File image of Ricky Ponting© Twitter
Australian legend Ricky Ponting made some bold phone calls as he tries to decide who will have more impact in the 2022 T20 World Cup – Jasprit Bumrah or Shaheen Afridi. Two of the best fast bowlers in the world, Bumrah and Afridi, boast enviable records in the shortest format. Bumrah has amassed 69 wickets in 58 matches, while Afridi has scalped 47 in 40. The two pacesetters are as effective with the new ball as they are in the death overs.
Ponting also had a tough time choosing one, stating in The ICC Review: “Look, how do you split those two guys? They are two of the best performing bowlers in the world in the last couple of years across all formats of the game.” .”
In the end, Ponting settled for the experienced campaigner in Bumrah. “I’m probably only going by experience – I’m going for Bumrah. He has now played quite a bit of cricket in Australia, played more in Australia than Afridi and has also played more major tournaments than Afridi,” he added.
Ponting was also asked to choose between two of the most consistent lead-off hitters in the world – Babar Azam and Jos Buttler.
Babar scored 2,138 runs in 80 games, while Buttler scored 1,562 runs in 94 games.
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“Babar Azam, he’s technically a better player than Buttler. If you look at their strike rates and there’s no comparison to that, Buttler is much more dynamic, kind of a more 360-degree player than Babar,” Ponting noted. .
“Buttler has also played more cricket in Australia with England and he has spent some time in the Big Bash with Sydney Thunder. So I’m going to do Jos Buttler on this one,” Ponting added.
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