Michael Clarke Picks World Best All Format Bowler: Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has described Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as the best fast bowler in all formats after his brilliant performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Bumrah performed brilliantly in the series and took 32 wickets at an average of 13.06 and his lethal bowling troubled Australia on several occasions in the series. By taking 32 wickets in the series, this Indian fast bowler came very close to breaking Sydney Barnes’ 1911-12 record of taking 34 wickets in a series by a fast bowler visiting Australia.
However, his injury in the SCG Test prevented him from equaling or surpassing the historic achievement. “When I was thinking about Bumrah’s performance after the series ended, I thought he was the best fast bowler ever across all three formats,” Clarke said on ESPN’s Around the Wicket. He said, “I know a lot of great fast bowlers, Curtly Ambrose, Glenn McGrath, who did not get a chance to play T20 cricket, so I am not talking about those people, but anyone who has played in all three formats. As for, I think he might be the best ever. He’s really that good in any situation; that’s what makes him great; in any situation, in any format, this guy is a prodigy. “
Bumrah dominated Australia with remarkable performances, including eight wickets in Perth, six wickets at the Gabba and a game-changing performance at the MCG. At the SCG, he dismissed Khawaja and Labuschagne early, but bowled only one over after lunch on the second day, when the match was in good shape.
Clarke said, “I think India probably fell behind by 20 runs (in Sydney). With Bumrah in the team, I think India can win. I think Bumrah is so good…he He is much better than the other bowlers in the team.” Former Australian captain Aaron Finch attributed Bumrah’s injury to the host team’s deliberate strategy to tire him out.
He said, “Australia was ready to play the long game with Jasprit Bumrah. They wanted to bowl him again and again, wanted to bring him back for another spell, wanted to bowl three, four, five (more) overs. And in the end, it worked, they broke it in the end. They played that long game, they won.” Finch feels that Bumrah’s presence in the final innings of the SCG Test could have made chasing the target more challenging for Australia. Finch said, “If he had bowled the last innings in Sydney, would Australia have won? I think they still would have won, but it would have been much more difficult than it was.”
