Jasprit Bumrah over Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah any day!! Former Pakistan pacer on world's best fast bowler

Former Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Irfan has chosen Indian superstar Jasprit Bumrah over Shaheen Afridi as the superior bowler. Mohammad Irfan mentioned his reasons for selecting Jasprit Bumrah over Shaheen Afridi as the best bowler in international cricket.

Mohammed Irfan made his T20I debut against India in Bengaluru on December 25, 2012. Throughout his career, the left-arm fast bowler participated in four Tests, 60 ODIs, and 22 T20Is for Pakistan, claiming 10, 83, and 16 wickets, respectively, across three formats.

Jasprit Bumrah Acha Hai – Mohammad Irfan

During an interaction with News 24, Mohammad Irfan was asked about his preference between Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen as a better bowler. Irfan stated that Bumrah’s performance was significantly better, especially compared to Shaheen’s drop in performance.

“Bumrah acha hai, kyuki aap dekhein jab Shaheen unfit hone ke baad wapis aaya to uski pace bhi thodi neeche aayi hai, uski performance bhi nahi aayi hai. Wahi Bumrah aaya toh uski peformance bahut achi hai isliye vo best hai. (Bumrah is good because when you see, after Shaheen’s fitness issues, his pace has also decreased a bit, and his performance hasn’t been good. Whereas, when Bumrah came, his performance has been very good, so he is the best.)”

Both Bumrah and Shaheen were out of action in the latter half of 2022 and early 2023 due to injuries. However, Jasprit Bumrah showcased his exceptional form after returning to the field in August 2023. He made an impact with the ball during the Asia Cup 2023.

During the ODI World Cup 2023, Bumrah secured 20 dismissals in 11 matches, placing him joint-fourth among wicket-takers. Additionally, the 30-year-old claimed 19 wickets in the recent India-England Test series, reaching the top spot in the ICC Test bowler rankings.

Shaheen Afridi claimed 18 wickets during the ODI World Cup 2023, but his performance in the Australia tour’s two Test matches was less impressive, with eight wickets at an average of 41.62. The left-arm pacer secured nine wickets in a five-match T20I series in New Zealand.

Virat Kohli Is A Very Big Batsman – Mohammad Irfan

Irfan expressed unwavering support for Virat Kohli, emphasizing his indispensable role in India’s T20 World Cup squad. Irfan dismissed any doubts regarding Kohli’s place in the T20I team, asserting that those questioning it have no understanding of the game.

“I don’t have any second thoughts about it; you can’t make your team without Virat Kohli because he is a very big batsman. We all saw what he did in the ODI World Cup last year; Virat Kohli won 3-4 matches in the World Cup for India on his own. If Kohli hadn’t stepped up on that occasion, India would have lost 3–4 matches, including group-stage matches against Australia and New Zealand, where India lost early wickets. He finished the match on his own,” Irfan said.