Razzaq said that Bumrah did not pose a threat if they faced each other on the pitch.
Abdul Razzaq, a former Pakistani bowler, was one of the best all-rounders in cricket, especially in Tests. During his prime, he was Pakistan’s star player. From the 90s and throughout the 2000s, his skill with the bat was just as feared as he was with bowling. He represented Pakistan last 2013 before being dropped from the team. However, he still makes the headlines thanks to his ‘controversial’ remarks.
During this year’s World Cup, Razzaq said that Mohammed Shami was the sole player who looked as if he wanted to win in the India-England match. India needed to win that match to relieve some pressure off of Pakistan and so that the Men in Green could stand a chance in qualifying for the semis.
Being true to his nature, the 40-year-old has made the news due to his remarks on Jasprit Bumrah. According to Razzaq, he has faced more capable bowlers like Glenn McGrath during his playing days. He then added that if he were to face Bumrah today, he wouldn’t have a single problem and called him a ‘baby bowler’.
‘I have played against great bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram, so Bumrah is a baby bowler in front of me and I could have easily dominated and attacked him’. He explained Bumrah’s success, saying that ‘Bumrah is doing very well and has improved a lot. He has an awkward action and hits the seam perfectly, which is why he is effective’.
He also said that Pakistan is lucky to be the best team in T20Is. Adding to this, he said that matches that India and Australia lost are one of the factors they are at the top. ‘We were struggling to qualify for the World Cup, our Test ranking has gone down and we are lucky to be number one in Twenty20 Internationals… You can’t say we are No 1 because we are really good. Teams like India, England and Australia lost their matches and that helped us in securing the No 1 spot. We desperately need to improve our ranking in other formats and not just focus on player’s individual performances and averages’.
Tests are the longest format in the game of cricket with a single match usually spanning three to five days. To find out more about the different cricket formats, visit Betwala’s page.
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