Smith begins mind games with 'best all-format bowler’ praise for Jasprit Bumrah ahead of BGT: 'Whether I face him...'

Jasprit Bumrah only continues to go from strength to strength in world cricket, and receives plaudits from all corners of the sport. Most recently, Australia batter Steve Smith spoke about the qualities of Bumrah, ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia starting in November.

Speaking to Star Sports, Smith spoke glowingly about Bumrah’s ability to play ball across formats. “He's a wonderful bowler, whether I face him with the new ball, slightly older ball, or even the old ball,” said the Australian star of Bumrah.

Bumrah is fresh off another top-quality performance, taking 5 wickets across the two innings against Bangladesh in the Chennai Test, including four scalps in the first innings.

This comes after Bumrah’s match-winning performance in the T20 World Cup final, where his bowling turned the tide in India’s favour after South Africa looked to be in a comfortable position. Bumrah’s accuracy and threat with the red ball, paired with the difficulty of attacking his bowling in white ball cricket, speaks to his flexibility and all-round ability.

Smith, whose Australia succeeded in trumping Bumrah and India in both the WTC and ODI World Cup finals in 2023, was nonetheless complimentary of the pacer’s quality. “He's got great skills with all of them. He's a great bowler, arguably the best fast bowler across the three formats,” said Smith.

Bumrah has remarkable numbers across all three formats, with an average of 20.51 in Test cricket, 23.55 in ODIs, and an incredible 17.74 in T20Is, where he has an economy rate of 6.27 despite bowling in the least friendly situations for any bowler.

Playing against Bumrah always a challenge: Smith

Smith, who is currently with the Australian ODI team as they look to seal an ODI series victory on their white-ball tour of England, spoke about the difficulty of facing Bumrah in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “It's always going to be a challenge,” said Smith.

Bumrah was a key player in India’s series victories in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21 alike. He finished as India’s top wicket-taker with 21 wickets in 2019, sharing overall honours with Nathan Lyon. He was just as potent in the following series, with India pulling off the win despite missing his services in the Gabba Test.

Bumrah and Smith, two of the finest players in the sport, have an even record against each other. Bumrah came out on top in their battle in the ODI World Cup final, trapping Smith LBW, but India were unable to capitalise on that wicket. Their mini-battle is sure to be a key point in the upcoming series.