Shaheen Afridi vs Jasprit Bumrah: Decoding the stats (T20I cricket)
India will face Pakistan in their opening clash of the ICC T20 World Cup, Super 12s. The bowling can be of huge significance in the match. For India, Jasprit Bumrah will lead the attack. He had a strong Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. On the other hand, Shaheen Afridi is a pivotal figure for Pakistan. Here we decode their stats in T20Is.
Afridi has taken 32 T20I wickets
21-year-old Shaheen broke into the scenes for Pakistan in 2018. He has played 30 T20I matches for Pakistan, claiming 32 wickets at an average of 27.40. He has registered the best bowling figures of 3/20. Afridi is currently the second-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan. His best returns have come against Australia. He has taken eight scalps against them at 15.87.
Bumrah is the second-highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is
Bumrah has claimed 59 T20I scalps in 50 outings for Team India. He averages 20.25 in T20Is, with the best spell of 3/11. Notably, JB is the second-highest wicket-taker for India after wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who has taken 63 wickets at 25.30. Bumrah has the best returns against Australia as well. In 11 matches, he has taken 15 wickets at 20.13.
Bumrah has an average of 20.00 against Pakistan
Bumrah has played just two T20Is against Pakistan (both in 2016). The right-arm pacer bowled seven overs across these two matches, conceding 40 runs at an economy rate of 5.71. He picked up two scalps and has an average of 20.00. Meanwhile, Afridi is yet to feature in a T20I against India.
Both players can impress largely
At 6ft 6in, Afridi will aim to make use of the surface early on against India in Dubai. He will relish bowling on the surface and would want accuracy. Afridi can bowl those mean unplayable yorkers at good pace. Bumrah is highly experienced and will back himself to lead the attack. He did well on the UAE pitches in the IPL.
