taken in SENA countries. That says it all for me because Wasim was arguably the best fast bowler to walk the face of the earth—and Bumrah is pretty much the same, if not better,” he added.

Aaron also emphasised that Bumrah achieved this feat in significantly fewer innings than Akram, further highlighting his impact.

However, Rouf was unimpressed by the comparison and voiced his disapproval on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

I am surprised by those former Indian players who compare Bumrah with Wasim Akram It wouldn't be surprising if a common person with no understanding of cricket said such a stupid thing, but if a Test cricketer did this, it means that he either has no knowledge of cricket or is a bigot of the highest order," Rouf said.

“Wasim Akram was without any doubt one of the greatest fast bowlers in cricket history. No one can ever match his naturally gifted skills,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that Wasim Akram remains one of the most iconic figures in world cricket. 

The legendary left-arm pacer is the second-highest wicket-taker in ODI history, with 502 wickets in 356 matches at an average of 23.52 and an economy rate of 3.89.

In Test cricket, Akram claimed 414 wickets in 104 matches, averaging 23.62 with a miserly economy rate of 2.59.