Where Bumrah stands in the ‘impossible to score off’ category in T20Is

Ask any Indian about the best bowler in the shortest format of the game right now and without batting an eyelid, a whole majority of them would likely name Jasprit Bumrah. The answer might well be the same around the globe too after their favoured teams endured his wrath in T20Is or in the Indian T20 League.

Bumrah is a phenomenal find for Indian cricket, especially in T20Is. His effectiveness is as much wicket-taking as it is restricting the scoring rate. In death overs, Bumrah has turned into an unplayable bowler and as such captains have sought to save a bulk of his overs for this phase of the innings.

In this format, where run-scoring is imperative, does Bumrah fit into the all-time greats list as a stringent bowler? How well does he fare when compared with every other economical bowler in this format?

In terms of sheer economy, Bumrah comes as low as 12^th in the list of bowlers with the best economy rates (minimum 40 T20I wickets). This might come as a tad surprising and disappointing for fans who label him as the first bowler who is literally impossible to score off.

Contrary to what you might expect, a large chunk of the bowlers above him in the list are mostly ones who are still around in T20 cricket. So let’s rule out the evolution of T20 hitting as a reason behind Bumrah’s 12^th position in this list.

A closer look, though, reveals that the list is rife with spinners. Filter out the same list for fast bowlers and behold! Bumrah is now second in the list. We have Mudassar Bukhari, a Netherlands pacer, above him in the list but Bukhari’s matches have mostly come against minnows.

This makes Bumrah the most stringent fast bowler the format has ever seen so far. He fares above Dale Steyn, Mohammad Amir, Umar Gul and Lasith Malinga in the list. Add in a stunning bowling average of 20.1 and his tally of 51 wickets and you have a modern-day beast in the shortest format of the game.

Bumrah’s numbers stay true to what the common perception is about him. In fact, he fares well above the average pace bowler across formats and in terms of T20Is, his economy rate could well challenge that of some of the spinners who are reputed in keeping batsmen silent.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar