One of Mark Waugh’s top five T20I players around the globe is Jasprit Bumrah

India’s go-to fast bowler Jaspit Bumrah is one of the 5 cricketers in Australian legend Mark Waugh’s list of the leading T20I players around the world. The ICC T20 World Cup would be held in Australia next month, and Waugh is certain that 28-year-old Bumrah, who is now rated 45th within the ICC T20I bowling rankings, will shine.

“I think he’s a fantastic bowler in all formats, actually,” Waugh made this statement about Bumrah, who recently had to skip a few white-ball matches to attend to an old back injury.

Waugh added, “His ability to get wickets in T20 cricket is key. He can bowl at the death and he can bowl up front” 

The former all-rounder, who was renowned for his top-order barrage and agile fielding within slip cordon, included Pakistani fast Shaheen Afridi in his top five.

“To open the bowling at the other end we’ll go with another great opening bowler, Shaheen Afridi from Pakistan, who is a tremendous left-arm fast bowler,” Waugh, a member of the Australian team that won the 1999 Cricket World Cup, remarked on ICC.

“He’s a wicket-taker. He sort of lifts the team. He’s a guy that other players follow. He is a left-arm so that’s another point of difference. He can swing the ball back into the right-hander, he’s quick as well, so I’ve got him number two,” Waugh added regarding Afridi, who is ranked 19th amongst bowlers.

The other 3 players chosen by Waugh are Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, who has been ranked 4th among spinners in 20-over international competition, England captain Jos Buttler, as well as all Glenn Maxwell of Australia (all-rounder ranking 6th, T20I batting ranking 29th).

“In all competitions, he (Rashid) plays in, he’s just the one guy who you know is going to bowl four overs,” Waugh stated regarding the Afghanistan cricketer.

“He’ll probably get two or three wickets and go for 20 runs, and he can bat. He can also whack the ball over the fence.”

“I think he’s probably the number one batsman in world cricket in the T20 format. He’s just a clean striker of the ball. We’ve seen him in all tournaments, he just looks on a different level to other players.” Waugh stated for England’s white-ball captain Buttler.

Waugh stated on Maxwell, “He is the sort of player that can win you a game in the field and with the bat. With the ball, he’s probably underrated. And I think if he bats 30 balls, he’ll win you the game. So I think Maxwell, even though he’s just not a consistent player, he’s that X-factor that can win your game on any given day.”

Cricket profile of Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah (born 6 December 1993) is an Indian cricketer who competes in all game formats for the Indian national side. He is the only Asian bowler to take five wickets together in test innings during the same year in England, South Africa, and Australia. Whenever he hit 35 runs off Stuart Broad’s bowling at Edgbaston during July 2022, he established the record for the highest runs scored together in a single over in a Test match.

First, Jasprit Bumrah’s unconventional action caught people’s attention, and then his bowling prowess. Bumrah’s deliveries are difficult for batsmen to identify because of his unique release point, sling-arm movement, plus natural pace.

Additionally, like Lasith Malinga, another member of the Mumbai Indians, Bumrah earned a reputation for having an amazing knack for hitting the blockhole. Additionally, he learned how to properly use the yorker from the Sri Lankan throughout his tenure in the IPL.

A regular participant in India Before suffering a crippling left knee injury towards the end of 2014 that kept him out for over four and a half months, Bumrah was a candidate for a national team selection.

After a successful 2015–16 domestic season, during which he was Gujarat’s 2nd highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy as well as topped the bowling charts there in Vijay Hazare Trophy, that included a five-for in the List–Final which gave Gujarat their first one-day title, he had to wait over a year prior to actually receiving another call-up.

As a result of such performances and Mohammed Shami’s unexpected injury, Bumrah was forced to board a plane for Australia, wherein he played a crucial part in helping India win the most wickets for either group within T20I series, 3-0. It was a performance that won him MS Dhoni’s accolades, who dubbed him the discovery of the tour, and a spot in India’s selection for the 2016 World T20.

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