‘Put Bumrah in England’s XI, they win it’: Vaughan likens India star to Messi, Ronaldo as Cook raises ‘best ever’ doubt

Speaking on Stick to Cricket, Vaughan showed no hesitation in admitting that Bumrah is the best bowler he has ever seen. Not only did he compare the Indian star to football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but he also reckoned that if placed in any team, he could single-handedly win the World Cup for that side.

“Put Jasprit Bumrah in England's team and they win it,” he said.

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Fellow English cricketer Mark Butcher agreed: “I reckon if you put him in anybody's team, they’ll win it.”

“Exactly,” Vaughan added. “He’s probably like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo — those kinds of players.”

David Lloyd, however, interrupted him, asking: “Didn’t you say he is the best bowler you have ever seen?”

And the former England captain replied: “Yes, he is. You’ve got to remember that I started watching or studying cricket in 1985, and he’s the best I’ve seen.”

However, former England captain Alastair Cook wasn’t entirely convinced with the “best-ever” tag for Bumrah. He admitted that while Bumrah is the best all-format bowler of the current generation, he questioned whether the Indian pacer had produced a truly defining, match-winning spell in Tests.

“Is he the best in terms of match-winning spells in Test cricket? Without a shadow of a doubt, he is the best all-format bowler around, I think. I mean, you can safely say that. But has he, like, in a Test match bowled a spell like an 8/15, or is he not that kind of bowler?” he asked.

Vaughan countered again: “I’ve seen him a bit in Australia. Some of the spells have been different — that too on flat decks.”

As for Cook’s point, there have been eight instances when Bumrah has picked up eight or more wickets in a match; six of those came on overseas tracks across England, South Africa and Australia, and on three occasions he even picked up the Player of the Match award.

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