'Shaheen Afridi is no less than Jasprit Bumrah' - Salman Butt compares the two star pacers

In the first ODI against England, India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah put up a mind-blowing performance as he made the ball talk. He recorded his career-best figures 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 ODI rankings.

Bumrah has been in superb form in all formats, and has been at the top of the charts in all formats He has been rated as the best pacer in the game across formats by many 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. However, Salman Butt believes that Shaheen Afridi is up there 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,” Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel.

Butt heaped praise on the two top bowlers, believing them to be the greatest on 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.

Comparisons should not be made- Salman Butt

Shaheen Afridi has quickly impressed one and all in his brief career, thanks to some outstanding performances that he had showcased with time. One of his stand-out performances remains to be the one against India in the 2021 20-20 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 20-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.