Not Jasprit Bumrah! Trent Boult Picks 34-Year-Old Indian Pacer As 'Greatest New Ball Bowler' - WATCH

not jasprit bumrah! trent boult picks 34-year-old indian pacer as ‘greatest new ball bowler’ – watch

Jasprit Bumrah has been on fire since he made his comeback from a long-term back injury against Ireland during a T20I series in August 2023. He played a big role in India’s win in the Asia Cup 2023 and picked up 20 wickets in 11 matches of the ODI World Cup 2023. He dismissed 19 batters in four Tests against England earlier this year and is leading the Purple Cap race in the ongoing IPL 2024. In the Mumbai Indians last match against RCB, he picked up five wickets for 21 runs in four overs. Bumrah is a big threat to any batter at any point in the game.

But during a recent interaction with England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler, when star New Zealand pacer Trent Boult was asked to pick the greatest new ball bowler of all time across formats, he ignored Bumrah along with so many past and present greats of the game including Mohammed Shami to go ahead with 34-year-old Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

According to Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar is the best new ball bowler of all time. Boult has played with Bhuvneshwar during his association with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and shared the dressing room with Bumrah during his time with the Mumbai Indians. The left-arm pacer from New Zealand has won the IPL titles with both SRH and MI once.

“Who is the greatest new ball bowler (in all formats of cricket)?” Buttler asked Boult during the Royals rapid-fire round, and in reply, the New Zealander said, “I kind of want to throw it (a brand new cherry) to Bhuvneshwar Kumar.”

WATCH: Trent Boult picks Bhuvneshwar Kumar as greatest new ball bowler (From 03:50)

Bhuvneshwar made his debut for India against Pakistan during a T20I match played in Bengaluru on December 25, 2012, and picked up three wickets for nine runs in four overs. He also picked up a wicket on his first ball in ODI cricket. In the last 12 years, Bhuvneshwar has played 21 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 87 T20Is for the Indian team and has picked up 63, 141, and 90 wickets, respectively. He has also scored three half-centuries in Tests and one in ODIs.

In the IPL, the Meerut-based cricketer has played for RCB and Pune Warriors India before joining SRH in 2014. He is the joint fourth-leading wicket-taker in the IPL, with 173 dismissals to his name in 165 matches. The right-arm pacer has won the Purple Cap twice in the IPL and is still a force to be reckoned with in the cash-rich league.