Jasprit Bumrah vs Mitchell Starc: Who Is Better In Pink-Ball Test Matches?

Aashay Chopade

Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc will be in focus during Pink-Ball Test (Source:@CricCrazyJohns/X.com)Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc will be in focus during Pink-Ball Test (Source:@CricCrazyJohns/X.com)

India and Australia are two of the top teams in world cricket, and whenever these two teams go head-to-head in any format, there is a sense of excitement around the cricketing world. Currently, the two teams are in the middle of a high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy and after the first Test match in Perth, the stage is now set for the Adelaide Test.

It is a day-night affair and will be played with pink-ball which adds to the already growing excitement around the series. The pink-ball tends to move more than the traditional red-ball and it makes the job of the batter more difficult. So, it means that the pacers are likely to dominate the proceedings, and the two of the best in the business, Mitchell Starc and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to grab plenty of headlines.

The question though is, who has better record in day-night Test matches, Jasprit Bumrah or Mitchell Starc, let's find out.

Jasprit Bumrah vs Mitchell Starc: A Pink-Ball Comparison

Mitchell Starc is a more senior bowler than Jasprit Bumrah and has played 90 Test matches. The 12 of those have been day-night Test matches, and Starc has a brilliant record with Pink-ball, picking 66 wickets in 23 innings at a stunning average of 18.71 and a strike rate of just 36.5. He has three five wicket-hauls as well. Starc picked four wickets in the only day-night Test he played against India and it was at the same ground, Adelaide Oval where the second Test will be played.

Matches
Innings
Wickets
Average
Strike Rate
Five-Wicket Hauls
12236618.7136.53


Jasprit Bumrah on the other hand and has played three day-night Test matches and in the five innings, he has picked 10 wickets. The average is superb and even better than Mitchell Starc at 14.50, and even the strike rate is better at 31.8. However, Bumrah's sample size is quite less compared to Starc and in the one day-night Test he played in Australia, the Indian star picked two wickets.
Matches
Innings
Wickets
Average
Strike Rate
Five-Wicket Hauls
351014.5031.81

Conclusion

Overall, looking at the general parameters like average and strike rate, Bumrah seems to be a better bowler in pink-ball Tests. However, Mitchell Starc has played day-night Tests against almost all top nations and has delivered in majority of those matches which is evident from the wicket per innings efficiency of the two bowlers. Also, he has played all those games in Australian conditions, so he surely has more experience to use the conditions that will be on offer at the Adelaide Oval.