Jasprit Bumrah is sensational in all three formats, praises Allan Donald

08/20/2021

Former South African pacer Allan Donald stated that India’s paceman Jasprit Bumrah is a bowling sensation across all formats of the game. He added that the New Zealand bowling unit consisting of Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, and Kyle Jamieson has also impressed him with their quality bowling.

In the WTC final, Jasprit Bumrah disappointed one and all with his performance against New Zealand. He had gone wicketless and only bowled well in patches. But, the Indian quick returned back to form with an exuberant show in the ongoing Test series against England. Bumrah is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series with 12 wickets and played a key role in India's remarkable win at Lord's in the second Test.

Former South African cricketer Allan Donald, who played 72 Tests and 164 ODIs for his country, heaped praises on the Indian pacer and reckoned that he has come a long way in his career. India's pace spearhead has scalped 95 wickets in 22 Tests, 108 wickets in 67 ODIs, and 59 wickets in 49 T20Is, so far in his career.

“Young Bumrah has come a long way. He is just a sensation… in all the formats, It’s fantastic to see how quickly and skillfully the current generation of fast bowlers have adapted to all the formats, from T20s to ODIs to Tests,” Donald said.

On being asked about who he thinks are the best pace bowlers currently, Donald responded that the Kiwi pacers have surprised him with their top-notch bowling.

“If I have to talk about the guys who surprise me… the New Zealand players. Since 2011, they have really shown the world their quality. Wagner’s there, Boult, and Jamieson came out of nowhere. As for South Africa, Nortje will go a long way. The Australians have a conveyor belt full of them,” he said.

Back in his heydays, Donald had a fierce rivalry with Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar. Talking about Sachin, he asserted that the Indian batter was a great batsman, yet for him, it was Australia's Steve Waugh, who was the hardest to bowl to.

“The guy who was technically the best was Tendulkar because I found out in South Africa that he could adapt his technique on surfaces better than anyone. He played the ball much later, he left the ball much better, and you knew that after an hour or so, if he is on 30/35 balls, it could be a long day for you,” he said.

“Brian Lara was the best stroke-maker on any surface. But the most resilient was Atherton, and the guy who really made it hard was Steve Waugh.”