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Shaheen Vs Bumrah: 3 Times When Ex-PAK Cricketers Were Divided Over Growing Rivalry

Anurag Dasgupta

Shaheen vs Bumrah rivalry [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.COM] Shaheen vs Bumrah rivalry [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.COM]

Shaheen Afridi is one of the best Pakistan bowlers produced in the last 10 years, and the left-armer has won countless matches for his team. At one stage, Shaheen was touted to even surpass the great Wasim Akram in terms of accomplishments, but sadly, injuries derailed his career, and his bowling pace dropped considerably.

Due to his bowling exploits, Shaheen is often compared with Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The two fast bowlers have stellar numbers in international cricket, and over the years, the Pakistan pacer has been compared with his Indian rival. 

Whenever the comparison started, former Pakistan cricketers used to rate Shaheen higher than Jasprit Bumrah, and in this piece, we talk about a few instances when Shaheen was compared with the Indian bowler.

Instances when Shaheen was compared with Bumrah

While the statistics indicate that Shaheen and Bumrah are at the same level, former Pakistan star all-rounder, Abdul Razzaq, once admitted that Shaheen has a higher ceiling and is better than the Indian bowler.

"Shaheen bahut accha hai, Bumrah toh uske paas bhi nahi aata (Shaheen is very good. Bumrah doesn't come near him)," Abdul Razzaq told Paktv.tv.

Another former cricketer and captain, Salman Butt, admitted a few years ago that while Bumrah is better currently, Shaheen has the capability to surpass him in terms of wickets and match-winning performance.

"Shaheen has not played that much yet but he is not behind. In fact, he'll only get better with experience. He has more pace, and offers different angle.

However, these comparisons were quashed by Shaheen’s former teammate, Mohammad Amir, who, in 2021 reckoned that Bumrah is better, and Shaheen would need to be at his best to reach his level.

"See, comparing Shaheen with Bumrah at this point would be foolish because Shaheen is young and he is learning. And Bumrah has been doing well for India since so long and currently, I think he is the best T20 bowler, especially in the death over," Amir said on the YouTube channel 'Uncut'.