Updated on: Sept 02, 2025 06:59 am IST
Wasim Akram heaped praise on Jasprit Bumrah, but he firmly noted that drawing parallels between players from the 90s and today isn’t realistic.
Pakistan pace great Wasim Akram acknowledged the recent comparisons of him with India’s modern-day master Jasprit Bumrah. Akram carved out a stellar career with his exceptional swing and skill in troubling batsmen with both the new and old ball. Meanwhile, Bumrah is often considered the best all-format bowler in the modern era, proving himself time and again on big stages against top opposition in crunch situations. Fans, experts, and broadcasters often draw comparisons between legends from different eras, though such parallels can be unfair given how much the game and its conditions have evolved over time. Still, these debates persist, largely because they spark interest and grab the big headlines.
Akram recently discussed Bumrah’s big comparisons with him as he heaped praise on the Indian superstar, but he firmly noted that drawing parallels between players from the 90s and today isn’t realistic.
“Jasprit Bumrah is a wonderful bowler. He has an odd action, has pace, and credit to the Indian cricket board for the way they manage him and their mindset. Comparisons between the 90s and now are impossible. He is right-handed and I am a left-armer. We keep social media debates—Begano ki Shadi Mein Abdullah Deewana. Neither I care nor he cares. They are fighting among themselves. He is a modern-day great. I was in my era. I did my job. He is a very impressive bowler, I must say,” said Akram on GEOTV’s Haarna Mana Hai show.
“Calling Jasprit Bumrah a genius an understatement”
Meanwhile, former pacer Varun Aaron weighed in on the Bumrah–Akram comparisons, hailing the Indian star’s brilliance in overseas conditions. Aaron highlighted Bumrah’s remarkable feat of surpassing Wasim Akram’s wicket tally in SENA countries, calling it proof of his extraordinary class.
“Calling him a genius would be an understatement. He has now gone past Wasim Akram in terms of wickets taken in SENA countries. That says it all for me because Wasim was arguably the best fast bowler to walk the face of the earth—and Bumrah is pretty much the same, if not better,” Aaron chipped in on the same show.
Bumrah is all set to return to action in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, where he will lead the Indian bowling attack in the UAE. The pace ace hasn’t played a T20I since the last year’s T20 World Cup as the selectors have set a priority to manage his workload to keep him injury-free and fresh for the big tournaments and bilateral series.
