Shaheen Afridi is no less than Jasprit Bumrah: Salman Butt

In the first ODI against England, Jasprit Bumrah put up an outstanding performance with the ball and recorded his career-best numbers of 6/19 to lead India to a 10-wicket victory at the Oval. After a ferocious performance in the series opener, the pacer regained the top spot in the most recent ICC ODI rankings.

Bumrah has been referred to as the best all-format bowler in the world right now by a number of former cricketers, including Nasser Hussain and Sachin Tendulkar. His performances in the recent Test match, T20I series, and now in the ODI series made the experts say so. But Salman Butt, former Pakistan skipper, believes that left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi is on par with Bumrah.

“See, Shaheen hasn’t played as much cricket but he is among the very best. He is no less than him (Bumrah). In fact, Shaheen with experience will only get better and then he has more pace and offers a different angle,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.

Butt lavished praise on the two top bowlers, believing them to be the greatest in the field with the new ball. As compared to Bumrah, Shaheen Afridi is new to the setup because he entered the international arena in 2018, five years after Bumrah made his debut in 2013. As a result, he appeared in fewer matches than Bumrah, who has already established himself in international cricket.

“See, both are world cricket’s finest and watching them bowl is an exciting experience. It’s great fun to watch both Bumrah and Shaheen perform, and the way they bowl with the new ball it feels as if a wicket can go down anytime. You don’t get this feeling watching any other bowler,” he added.

There shouldn’t be any comparison: Butt

Shaheen Afridi has had a significant influence in his brief career, thanks to some outstanding performances that he had showcased over the course of time. One of his stand-out performances remains to be the one against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup’s group stage. Butt believes that, given the number of games they have both played, there should be no comparison between the two.

“Nonetheless, for a 21-year-old bowler to perform in the manner that he has is not easy. Both are outstanding. Obviously, Bumrah has played a lot more and is a brilliant performer so, at the moment, there shouldn’t be any comparison. One has played a lot, the other not so much,” he stated.