Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has snubbed Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummings to pick Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah as the best bowler in the world.
The World Cup-winning captain heaped praise on Bumrah for his remarkable comeback after grappling with injuries for a long period of time.
The former Australian batter recalled the time when several questioned the Indian speedster’s return to the field following a back injury.
“There might have been some fears a couple of years ago when the injuries came in and ‘would he come back the same?’, but I think he’s come back better. I’ve said it for a long time; he’s probably been the best multi-format bowler there’s been in world cricket for the last five or six years,” Ricky Ponting said.
The legendary cricketer mentioned Jasprit Bumrah’s heroics in the T20 World Cup 2024 where he guided India to victory from crunch moments.
“If I watch what he [Bumrah] did in the T20 World Cup—the pace is still there; there’s nothing that’s changed with the accuracy or what he can deliver. The skillset is all the same. He’s getting better year on year. So, he would rank right up there. So, when you’ve got that skillset and the consistency that he has, then you’re going to be a great player,” Ponting said.
Read more: Kohli lauds Jasprit Bumrah for brining India back into T20 World Cup 2024
It is pertinent to mention that Jasprit Bumrah emerged as the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup 2024 after he took 15 wickets in eight games at an average of 8.26 and an economy rate of 4.17.
Following his remarkable performance in the marquee event, former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja lauded Bumrah, calling him ‘a legend of all three formats.’
“In my book, Jasprit Bumrah is a legend in all three formats. There is no one greater who has played all three formats. You can see where this boy came from. He lacked confidence, had an awkward bowling action,” he said on his YouTube channel.
