T20 World Cup 2024: Not Kuldeep Yadav or Mitchell Starc!! Ricky Ponting picks the top wicket-taker

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels that India's frontline seamer Jasprit Bumrah is going to end up as the highest wicket-taker of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Jasprit Bumrah is coming at the back of an impressive performance in the Indian Premier League 2024. Had the Mumbai Indians qualified for the later stages of the tournament Bumrah could have, in fact, ended up winning the Purple Cap. During the league stages, he was the leading wicket-taker and the tussle was between him and Punjab Kings' Harshal Patel.

Regardless of Jasprit Bumrah not winning the Purple Cap this season, the MI pacer equaled his second-highest wicket-taking season from 2017. Back then he had scalped 20 wickets and this season, too, Bumrah racked up 20 wickets at a far better economy rate of 6.48 and average of 16.80 with a best of 5/21.

Ricky Ponting explains why he thinks Jasprit Bumrah will be the top wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2024

While speaking to the ICC in an exclusive chat, Ricky Ponting heaped a lot of praise on Jasprit Bumrah and also explained why he will take the most wickets. Ponting started off by hailing Bumrah as an outstanding performer who has consistently contributed to the National team's success in the last couple of years.

Ponting then reminded of the season that Jasprit Bumrah had in IPL 2024 and claimed that he is excellence and efficiency with the new ball is incredible. The 3-time World Cup-winning captain also highlighted Bumrah's quality in the death overs, stating that an economy of less than 7 in the last overs is something else.

"My leading wicket-taker for the tournament will be Jasprit Bumrah. I just think an outstanding performer, contributor for a number of years now. He's just come off an outstanding IPL. What he can do with the new ball, he swings the new ball, he has the seam up. But at the end, his economy rate at the end of the IPL was less than seven runs an over." - Ppnting told ICC.

Ponting says Bumrah likes to bowl the hard overs

One of the best qualities about Jasprit Bumrah, according to Ricky Ponting, is the former's willingness to bowl challenging overs. Bumrah's courage to bowl the hardovers towards the backend is the actual reason why Ponting has backed the bowler to lead the wicket-taking chart.

Ponting explained that when a bowler likes to bowl the hard overs in T20 cricket, then the avenue to pick up a lot of wickets opens up. Therefore, Ponting chose Bumrah over Mitchell Starc, Gerald Coetzee, Shamar Joseph, Shaheen Afridi, and Rashid Khan among others.

"He takes wickets. He does bowl a lot of the hardovers too. When you bowl the hard overs in T20 cricket, it gives you a chance to pick up a lot of wickets along the way. So, I'm going with him." - Ricky Ponting concluded.

India's schedule for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024