Jasprit Bumrah (left) and Ricky Ponting.
Credit: PTI Photos
Dubai: India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been the best multi-format bowler for the last five or six years, reckons former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
Ponting said that there might have been a few concerns over Bumrah’s longevity but he has only returned stronger from injuries.
“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,” Ponting said on the ICC review.
“There might have been some fears a couple of years ago when the injuries come in and ‘would he come back the same?’, but I think he's actually come back better,” he added.
“The greatest way to always get a real gauge on these players is by asking (other) players. And when you talk to opposition batsmen about him (Bumrah) in particular, it's always, 'No, he's a nightmare! You never know what's going to happen.
"One's going to swing, one's going to seam, he's going to bowl an in-swinger, he's going to bowl an out-swinger,” he continued.
With 15 wickets in the T20 World Cup, Bumrah played a pivotal role in India’s title triumph and Ponting heaped praise on the 30-year-old.
“If I watch what he 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,” Ponting said.
“The skillset is all the same. He's getting better year on year. He would rank right up there.
“When you've got that skillset and the consistency that he has, then you're going to be a great player. Look at (Glenn) McGrath, look at (James) Anderson, these guys, their longevity and their skills being able to hold up for such a long period of time is what separates them from the rest,” Ponting added.