Star Australian batter, Steven Smith recently heaped praise on India’s fast bowling sensation, Jasprit Bumrah and hailed him as the “best fast bowler” across all three formats of the game. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing five-match ODI series against England in England, the veteran Aussie batter shared his insights on facing Bumrah with the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy coming ahead.
During an interaction with Star Sports, the 35-year-old accepted that be it with a new ball, slightly old one or even the old one, Bumrah has made a mark for himself. Smith also dropped a bold verdict by picking him as the best fast bowler across all formats of the game.
Arguably the best fast bowler across the three formats: Steve Smith on Bumrah
Smith, who has played 109 Tests, 160 ODIs and 67 T20Is for Australia over the years, told Star Sports, “He’s a wonderful bowler, whether I face him with the new ball, slightly older ball, or even the old ball. He’s got great skills with all of them.” The 35-year-old further went on to accept that it is a challenge to face him while hailing him the “best”. “He’s a great bowler, arguably the best fast bowler across the three formats. It’s always going to be a challenge,” Smith further added.
Notably, Smith’s comments come ahead of the highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which is scheduled to start in November. With the series set to kick off with the first Test in Perth, followed by a Test each in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, India will aim to extend their winning streak after their back-to-back victories in 2018-19 and 2020-21.